Effect of Slow Shutter Speed on Landscape Water Sunset Shot

[omniscapephotography]

Hi all,

Below is a "how I did it" entry in my blog called "Landscape Photography Tips and More | The Omniscape Photography Blog". Enjoy!

The Making of "Endless Blue" - by Brandon Broderick

This landscape photo we call "Endless Blue" is a bit different than others I've taken. It's not that it's a different style, or a different technique. Actually in that sense, it's quite similar to the style of a lot of my photos. But the thing that separates this one from the others, is how I found myself with the opportunity to take the photo.



I like to think I'm a pretty positive guy, and being positive is exactly what I needed to do when my Jeep broke down 25 kilometers north of North Bay, Ontario a couple months ago. I've always had bad luck with vehicles so I'm used to breakdowns, however this one happened while I was 8 hours away from home with my 4 month old puppy.

I was on my way to photograph some loons in Kirkland Lake, Ontario so I had all my camera gear with me and decided that I'd use that to put a positive spin on my trip. I ended up being stuck there for 2 days waiting for the part (power steering pump) to arrive so I had some time to talk to the locals and find a place to take some photos.

I finally decided to shoot down at the waterfront of beautiful Lake Nipissing in North Bay. The sunset wasn't ideal for what I normally like to shoot. I prefer shooting really bright colorful sunsets but this one was kinda dull. I always shoot in RAW so I was able to adjust the temperature while editing and decided to give it a "cooler" feel.

The last blog was about using slow shutter speed to create star streaks and in this photo, I used the same technique, just not to that same extreme. For the star shots I was shooting at about a 10 minute exposure. This photo was shot with a 6 second exposure.

I also shot it with my widest lens (14mm) to really give a sense of the environment I was in. I even ended up shooting a panoramic version called "Caught in The Middle" to further the wide angle idea.



Another technical thing I'll mention is that I shot using a tripod with my camera quite close to the water level. This allows me to have a steady shot at a lower, different perspective. I also used a remote to make sure there was absolutely no camera shake.

Here are a few tips for taking this type of landscape photography. Firstly, always keep a flashlight in your camera bag. To get the slow shutter speed I wanted, I had to wait for about 15-20 minutes after the sun had set. I learned that tip the hard way and have had to feel my way out of some sketchy hikes so it's something I can't stress enough.

Another tip is to use a bubble level to make sure your horizon is straight. I'd say crooked horizons are one of my biggest pet peeves. When you're shooting at eye level it's pretty easy to get the horizon straight in the first attempt, but when shooting so close to the ground, this isn't always easy. The bubble level combined with my cameras Live View function really helps with this. Some tripods have built in levels as well as some tripod heads but I prefer the kind of level that fits into the camera's hot shoe.

Well that about does it for the making of "Endless Blue" and if you have any questions don't hesitate to reply to this thread, or send me an email at brandon@omniscapephotography.com

[derekspacelewis]

Good write up and even better pictures! I really like the darker tones in the second one, but they both look great. TFS.

[omniscapephotography]

Thanks man, glad you like them!

[jzcutie]

Hi, may I know how to create such star shots feel for landscape photography? is it by lowering the exposure?
I am new to photography. Thanks.

[omniscapephotography]

Jzcutie,

Funny you should ask, I have another post which describes just that!

Star Trail Using Slow Exposure

Good luck and have fun, let me know if you have any more questions!