Shooting with slow shutter speeds and filters

For those who want to photograph with long shutter speeds, different types of filters will quickly come into consideration. In this item we give you some useful tips for shooting with a slow shutter speed and using filters. This way you can get started yourself!

Capturing water and air

When do you use a slow shutter speed? For example, when capturing a certain movement, such as water and air. Think of a smoothly ironed lake or sea, or even a waterfall. The sky also makes for beautiful pictures, the movement of the clouds is captured by the long shutter speed. This effect makes the clouds appear long and stretched out, sometimes even more dramatic.

Useful photography tips

• As with any kind of photography, planning and preparation is very important. Make sure you are in the right location with the right lighting conditions. By starting on time you can prepare everything calmly and practice if necessary.
• Use a tripod to avoid motion blur as much as possible. Make sure you have a stable surface.
• If you don't use filters, you will have to go out sooner or later, depending on the time of year. Before sunrise or after sunset gives the best light, during the day there is too much (bright) light.
• If you do use filters you could shoot all day long. For example with gray (gradient) filters, ND filters and polarization filters.
• Gray filters come in different types of transitions and densities. For example, a 0.9 blocks more light than a 0.3. Gray filters and ND filters can also be combined together. The higher the number, the more light it blocks. A filter with 6 stops could be used around sunrise and sunset, for the daytime one with 10 stops. More information about the types of filters can be read in the item photographing with filters.
• Does your composition have a straight horizon? Then it is best to use a hard filter. For example, if you have a mountainous landscape, a soft filter is recommended. A soft filter has a soft gradient and thus gradually changes in density, while a hard filter has a tighter transition.
• When buying filters, it is best to choose a filter kit with a holder instead of filtering for a specific size of the lens. With such a system, you can easily change filters. When purchasing, also pay attention to the quality of the filters. The lower the price, the more chance of color casts in the filter, something you don't want in your photos. The filter should show true-to-life colors.
• Composition is an important part of taking a good photo. Placing elements in the foreground prevents a flat image. A good starting point for the photo would be a piece of rock or land coming into the frame from the side.

Want to learn to photograph or gain experience?

Shooting with slow shutter speeds and using filters is discussed in various workshops of Travelmarks-Photography. Would you like to participate in it? Then take a look at the many workshops. For the travel lovers there are also some cool photo trips where you can improve your photography skills. If you are interested, sign up quickly and till clicks!

Industrial photography

Photography has many niches, one of which is industrial photography. You take photos at locations such as companies, factories and industrial sites. It is a somewhat rougher form of photography and can sometimes be compared to urbex photography, because some locations seem quite remote and deserted. In this article we give you a number of tips that you can take into account for industrial photography. The inspiration for this news item and the photos come from the C-mine in Genk, Belgium.

Tips for industrial photography

• Take a whole day off when you go out. By being on location early, you have enough time to explore the area and prepare for the blue hour. Because the blue hour only lasts about 45 minutes, it is important to have all equipment prepared so that as little photography time as possible is lost.
• Shoot in the evening, preferably after a rainy day with clouds. These conditions fit very well with the atmosphere of industrial photography. The clouds make the sky more dramatic and the fallen rain creates beautiful reflections in the water. Check in advance what the weather will be that day.
• Another aspect of industrial photography is safety on location. If it is an abandoned location, with no barriers and lots of artifacts/machinery left behind, be careful where you walk and shoot. Often it is entered at your own risk. Everything at the C-mine in Genk is freely accessible and open to the public.
• Light is of course very important in photography, but with industrial photography (especially at night) there is a chance that there is not much light left. So take a tripod with you for working with slow shutter speeds and use a flash if necessary.
• When you want to focus on a certain point/object, use a larger aperture (F11-F16). A larger aperture provides a lot of depth of field. Of the total depth of field, 1/3 is in front of the focus point and 2/3 behind it, taking into account the determination of the focus point.
• If you choose to photograph a certain item sharply, use the interplay of lines around it. Like the photo below, where the lines of the grids point to the subject. That way your eyes will naturally be drawn to the subject.
• In addition to the interplay of lines, you can also play with different angles, angles from which you would normally not photograph so quickly, often resulting in surprising and unique images. In addition to trying out a different angle, you can also focus on the details. Like different structures or specific objects, making it almost macro photography. At a location like the C-mine you have endless options in which you can express your creativity.
• Another creative way is to use steel wool for light painting. A good combination with the atmosphere and industrial location. Also take into account the safety of others and the environment. The sparks flying around can be dangerous.

Want to learn to photograph or gain experience?

Would you like to try out industrial photography yourself? Then take a look at the many workshops. During the workshops you can gain experience at your own pace, under the guidance of a professional photographer. Because the workshops are in small groups, there is enough time and attention for each student. Would you like to participate? Then sign up right away!

Till clicks!