This guy is one of the best presenters on RUclips with his warm, friendly and natural style - and more importantly, I have learnt so much from him, and for this, I say thank you Mike, if you are reading this! Excellent stuff!
Loves: 1) Your ability to pass your knowledge, in a simple way 2) The different situations you chose to present to us 3) Your fine English accent... Hates: 1) I m not a hater 2) I respect the work of other people 3) Love, love, love I liked so much that tutor... THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU (Dont forget the camerawoman -> Thank you too... Nice video!) Greetings from Greece... PS. Sorry for my bad English
Hi Kieron - absolutely. There is a slight risk of light flare creeping round the holder if they don't have padding like the Lee. But i've done it before using 2 or 3 Cokin's and a polarising filter all together.
Yes I have adjusted density and contrast a bit which i always do. And yes you can correct a colour cast in camera raw. Take a shot of a white card through the filter so you can copy and paste the WB settings over.
Thank you. Some cameras do leak a bit of light through the viewfinder. Mine certainly do. If i put my thumb over the viewfinder when looking at the light meter in the LCD there's almost a 1 stop difference. I'm not a technical expert but it could be because my cameras are a bit old now and well hammered.
Thank you. Yes, there are different densities of ND filter and you choose the one for the job. If you only want to lose a couple of stops for a wider aperture ND2 is perfect. I was being extreme here wanting to blur movement so needed to lose lots of light and still had to use a small aperture to get shutter slow enough
Thank you AeroImagery. That's really cool to know your daughter is into our vids too. It is a lot of work but I find it really rewarding when you guys and girls get Eureka moments. And the vids are also an ad for my ebooks and workshops too of course.
You have just opened a whole new chapter in my photography learning experience. I love landscape and living in S.W. US where mountains, deserts, rivers and lakes are everywhere filter shooting will help me to create amazing shots. Well done sir!!!
Yes Mike, I think you should consider making one. The efforts that you (and your dedicated team) put in is phenomenal. Even my 15 yr daughter loves your videos amongst so many others on you-tube. As she says, "... and they go to so many places, at different times of day and night, just to make theses small clips. But actually its so many days work...."
When you make an exposure the mirror flips up to reveal the sensor to the shutter. Using the mirror lock up you can flip the mirror a few seconds before opening the shutter so any vibrations (which could cause a blurred image through camera shake) can die away. Camera shake can be a big problem with long exposures. A heavy tripod with a metal head helps eliminate it, I used mirror lock up for additional protection.
I have watched several of your videos. Congratulations! You are one of the few photographers on You Tube that knows what he is doing. Going through your camera bag you might have been going through mine! I thought I was the only one who carried a compass, Sticky Tac, gaffer tape and the lot. Your videos are interesting and spot on! Thanks a bunch and keep putting out that good advice and info!
Mike and Laura, thanks again. Im not a photographer but I get a great deal of pleasure being out and about keeping myself happy taking pictures. I am on the tightest of budgets and to save for one of these 'stoppers' would take me about 6 weeks. That's without the adaptor rings etc etc. It took me months to save for my D7100 but I treasure it like I do my children! After watching this video I have decided to start saving hard and treat myself. Love all your vids. And I like cheese.
As ever a brilliant instructional video Mike, I couldn't agree more with your comments below about the individual decided wether between the expense of a high end product against a budget alternative. £100 for one filter is a huge expense for someone starting out on their own especially when there are sets available for around £30 which will give similar results (at lower resolutions). The difference in quality will be apparent when the images are going to be used in large print formats. Everything said you can always buy the superior product as an when your business budget grows and the need arises. Great video Mike.
Yes - Big Stoppers ten towards the blue. you can minimise it by setting a cloudy / shade white balance - but it's only a couple of clicks to correct it in post production which is how I do it.
Thank you - Very good point. If i was using anything other than that huge manfrotto tripod then definitely. But that thing weighs a ton and with me sheltering it...
Hey Clint. Thank you. One of the great things about digital cameras is it costs no extra to give it a go. And if it doesn't work it's just a lesson learnt.
It's good practise to make sure the camera doesn;t vibrate when the mirror jumps up. I meant to do it on all of them but what with remembering where I have to stand, points to cover etc - I forgot. Luckily my old manfrotto tripod weighs a ton so no worries.
I just purchased a 10-stop ND filter today for a photo workshop in Iceland. Thanks for the video lesson. Now I won't look totally inept when it comes time to use it.
Thanks Jenny. I've been wondering if I should do a film about this (and more about me maybe?) because i get asked about it quite a lot. I'm looking into it and hope to have something fairly soon. If anyone else is interested please comment...
So glad I found you! Your videos are clear and to the point, you are also a skilled professional, who does not mind giving up your time and tips to newcomers to photography like myself, and make it easy to understand. Thank you, I look forward to watching all your vids, and recommending you my friends!
My learning curve yust had a giant leap watching this well spent 15 min.video. The closeup of Lee's big stopper exposure guide at 6.11 min. Until now I thought ~ when you have 1,000th of a second without the filter you need to click it up 10 times to 2 seconds.... with the big stopper(10 stops). Yust downloaded the Lee big stopper guide app which contain charts for the 6 stop - 10 stop and the 16 stop. So easy to use! Thank you Mike for saving my first fieldtrip with the big stopper from beeing a big downer to probarly a promising and inspiring trip!
