Long Exposure

[thirdxacharm06]

So I went out and played with long exposure this weekend. I only got 1 decent shot
I was having trouble with my remote trigger and the bulb setting. Need more practice to say the least. I shoot Nikon if anyone can give me pointers on shooting bulb with a trigger.

Image is SOOC


Camera Nikon D5000
Exposure 5
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 35 mm

[NgaiHill]

I shoot Canon so can't help you with your bulb/remote problem, what specifically is the problem you are having with it?
As for the pic, I like the water flow you have here although I find there is a bit much green bush on the right hand side, I would be inclined to crop most of that out, including the buildings in the background. The shot also seems to have a very blue cast overall, what was your white balance setting?
Hope you are able to get more shots of this area, it looks like it has a lot of potential.

[Tzetsin]

5 second exposures shouldnt need a remote or the bulb setting. Set your camera on manual, set the aperture you want, use the on board light meter to set the shutter speed right, then set your camera to have a 2 second delay after pushing the button.

most DSLRs (that i know of anyway) will shoot all the way down to 30 seconds in manual. If you need more than 30 seconds, then you need to have that remote and the bulb setting. But we're talking shooting the night sky or something like that. Not much needs more than 30 seconds exposure.

oh, also it should be obvious, but if not, make sure you have a tripod for anything slower than 1/60th

[thirdxacharm06]

Originally Posted by Tzetsin

5 second exposures shouldnt need a remote or the bulb setting. Set your camera on manual, set the aperture you want, use the on board light meter to set the shutter speed right, then set your camera to have a 2 second delay after pushing the button.

most DSLRs (that i know of anyway) will shoot all the way down to 30 seconds in manual. If you need more than 30 seconds, then you need to have that remote and the bulb setting. But we're talking shooting the night sky or something like that. Not much needs more than 30 seconds exposure.

oh, also it should be obvious, but if not, make sure you have a tripod for anything slower than 1/60th

It was a 5 minute exposure and I did have a tripod. I know what I'm doing with set up and camera but this was the first time using a trigger.

I think it was the way I pushed the trigger button or something. It seemed like if I held it down for about 2 seconds then the shutter would open but when I went to close the shutter it would trigger it twice. Si in the end I would end up with the image I was shooting for and then a black image as well.

[tyasa81]

thirdxcharm... sorry, but it's weird that your exif says 5... as in 5 seconds...i even double checked with my long exposure exif that's over 2 minutes long and it says 133... are you certain that it's a 5 minute exposure?

what brand is your trigger? you might get more help with that...i use an off brand trigger, so i may not be able to help you much... but i have no problem with my d90...

[arlon]

If that's a 5 minute exposure it was done on the calmest night in history. After 5 minutes I'd surely expect to see ripples, foam in the water and leaves moving. Seems like 5 sec. is more likely.

Are you using an ND400 filter or something similar? Shooting at night?

[High_Speed]

Are you SURE it was 5 MINUTES? That would be a really long exposure, and as someone else already pointed out, after 5 minutes I would expect to see a lot more "ghosting." Also, was it pitch black dark outside? If not, how did it not wash out after 5 minutes?

[thirdxacharm06]

Originally Posted by arlon

If that's a 5 minute exposure it was done on the calmest night in history. After 5 minutes I'd surely expect to see ripples, foam in the water and leaves moving. Seems like 5 sec. is more likely.

Are you using an ND400 filter or something similar? Shooting at night?

No filters used. It may have been a 5 sec exposure. Like I said it's was my first time trying this and my remote trigger was acting wonky. After every shot I would take my camera would reset back to single frame no trigger. It was a frustrating night to say the least but it's helping me figure out how to go about things should I try this again. Sorry if I sound like an ass and I don't know what I'm doing lol. I definitely prefer shooting people more than shooting long exposure.

[thirdxacharm06]

Originally Posted by tyasa81

thirdxcharm... sorry, but it's weird that your exif says 5... as in 5 seconds...i even double checked with my long exposure exif that's over 2 minutes long and it says 133... are you certain that it's a 5 minute exposure?

what brand is your trigger? you might get more help with that...i use an off brand trigger, so i may not be able to help you much... but i have no problem with my d90...

Tyasa, I have a Nikon trigger. And it like if I maybe didn't hold the trigger down long enough it would just take a quick shot at times as opposed to bulb. Then there were times where it would work just fine. Maybe I needed to hold the trigger button for a little longer to get it to shoot just right. I'm lost. lol I'll just have to play around with it at home tonight and read up on it some.

[arlon]

This may sound silly but it works..
This evening when you're done with dinner, dishes, kids etc. Sit down on the couch with your camera and manual. Just start fiddling with it until things start to make sense, try all the modes and experiment with the settings. It may take several hrs of "toe time" (I tend to do hrs of testing from my recliner with my toes as the target) to figure out what everything is doing but the next time you go to the dam you'll be ready. My "toe time" is priceless when I get out to a real location and get it right. I like toes for experimenting because I'm only worried about trying to figure out what the camera does and not about getting a "wall hanger". Everything gets deleted when I'm done and I'll have learned some new tricks..

I always get a lot of "toe time" with any new accessory or idea. It is terribly frustrating to ge to a good shooting spot and not be able to get the shot.. Get some "toe time" in and your next shots will be stellar. There is no substitute for learning like taking pictures. May not be the specific answer you're looking for but I've had a number of folks learn more about their cameras with "toe time" than anything else.