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Drawn Out Scenes
Creating brush strokes with a lens.
My favourite type of photography is most definitely long exposures. Milky waters, stretched out light trails, motion blurs… these feel to me like brush strokes - the photographer becomes a painter.
Although you require certain equipment to create the shot, there are many filters on the market that can be as cheap or as expensive as you’d like. So, once you understand the how-to, the world really is your oyster as to what you can create.
The Shard at night. The shutter was open for 8 minutes.
The Technical How-To
Gear needed:
Neutral Density (ND) filter(s). These come in varying stop levels, increasing in darkness to block out more stops of light, and therefore increasing the length of time the shutter is open for. You can also choose between square filters, which require a filter holder, and round filters which can screw directly onto the lens. I opt for square filters as I think these are easier to handle and ‘layer’ other filters on top of, such as graduated filters (which are useful for sunsets/sunrises).
Lee filters are the most renowned filters, and accordingly some of the most expensive. I use Lee, but I have heard that other, cheaper, alternatives are also good and even perhaps better value for money. Shop around and read reviews, and make sure you have a good case to keep them nice and safe! After all, they are glass, and glass can be delicate.
A good assessment of circular versus square can be found here.
Tripod. This is vital for all long exposure shots, but if you are hoping to create very long exposures, such as for 5/10/15 minutes or longer, it is especially important you use a sturdy tripod. Even the tiniest camera shake can blur these long captures.
Remote. Just pressing down on the button on your camera can cause shake, creating the need for a remote cable to take the shot. If you don’t have one or want to buy one (although you can get them for very cheap), you can circumvent this by setting your camera to timer mode of 10 seconds - but this can make timing shots more difficult and make the process more laborious.
Lee filters and Sioti filter holder for square filters. Check your lens diameter (either on the inside rim, or google the model) and get a filter holder that matches this. The filter holder does not need to be expensive.
Points to note:
If using a filter holder, make sure you purchase an adaptor ring specific to the diameter of your camera lens.
I probably use my 6 stop and 10 stop filters quite frequently, and the 15 stop filter the least. It depends on what photo you are hoping to achieve and therefore how long you want the shutter open for.
Similarly, ensure your remote cable is designed to plug into the specific make and model of your camera.
The time the shutter should be open for is entirely dependent on the image you are trying to capture.
Ferragudo in Portugal. Shutter speed 1.3 seconds. Natural props like this branch can be useful for creating interesting leading lines from the waves’ motion blur.
Now, let’s get to it:
First, set up your camera gear. Attach your camera to your sturdy tripod, and screw on your filter holder or circular filter. If using a filter holder and square filters, do not yet slot in the filter. If using a round filter, make sure to turn this to ‘nil’ so that the image is not being impacted by the neutral density filter.
Attach your remote camera cable.
Set the camera to aperture priority mode.
Particularly for very long captures, I tend to start off by setting the ISO to 100. If you need to bump up the lighting then you can bump up the ISO, but typically I will start off with 100 to retain as much quality as possible, whilst keeping the aperture and shutter speed that I want.
With the filter holder on the lens but the filter off, set up your shot - establish the composition and focus in on your selected focal point. I tend to set the aperture for around 8-11 (with 10 being my most common aperture) to allow a greater amount of the photo to be in focus.
If using autofocus, once you have established the focus, switch over to manual focus mode.
Take your photo. Confirm you are happy with the exposure and composition and then note the shutter speed that was automatically generated to take the shot.
Now, slot in your chosen neutral density filter/turn the filter if it is circular.
Turn the camera over to bulb mode. Make sure the ISO and aperture agree to the photo you just took.
Calculate the required shutter speed. Use the table at this link here to assist with calculating what shutter speed you will need to use, based on the shutter speed of your test photo and number of stops of your neutral density filter.
Press down on the remote shutter and hold for the required shutter speed. Check photo and adjust shutter speeds as required.
A river on the trail aptly named ‘Watersmeet’ in Devon. Shutter speed 10 seconds. Long exposures can add a sense of magic to river and forest scenes.
