Shooting Long Exposures…

One of my favorite ways to work with a composition is to create a surreal look by using a long exposure. For this photo, I used a 10 stop neutral density filter which blurred the clouds in the background created a painterly brushstroke look with the clouds. Use 10 stops and more to get really creative with blurring water or clouds in a composition. If you are traveling, long exposure is a great way to create a unique look with an iconic and often photographed location. If you want to read more about long exposures, see my article on Shooting Long Exposures, on the Nikon Learn & Explore site, and there’s an app for that too, check it out! I’ll be presenting at Long Exposure Creativity at NECCC  this July, and join me in Canada this August for either a One Day Workshop in Toronto or the Canadian Caravan 2013 in northern Ontario. I hope to see you this summer!

I’m a big fan of converting long exposure imagery to black and white for an expressive, fine art look.  Nik Silver Efex Pro was used for black and white conversion to guide attention to the clouds and allows the subject to stand out clearly.  My Plug-in Savings page lists links to all creative effects, plug-ins, filters, favorite photo tools and textures.