I wish I had some waterfalls in our area so I could practice. We do however have the beach.
Below is one of my images from a few weeks ago when we went down to the Bunbury "back beach" with the boys after dinner one evening. They played and got sandy and soaking wet running in and out of the water while I took photos. They had lots of fun and so did I.
Please click on "read more" to keep reading and see more pics! see you there!
This area is called the "basalt rocks" - a larva flow from an eruption approximately 130 million years ago. It was part of the Kerguelen large igneous province that formed over a period from about 130 to 95 million years ago as Australia, India and Antarctica split apart.
It is popular place for photographers.
On Saturday night my hubbie and I went down to the back beach to meet up with the Photography Group of Bunbury to have a go at night time shooting. I learnt a lot!
It was a lovely night for it. The basalt rocks are also popular for fishermen.
I like the way you can see the run of the water on the beach in this shot. The fisherman on the rocks adds a bit of interest.
A neutral density filter or a graduated filter helps cut out some of the light when you are slowing down your shot and letting in more light using "shutter priority" - look for "Tv" (time value) mode on your camera. A tripod is essential and a remote shutter release stops any camera shake you might get when you push the shutter button. You can see the wave crashing over the rocks in this pic below.
After dark you can still take photos using your "bulb" exposure setting - look for "B" on your mode dial. It was suggested I use ISO 100, F5.6, "evaluative" metering, manual focus, live view and keep the shutter button depressed for 2 minutes. Make sure your batteries are fully charged. A timer on your watch will help or your camera may show the elapsed time. It is a good idea to check out how your camera works in daylight before night falls!
You can see the blur of the waves on the shoreline in the pic below. There is quite a bit of street lighting on the LHS but I purposely included it.
The photo below was taken around 8.30pm using the "bulb" setting which allowed me to keep the shutter open for about 2 minutes. The tricky part is focusing in the dark. For this you need a strong torch to shine on the spot were you are focusing, then focus manually using your live view screen. Use the magnifying button to help achieve manual focus. A tripod is essential and a remote shutter release to keep the shutter open for the length of time. Whilst you have the shutter open you can shine the torch around the scene a bit to add in a bit of light. Taking photos after dark requires a bit of practice!
The only processing I have done in the image below is to convert from RAW to JPEG and straighten the horizon. You can see the misty effect of the movement of the waves over the 2 minutes. The bright light on the horizon on the LHS is a ship, and there is extra light coming in from the RHS from street lighting and the rising moon.
Here is the same scene with some different white balance settings changed in Lightroom -
Thanks to Denise and the Photography Group of Bunbury I learnt a lot about night shooting during the outing, and I am looking forward to having a go with it next time we are out camping when there is no ambient light other than moon and star light. In the pics above you can see the slight movement of the stars. No doubt with the shutter open longer you would be able to capture start trails - something else to play around with!
Have you tried night time shooting?
Thanks for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. Have a wonderful week.
I am linking up to Mosaic Monday, Travel Photos Monday, Our World Tuesday, Wednesday Around the World, Travel Photo Thursday, What's It Wednesday, and Oh the Places I've Been. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
Mosaic Monday
Travel Photo Mondays
Our World Tuesday
Wednesday Around the World
What's It Wednesday
Travel Photo Thursday
Oh The Places I've Been
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Hi Jill, I love doing things like night shooting, I photographed a building one Christmas with slide film and zoomed the lens at the same time and the image turned out wonderful. Oh, and the building was lit up with colored lights. I have a 20" x 30" image of it on my wall, it's just beautiful. Keep up the great photography. Love your work.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos, Jill :)
ReplyDeleteJill, I love the beach scenes and the lovely night sky. Your photos and mosaic are just beautiful. You are doing very well with your photography! Have a happy week!
ReplyDeleteEvery image here is just stunningly beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI so enjoyed your beautiful photos today.
ReplyDeleteJill your work is beautiful. I need to learn more about this also.. Its getting out there is where I learn the most. So glad you posted these. I love the waves. Fantastic.
ReplyDeleteHappy Week my friend. xo
Jill, we were at opposite ends of the spectrum this week; I just posted photos in which I was trying to get sharp definition of those waves (and the surfers on them). Now I see this and want to experiment with the softness you've captured. Beautiful photos.