Points to note:
For shots under 30 seconds you can use manual mode instead of bulb mode. This is useful as you can press the shutter and do not have to watch the time on the camera for how long the shutter is open for. It also makes the shutter speed more accurate which can be important if you will be stacking images over each other.
Get used to how your camera works with ND filters and don’t treat it like an exact science. For instance, I typically double the amount of time the table says to have the shutter open for, as the images from my camera just come out too dark.
Particularly for very long exposures, keep an eye on the changing light conditions around you. If, when you took the test shot, the subject was brightly lit and then the light drops (perhaps the sun goes behind some clouds), this can add to the amount of time you may need to keep the shutter open for. Again, although it feels like a scientific calculation it truly is based on experience more than anything - the more you practice, the more you will get used to adjusting shutter speeds according to changing light levels around you.
Ultimately, the best way to learn is to get out there and do it. Things go wrong, they always do, but that is one of the best things about photography.
I feel the need…
…the need for speed!
How fast or slow should my shutter speed be? Well, this is entirely down to the image you want to create.
Faster shutter speeds add a sense of motion to a photo, making it feel more like a living, breathing snapshot in time. Conversely, long shutter speeds smooth out the world around us - clouds, water, people - and it creates a much more peaceful, sometimes even lonely, image.
Play around with shutter speeds: take the same image with varying shutter speeds from half a second, to 4 seconds, to 30 seconds, to 30 minutes. See how this changes the feel of the image in front of you.
Totland Boathouse in the Isle of Wight. The shutter was open for 48 minutes. It was a challenge to manage camera shake, as I was waist-deep with pebbles moving underneath the tripod feet as the waves came in.
Praia da Barriga (literally: belly beach) in Portugal. Shutter speed 1/5 of a second.
I hope this has been helpful! Please feel free to email me or reach out through my instagram with any questions or comments - especially if you have any amazing photos to share!
Meeting My Wild Side
Building a camera trap to catch life in the act.
News that the UK was going into its third lockdown hit me with a wave of disappointment. I’m lucky that I live in a safe and happy household, I know this, but 3 months stuck indoors and away from my camera would drive me crazy. My fingers were itching and my Canon was calling my name.
I decided the best thing to do, naturally, was to build a camera trap.
For those who have never heard of a camera trap (like myself a few months ago!) a camera trap is essentially a way of triggering your camera to take a photo when a sensor detects movement.
When you see those amazing up-close pictures of big cats or rhinos in Africa (check out Will Burrard-Lucas as my favourite example), a lot of those images will have been captured using a camera trap. A camera trap allows a camera to get so much closer to animals than a human photographer can; either because the animal is skittish, or because it is dangerous. Or maybe a bit of both.
How To Build It
Gear needed:
To build the housing for your camera trap, what you will need is:
A pelican case (anything hardy, I bought mine from the following link)
A drill set with special bits to drill a specific size hole (this is a bad explanation, please see what I bought to help explain it!)
Camo tape (I use Gorilla camo tape)
Silicone sealant glue
A camera and lens (I took the opportunity to use my old Sony A77ii that I hadn’t used in years)
A lens filter (I used an old polarising filter that was for my old Sony lens)
A motion sensor (I used Camtraptions PIR sensor - the wired option as it was slightly cheaper and I didn’t want to stress about a receiver. However, the wire does sometimes limit my set-up).
[For night photography] Flashgun/speedlite/speedlight with corresponding trigger and receiver set (I use Yongnui ones)
All the gear and no idea: the equipment needed for the camera housing.
Step-by-step to build:
Firstly, you should cover the box in your camo duct tape. I actually only covered the section where I wanted to drill my hole before drilling the opening, but this was only because I didn’t trust that I would get it right and didn’t want to waste my tape.
If you have more confidence in yourself (which you should!) then cover the entire case with camo tape before starting on your lens hole.
Next, you need to establish where you want your lens opening to be. This is where I realised my first mistake: I hadn’t checked the measurements of the pelican case against my camera body and lens.
Luckily, the case just about squeezes my Sony camera set up inside, although I have to keep it at a very slight angle. Make sure you check the measurements of your camera before you buy the pelican case!
