Slow exposure long exposure photography: shooting on flowing water, car tracks, star tracks and ND filter gear conversion

1. The "critical golden point" of slow shutter speed for dynamic subjects

It’s not that the slower the shutter, the better. Different moving media need to match their own physical movement rhythms:

• Wave drawing (drawing out powerful lines): 1/2 second to 1 second (If the shutter is too slow, the waves will turn into a dead paste without details. Only 1 second can perfectly record the drawing trajectory of the waves at low tide);
• Waterfall silkening (as smooth as white silk): 2 seconds to 4 seconds;
• Calm water surface like a mirror / misty flowing clouds and mist: 30 seconds to 2 minutes (the ripples on the water surface are completely smoothed and reflected like a mirror, thick clouds create a strong flowing perspective);
• Urban traffic light track (car lights pull out smooth and continuous ribbons): 10 seconds to 20 seconds (exactly covering the period between the traffic light change at the intersection and the traffic flow passing through the entire viewing angle);
• Crowd elimination technique (busy square is empty): 2 minutes to 5 minutes With the ND1000, the walking crowds cannot leave any exposure on the film due to their short residence time, and the streets instantly become empty.

2. Quick check on the calculation formula of ND light reduction filter (neutral gray density filter)

3. Checklist of key pitfalls to avoid in long exposure

1. A rock-stable tripod and windproof counterweight: retract the central axis (the central axis is the largest lever for shaking), hang the camera bag and lower the center of gravity;
2. The viewfinder eyepiece is completely blocked (unique to SLR cameras): When the SLR body is exposed for tens of seconds, strong sunlight will leak into the reflector box from the optical viewfinder eyepiece behind it, forming a strange purple spot in the center of the film! Before long exposure, the eyepiece shutter must be closed or taped with black tape;
3. Shutter release cable / 2-second delayed release: It is strictly forbidden to press the shutter of the camera body directly with your fingers. You must use a mechanical/electronic shutter cable or turn on the 2-second delayed shutter in the camera to completely eliminate the microshock when your fingers leave.

---