ReplyDeleteOf course all of your shots once again dazzled me to no end! The one right above the "the photo below was taken..." paragraph is my favorite. Awesome! Wow...so much involved to do this and I'm still taking baby steps with my settiings. But, once again I took notes here to work on! Thank you so much, Jill!! :)
ReplyDeleteThere is a lovely light that emanates from all your photos. Your various techniques are interesting but I also think it is your love of seascapes that shines through.
ReplyDeleteWow! You just keep getting better and better. I love these, all of them. I kept trying to pick a favourite, but I couldn't. These, for me, at least are gallery material. Move over Christian! Keep up the great work, Jill.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about Christian, but thanks Jo!
Deleteyour photos are incredible.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful selection of photos Jill. I would like to play with night time photography, when I have greater freedom with my time and when I buy a tripod.
ReplyDeleteWow - what utterly lovely photos! Well done and thanks for the tutorial.
ReplyDeleteI don't know enough about photography to make any educated comments - just 'WOW' - these are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteShalom Jill. Wow, you are really serious about learning more photography stuff. Good onya. I haven't gotten much beyond the point and shoot stage. Your images are beautiful and special.
ReplyDeleteWe have lots of basalt in the Galilee and the Golan Heights. Ancient Tiberias and other towns around the Sea of Galilee were built with basalt stones.
Moon light shots are great - I was amazed at how my first efforts came to - but I have never tried it by the sea.
ReplyDeleteCheers - Stewart M - Melbourne
Yikes you need to come visit me, or ring me up ;)...I love this and have seen it before, but always thought that people had somehow greatly edited their images. I had never even heard of the process, or filter before. Ah, and then I see, you have to change settings...I am so NonTechSavy!!! I have been to photo classes, taken hundreds of notes, looked online and I simply cannot get the math aspect and so alas, my camera setting is pretty much the same for everything. I even take still shots with my action shot setting, so I can be ready for something to move. I also take most macro looking images with my action shot setting...I have just ruined my entire image...ha ha ha. These are wonderful Jill~
ReplyDeleteMary I would never have guessed. You do such a fantastic job with your photos it obviously works for you. I only started playing around with Manual settings last year when I went to a 8 week night school class, before that all Auto! You can still get great images using Auto - I think sometimes "people" get too tied up with mechanics instead of just taking images.
DeleteOh how I would love to visit you on the other side of the world and in another hemisphere! Blogging might have to suffice for now! thanks for visiting Mary. Have a great week.
Absolutely stunning ocean scenes ~ very creative and expressive photos for OWT ~ thanks,
ReplyDeleteartmusedog and carol
www.acreativeharbor.com
Your nighttime shooting was highly successful, I'd say. I love the softer look of the water with the long exposure time. Very creative.
ReplyDeleteoh wow, thank you everyone, I have obviously struck a cord with you all this week, something to do with the timelessness of the ocean perhaps. Thank you all wonderful readers. I truly appreciate your comments and will try to get back to you all soon!
ReplyDeleteWow your photographs are gorgeous!! Stunning!! Thank you for sharing!! Have a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteSplendid ocean surf!! Great shots , Indeed sounds a nice place to visit...
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing your experience with us.
have a nice day..
I think you did an excellent job with those seascapes. looks a beautiful place.
ReplyDeleteI tried to do some night shooting but realized that I first need to learn how to do adjustments on my camera and what all the settings me before I learn how to fiddle with it. I don't have a remote shutter, so my workaround is to use the timer. I've tried to photograph waterfalls to capture just the right amount of movement but my technique needs a lot of practice. Going to a class would actually be a better way of learning that the trial and error method I'm currently using.
ReplyDeleteThat kid looks like a ghost! Love that shot!
ReplyDeleteJust gorgeous photography.
ReplyDeleteGreat to have you at Oh, The PLACES I've been!
- The Tablescaper
As you already know Jill I am a very keen very amateur photographer. This post was so interesting especially as I live by the beach myself, I shall have to try and put your lesson to good use. Thanks so much, your photos inspire me to try and learn more.
ReplyDeletethank you Linda. Always something new to try, always something new to learn.
DeleteGreat shot, love much.
ReplyDelete