Once you’ve worked out where your lens hole needs to be, drill your hole using the specific diameter drill bit. I used the same diameter as my camera lens, as that was also the diameter of my spare polarising filter, but this does mean that my photos all have vignetting where the sides of the opening are visible. If you have a filter to match, I would suggest going one size up from your camera lens diameter to help fix this problem.
Get drilling!
Depending on what motion sensor set up you have, you may also need to drill a small hole in the side for the sensor wire to fit through to connect to your camera.
Glue the lens filter to cover the opening you have made with your drill bit. Make sure you have covered right around the edges to fully seal the opening and protect your lens from the weather. This will likely need to be left for 48 hours to dry.
Next, attach a tripod plate to the bottom of your housing, to allow the trap to be mounted onto a tripod. The most secure and sturdy method would be by drilling the plate to the bottom of the box (making sure to check balance first - as the box will be front-weighted with your camera), but I cheated and glued it to the bottom. I’d had enough of the drill by then!
For night photography, make sure you waterproof your flashgun. At the moment I use the extremely professional-looking clear plastic bag sealed shut with an elastic band! I will, however, soon be building some housing out of an old Tupperware box.
“Make sure you check the measurements of your camera before you buy the pelican case!”
Here are some handy YouTube videos I watched before building my housing:
Camera Settings and Tips
Go-to Settings:
The go-to camera settings I use for night-time camera traps is between 80 to 160 shutter speed; ISO 640-800; and f5.6-f8.0.
I always use manual focus and settings for this photography, even for the daytime. I’ve found that what gets the best outcome is trying to pick a set-up where an animal will naturally be directed into the correct spot before being picked up by the sensor.
Most flashguns can’t sync above 250 shutter speed, so make sure you test out your set-up before walking away. Too fast a shutter speed will result in photos that are half black and half captured, and a very frustrated photographer!
There is a lot of trial and error with camera trap photography and camera settings, and unfortunately what might have worked for one situation won’t work the next night for a new situation/animal/time of the night.
It is frustrating, but there is no better feeling than when you FINALLY have the perfect focus and exposure. It feels like magic.
Animals are smarter than you think!
Try to hide the housing and sensor as much as you can without obstructing the lens or setting off the sensor.
Handy Tips
Pick your set-up area carefully and consciously. Is it an interesting background? Is it a clear area to provide an unobstructed view of the animal? Where do you think the animal will naturally be drawn to?
For instance, like humans, animals will often use pre-trampled walkways, so it can be useful to set your focus area to where the animal may walk along one of these.
Have a clear idea on what animal and set-up you want for the photo and go all-in. There is a big difference in size and behaviours between a wood mouse and a fox, and this would alter the entire background set-up, focus point and flashgun set up. In my mind, it is better to wait for the perfect photo for a specific animal than to try to have a catch-all and produce slightly blurry, mediocre photos.
Keep an eye on the weather. If it looks like rain, take steps (I usually create a roof with a plank of wood!) to try to stop rain drops from getting on your filter which could cause blurred photos.
Invest in rechargeable batteries. When you get going, you’ll quickly realise why these will save you a lot of trouble and money!
“Make sure you test out your set-up before walking away.”
Before you go: consider the ethics
It’s important to consider the ethics of photography, but particularly with regards to wildlife photography, where some people may get carried away with the desire for the photo over the welfare of the animal.
Try not to shine very bright flashes right at the animal’s eyeline. I try to stick to the lowest setting of my flashgun and instead pull the exposure up in post editing.
I also try to avoid damaging the area that I am setting up my housing and tripods - too often I have seen photographers/hikers/tourists pulling up plants or changing the landscape that they’re in, just for the perfect photo. It is not worth it! You weren’t the first person to be there, and you won’t be the last, so make sure you leave habitats the way you found them.
Lastly, I am not wholly against using food as a way of positioning an animal where you want them for the photo, HOWEVER please consider whether the food is healthy/edible for all animals in the area, and whether this will disrupt the animal’s natural feeding habits. Animals should never be reliant on outside interference for food.
Go forth and enjoy!
