THE RIGHT LIGHT
Black & white conversions are well
suited to scenes that already boast
natural contrast from direct light.AD
AM BURTONJuly 2019 Digital SLR Photography 55
Aswithsomeof theotherlandscape topics
that we covered here, black & white
conversions tend to work well when the
approach taken is already closer to abstract
than recording the world as it actually is.
Long exposures are no different, and scenes
with slow, streaking clouds passing by, or
water rendered as an ethereal, smoky mist
can work especially well converted into
monochrome masterpieces. Extreme long
exposures tend to simplify landscapes,
smoothing out details in moving elements
and turning them into a blend of different
tones. If you want to shoot them, especially
during daylight hours, then you’ll need a
Neutral Density filter. With low ambient light
you’ll probably only need a three-stop ND to
render moving elements as a blur, but for
more extreme effects, and during bright light
you’ll need a so-called ‘extreme’ ND filter,
such as one offering six, ten or even 15-stops
of filtration. These often create a noticeable
colour cast when used, but obviously you
don’t have to worry about this when
converting to black & white!
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RSTOCKLONG EXPOSURES