The other day I was listening to satellite radio and the song, Time, by the Chambers Brothers came on. In that I was driving home from leading one of my photo tours to New Mexico, I was in a photo state of mind. As I was singing along to the chorus, one of the lines prompted the idea for this article - sing along with me: “Now the time has come There are things to realize.” What I want you to realize is how the concept of time impacts the outcome of an image.

Time is critical in high speed photography. Stopping a race car, freezing the moment a receiver snatches a football in the end zone, or capturing a single suspended drop of water as it cascades in a waterfall all require fast shutter speeds. Conversely, showing the concept of elongated time as it blurs across a sensor requires a slow shutter speed to exaggerate the movement of the subject. The focus of this article is the latter as I want to deal with exposures of longer than 1 second.

The Basics: In order to obtain slow shutter speeds, either the light level has to be low or you have to find a means of cutting back the existing light. The easiest way to do this is through the use of neutral density filters. They come in strengths of one to ten stops. I own a 6 stop and a 3 stop and I stack them if needed. Some manufacturers offer models that vary the amount of density by rotating the front of the filter. By adding a polarizer, light levels can be cut even further. In that the viewfinder will be dark, it’s best to first create your composition and then add the ND filters. Stop your lens down to the smallest aperture which nets the longest possible exposure.

© Russ Burden

Tripod It: While it’s not necessary to use a tripod all the time in that intentionally moving the camera during long exposures can create interesting effects, it’s essential one be used if you want stationary items to be crisp and sharp. Both techniques produce intriguing results. Bring your camera and tripod to an amusement park at night and photograph the same subject both with the camera mounted on a tripod and hand held to intentionally move it. While you’re at it, zoom your lens during the exposure to add an additional variable.

© Russ Burden

Technique: As you play with the concept, you’ll find yourself wanting longer and longer exposure times. This being the case, be sure to enable long exposure noise reduction. It appears in the custom menu settings. Realize it will take time to process the photo so rapid fire is not the norm. If the exposure is 20 seconds, be prepared to wait 20 seconds before making the next image. Stacking ND filters can cause vignetting especially if you’re using wide angles. Its chance of happening is heightened the more you stop the lens down so be aware of its potential as it’s difficult to see in the dark viewfinder. Be sure you have a locking cable release especially if you get into exposures longer than 30 seconds as this is where many cameras automatic settings stop.

© Russ Burden

To learn more about this topic, join me on one of my Photographic Nature Tours. Visit russburdenphotography.com and click on the NATURE TOURS button for more information. Also, pick up a copy of my book, Amphoto’s Complete Book of Photography. You can purchase a signed copy directly from me or visit your local book store or Amazon. Contact me at rburden@ecentral.com to order your signed copy.