Night and Low-light Photography Photo Workshop

This is not an exact science because the amount

of blur in the water will be influenced by how fast

the water is moving and where in the tide cycle it

is if there is a tide. For example, the water in

Figure 10-12 was moving very slowly, needing a

shutter speed of more than 2 minutes to get the

right amount of blur. Make sure that you keep

your gear dry, and if your tripod does get wet,

rinse the affected areas with clean fresh water,

and dry and lubricate as necessary.

8. If the ISO is at the lowest setting available
   on your camera and the shutter speed is
   still faster than 1 second, then you have to
   either make the aperture smaller or wait
   until there is less light.

To use a long enough exposure to smooth out the
water, start with a shutter speed of 1 second or
longer. To get the proper settings, just do the
following:

1. Set the camera in a tripod.


2. Compose the scene.


3. Set the camera to aperture priority mode.


4. Pick the aperture that gives you the desired
   depth of field.


5. Set the ISO to 400.


6. Use spot metering mode and set the focus
   point on the critical subject in the scene.


7. Press the shutter release button halfway
   down to get a light meter reading, and make
   a note of the shutter speed.

If the shutter speed is 1 second or longer,
go ahead and take the photo.

If the shutter speed is less than 1 second,
decrease the ISO and repeat steps 6 and 7.

shutter speed. The same effect can be used at
lakes, streams, and ponds, with streams being the
easiest as the water is usually visibly moving.
With ponds and lakes, you have to judge how
long to leave the shutter open — a little (or a lot)
longer to get a smooth look depending on the
water’s movement.

You can also change the camera to

manual mode and enter the settings.

Then start to adjust the shutter speed so that each

exposure is longer as the sun goes down. Observe how

the shutter speed changes the look of the water and

what shutter speed is needed to give you the silky look

you want.

note

Always clean off any sand that you

may get on your tripod when photo-

graphing at the beach. The sand can cause the tripod

legs to stick, turning a working tripod into an exercise in

frustration.

note

The water and wet sand create a

great reflective surface that you can

use to capture the reflection of any nearby lights, and

even the sunrise or sunset as the light streaks across

the coastline.

tip

Turning night into day

If you leave the shutter open long enough, then

enough light is collected to create the illusion of

turning night into day. It might seem like all you

have to do is leave the camera shutter open for a

long time, but there is a little more to it than that.