need long exposure knowledge

im going to Kalaloch & Ruby beach, WA for Easter weekend. ive just purchased a wired remote and am really excited to use it for long exposure beach shots! but i just have a few questions about what time of day is best for long exposure water? im thinking later in the day, when the sun is not directly above...? and also what is the best exposure time for nice smooth water shots?

[Digidave]

How long of an exposure would you like? If your talking about 6 seconds or more, you will have to wait until the sun is entirely gone. That's not a bad thing though. You can get some really cool looking shots without any sun. Smooth water will be a guessing game. It depends on the speed of the water. Do what I do, just take a bunch of shots & keep adjusting your shutter speed & aperture. Use your camera in Manual mode, use a tripod, & you will get at least 1 good shot. They will most likely all be good but they will all have differing characteristics. It's up to you to decide which you like best. Be sure to stop back with the results!

Originally Posted by Digidave

How long of an exposure would you like? If your talking about 6 seconds or more, you will have to wait until the sun is entirely gone. That's not a bad thing though. You can get some really cool looking shots without any sun. Smooth water will be a guessing game. It depends on the speed of the water. Do what I do, just take a bunch of shots & keep adjusting your shutter speed & aperture. Use your camera in Manual mode, use a tripod, & you will get at least 1 good shot. They will most likely all be good but they will all have differing characteristics. It's up to you to decide which you like best. Be sure to stop back with the results!

this is usually what i do. the main thing i wanted to know is if there is a good time of day (sun coming up, directly above you, on its way down). i normally only take a long exposure of 1-2 seconds. if i do any longer, the whole pic is white! i dont understand why. this is why im asking about time of day, i was thinking that maybe it was too sunny, therefore letting in too much light. but is there a general exposure number that most people use to get a good shot, or is it just that i have to keep messing around with it?

did alittle reasearch, it seems that most people use anywhere from 10-25 sec. exposures for a really misty fog like water. im thinking its gotta be either in the very early moring just before the sun comes up or just after it goes down, other wise its too bright out for that long of an exposure. guess il just have to wait and play around!

[oldwolf]

make sure you increase your f/stop to compensate for the longer exposure as well

Originally Posted by oldwolf

make sure you increase your f/stop to compensate for the longer exposure as well

oh ok, i didnt even think of that... usually i just set the camera to the tv mode, should i be using Manual mode?

[oldwolf]

If you set the shutter speed in tv mode then the camera should automatically set your f/stop.

Originally Posted by oldwolf

If you set the shutter speed in tv mode then the camera should automatically set your f/stop.

thats what i was thinking. ive only had my camera for a few months and still second guess myself sometimes on whether i know what im doing... learning more everyday

[dcclark]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this yet: Neutral Density filters are your friend! I have a 3-stop ND filter which lets me shoot around 6 seconds in broad daylight. If you wait until the light is dimmer around sunset, you can easily get the 15-20 seconds that you want for really misty water. That can also lead to some great colors from the sunset, reflecting.

Originally Posted by dcclark

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this yet: Neutral Density filters are your friend! I have a 3-stop ND filter which lets me shoot around 6 seconds in broad daylight. If you wait until the light is dimmer around sunset, you can easily get the 15-20 seconds that you want for really misty water. That can also lead to some great colors from the sunset, reflecting.

ive tried in full daylight using a nd filter with a polarizer and it was still too bright, i think i just need to get out and PRACTICE, with different lighting and different exposures. i was just hoping to get alittle more info on how everyone else gets those great shots before i get out to the beach and realize that i have no clue what im doing and end up disapointed