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
I actually want to share this “black card” quite some time ago .. but I always forget and not really able to get some good result to share … and while I am doing this , one of my gang actually notice me shaking my finger around the front len .. and she did ask what was I doing … 😀 and here you go ….
what is black card method and when will we use it ?
when we having different exposures, I normally do GND filter, exposures blending, black card, HDR …(we not going to discuss all here but share some sample)
A. GND filter
this is just like GND filter, most of the time we have big dynamic range/different between sky and foreground.. it normally have different from 2-9 stops …. e.g. for standard sunrise/sunset/magic hour environment, we face 2-4 stops different between foreground – sky… to resolve this we normally use GND to single frame picture have the correct exposure among foreground and sky e.g.
1. without GND
Magical moment - no GND
2. GND
... the magical moment ...
– the sky is ~4 stops different from the foreground…
– I use GND.9s for above picture and do some PP trick to make the right exposure
B. HDR (seldom do this …but think we still good to know this)
Cold Reflection
– why I choose HDR … this was shoot use my SIGMA12-24mm which cannot fit any filter
– it was too cold to think which method to choose so I simply shoot 7 exposures back 😀
3. black card
– seldom use this as I am not really experience
– filter much easy
– need a lot of try and error but the good light could be disappear any time
original shot without any filter, blending, black card
– why I choose black card, the environment was dark, not sure how/where to apply GND
– multiple exposures will take double or even more times for single shot
– the exposure different >3 stops
for me I know the area that make me concern as below
the over expose portion
– so what I did was, use my fingers block the over expose area
– allow only ~2-3 seconds exposure over 30 seconds exposure, so I block it until last few seconds and I remove my finger
so I get
... another milky way ...
most of the time we just need try and error, where some fail sample .. think only expose for ~1s
wrong timing to shake the black card/finger
I will discuss more on other method in future … but let’s try and error on black card 😀
it is always difficult to have what you wish to have in frame (except we make the story to capture ….)
A good example, I was looking at the beautiful reflection on beach
Kemasik Beach with reflection
*** above picture is ~1.5minutes after picture below but it look about same before too
and what I have with the “magic minute” moment
The wave "took" over the reflection role ....
with the wave, I have no choice to capture it as leading line instead what I original plan to have the beautiful reflection … so do not change yours position even something change but we make the change into our final output …..
**** it is always difficult but we still try our best to capture the beauty of the nature … enjoy ……
this is not first time I shoot Milky, but this is my very first time see it clearly … it was just above us and we can use our eye to see it … am happy able to make this outing [my East Coast visit | April 20100] and thanks for my friends going with me (Shunfa, Jason, Siah, Seesy, Xiao Yi, Ismail, Norhana & Lio) . We had wonderful trip … and could be most memorable trip for me ….
beside standard tools tripod, release cable, ….I using different filter for different situation and effect … e.g. I use super ND to clear silky effect on sunny day which discuss here.
I also make use of CPL to get better colors contrast, reflection, shot the clearness of the water …. sometime I do use it as ND filters too (2 stops) …
e.g. of the highlight of the coconut tree leaf on sunny day
without CPL with CPL but simply turn with CPL and turn/rotate to make less reflection/highlight
the usage of the CPL just like Photography, it never have right or wrong … it just what you prefer to see … but above e.g. is to show how we use to reduce the highlight of the reflective part of the coconut tree leaf
another e.g. to show the water reflection and the saturation of the overall picture
CPL on with rotation for reflectionCPL on with rotation for clear water capture
both sample above show different effect can be archive by rotating the CPL…..
For me, if you serious in Landscape CPL is a necessary tool that always near you so you can have what effect you would like have which not easy archive by other filters or post processing ….
sample
a sample of using CPL
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good news is the Marumi DHG CPL/DHG Super CPL are in-stock now… and thanks LeePhoto bringing in the such a good filters into market
Marumi DHG Circular PL(D)
contact me for price for COD near Kuala Lumpur/PJ/any place I reach …. or by courier service here
since last year July till now, I had travel to Malaysia East coast for 4-5 times but it never slow me down to make another visit but it rather make me feel I should visit there more often as a Landscape photographer .. it is a “heaven”, I would say I only explore <5% location up to Kuala Terengganu from Kuantan…. 31 March – 4 April 2011, me with other 8 friends decided to make a quick trip from Kuantan –> Pantai Kemasik (sunrise) –> Kuala Terengganu (Pantai Pandak & Masjid Tengku Tengah Zaharah) –> Kota Bahru (meeting www.photomalaysia.com event, Sri Tujuh…) –> Dungun (star, sunrise ….)
short 5d4n trip, we traveled ~1500KM, managed to capture beautiful sunrise, sunset, reflection, stars …. and Milky way from 2 places …
it going to be slow to share all pictures .. but let’s start this thread and I will be slowly post up the pictures into Terengganu series.
but let’s me start with 1st capture at Pantai Kemasik …
... under the Starry sky ...
and another after sunrise shot before we continue our journey …
... different interest ...
stay tune for more update pictures from beautiful East Coast, Malaysia
Update 6 April 2011 – everyone seem success capture the Milky way … congraz …
1. stronger arm that can handle heavy flash like 430EX , sb600 etc …
Fotopro Duo flash Mount
it is always good to bring flash closer to the object which help to freeze the object even wind or hand shake (for more info please google “Inverse-square law for Light”)
1/128 power = 1/36313 seconds Flash Duration —- SCALED to REPORTED DATA
1/64 power = 1/25341 seconds
1/32 power = 1/19232 seconds
1/16 power = 1/12914 seconds
1/8 power = 1/9151 seconds
1/4 power = 1/6107 seconds
1/2 power = 1/4019 seconds
Full power = 1/833 seconds
Canon 580 EXii – Distance from Flash to Sensor: 2 feet
1/128 power = 1/52718 seconds Flash Duration —- SCALED to REPORTED DATA
1/64 power = 1/38845 seconds
1/32 power = 1/26887 seconds
1/16 power = 1/18626 seconds
1/8 power = 1/13039 seconds
1/4 power = 1/8447 seconds
1/2 power = 1/5006 seconds
Full power = 1/871 seconds
simple compare, the lower the power mean we have faster virtual shutter speed which help to freeze the moment (due to wind, hand shake and etc) … so if when we do handheld macrophotography, it is always good to make flash closer to the object …
so some of my testing are base using the flash bracket (which bring the light source closer to the object)
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
