Exposures Blending

While we shoot landscape, to get right exposures for both foreground and background (sky) .. it is just not too simple … as discussed previously , we can either

1. GND filter

2. black card method

3. HDR

4. Exposures blending (where we will discuss here)

 

e.g. of 2 pictures

exposures blending1
exposures blending2

– normally we refer same sky but just different exposures but for this example … I got same position but the cloud actually cover the Starry sky

– how I do Exposures Blending

i. normally I will shoot one foreground 1st with right iso, exposure and sometime with light painting

ii. continue shooting the sky or background

iii. use software masking or blending both picture together

Manual masking - exposures blending

***for how I mask the 2 pictures click old link here

another test used Photomatix “Exposures Fusion” option

Photomatix Blending

 

*** not much editing done on the post blending picture

10 stops filter exposure table

to make my life easier, I always keep this table with me while I use my 10 stops filter

10 stops exposure
1/1000 1 sec
1/800 1 sec
1/640 1 sec
1/500 2 sec
1/400 2 sec
1/320 3 sec
1/250 4 sec
1/200 5 sec
1/160 6 sec
1/125 8 sec
1/100 10 sec
1/80 12 sec
1/60 17 sec
1/50 20 sec
1/40 25 sec
1/30 34 sec
1/25 40 sec
1/20 51 sec
1/15 68 sec
1/13 78 sec
1/10 102 sec
1/8 128 sec
1/6 170 sec
1/5 204 sec
1/4 256 sec
1/3 341 sec
0.4 409 sec
0.5 512 sec
10/16 640 sec
10/13 787 sec
1 1024

for anything before 1/1000, our camera should able to give correct exposure … and for me anything more than 1000sec is almost too long to wait for .. so I will only use the filter

 

this formula is apply for

mySchneider – nd1000x or my Big Stopper

10 stops ND filters (Schneider – nd1000x) on Sales

and some of my Long Exposures pictures

Long Exposures Gear – Big stop ND