Night time photography and water blur

Creating water blur to show the movement is a photographic technique that I really need to work on - how about you?  Have your perfected the technique? I know I still have a lot to learn. 

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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