@@MikeBrowne Hi Mike - I had a great debut trip with my new 10 stopper thanks to you! I find it convivient to have both RAW and Jpeg so I can see the picture right after taken it. There's yust something I can't figure out.. When I set up my tripod down with the sea - then take 2-3 shots at automode with autofocus with wide area and no filters so I can see the shuttertime due to the bigstopper shuttertime. Then put on a CPL and a 10 stop and switch over to manual. I didn't do any focosing after that. My question: Will the camera (Sony 7) stick with the same focus after switching from auto to manuell-mode? Or will the camera 'forget' the focus I had in automode? Here's 2 shots from yesterday's trip. www.pexels.com/photo/cpl-nd1000-10stops-f14-16mm-30sek-3993792/
Thank you mervyn. Lee's are excellent but at the top end of the price range. Cokin are OK and I hear stories about making them from the glass in a welders mask. Search ND filters online and I'm sure you'll find loads.
Thank you Ipadbloke. NDs up to about 4 stops you should be able to. But not with a 10 stop ND like the one I used in this video because not enough light gets trough for your camera to work out the exposure so you must do it your self the way i showed you.
hi, thanks for your videos.................once you set your camera and took a test shot you put on the lens.......did you focus the camera again ? it must focus okay with such a dark lens on the front I suppose
G,day Mike I have been just on the edge of wanting to try some long exposure togophy but what has put me off has been all the tuts showing you how to take photos of waterfalls and the ocean I don't live near falls or ocean and was wondering if you could do this using other subjects as long as there was movement now I know it can be just clouds or grass or flags flapping in the wind I am happy to now try this myself thank you for showing us that I really am getting excited of getting my ND filter and getting started thank you again
Cool Sandy De Jong - try busy streets, fun fairs, trees on windy days and anything else that's moving, but with some solid stationary things like buildings etc in the composition as well. Love to see how you get on if you're up for posting a few pics on our Facebook page... facebook.com/DigitalPhotographyVideos
I have been studying & trying long Exposure for about 6 months now. Thank you for your video. My question is: After I focus & then switch to M does any of the movements I'm making ie putting on filter cause any movement in the focus?
Hello Mike, I looked with passion at your tutorial and, after reading a lot about the ND filters, because I want to understand more about long exposures, I realise that you mentioned using the smallest aperture of the camera F22 which is in contrast to what other professional photographers recommend. When I say that I mean that after a certain value of aperture diffraction starts to kick in and it softens your images that they become unusable. From what I read on Internet, each lens has a sweet spot of the best sharpness corresponding to an aperture between certain values (for example F4.5 to F11) and beyond that the diffraction starts to kick in gradually the more you decrease the aperture. Can you reply with your thoughts? Regards
No worries Alex. Yes around f8 /f11 is the sweet spot, but what do you do if f8 or11 are too wide for the light levels, you need let's say 2 seconds and are already on your lowest iso? What would happen to the exposure, because too much light is getting in? If you don't have a 2nd ND filter to hand then the shot will be overexposed. So there's only one place left to go, smaller aperture. This is what i mean about Thinking like a photographer. I'm not saying these people are wrong, they're just not telling you the whole story... MIKE
Mike, Just geting into photography and find your videos really helpful and encouraging. Most of my work is record keeping for my job but really love long exposures and night time photography for me. Which is better in your opinions and possibly the advantages and dis-advantatures of a square filter like the Lea filter used here as a-posed to a screw on filter? Could you also maybe look at doing something on how to capture stars in your photos at night? Cheers Ross
Thanks Ross +Amanco85 I've never used a screw on ND filter but if it's optically good and you like working with one - go for it. And thanks for the Stars at Night suggestion. We'll see what we can do but it won't be for a while... - MIKE :-)
Thanks Mike for getting back to me Ill try both when I can afford to buy a good quality square filter. and even if its not for a while I really look forward to it.
I like this explanation but I'm wondering if a filter like this will help me when I'm doing sunrise/sunset shoots that include people in them? It was suggested that I get an ND filter as I have been blowing out my backgrounds. I'd really like to have the skies/clouds in my shots. Thanks so much!
Hi Shannon Whit Thanks. A high density ND will make for slow shutter speeds so you can blur movement. So the people will need to either keep still or let them move and you get a lovely blurry movement outline to them. To darken skies only you need an ND Graduated filter to darken the sky but not the entire image.
Thank you wayne. The exposure depends on how much light there is where you are at the instant you take the exposure so I can't say if 8 sec will work or not unless I'm with you when you take the photo. Have a look at the exposure playlist and that will help you understand.. /playlist?list=PLeu1p5jL9GONyuUf92ngOvRN41TxrQsQ-
Sandeep Krishnan mike only uses Fuji xt1 camera which is a compact system camera - so i think he can only speak on what he uses, but i will ask him when he gets back - MELISSA ( for Mike )
Oh! This video helped answer the question I asked in the vid you did with T. Mackie! So, this would be a perfect filter to use at my Nova Scotia beach property...lots of beach, water, waves, wind, clouds...yeah?
hello mike, great video you did there. I want to ask something, you used f/22 in your video, wouldnt it make the image become soft? thanks for the advice mike.
Glad you like it John Zachos I can't post the Lee calculator here and it might cause more confusion. I looked up your filter and it's a 9 stop filter whereas the Lee is 10. I suggest you do some experiments. Check the unfiltered exposure then increase it by 9 stops with the filter on. For example - if the unfiltered exposure = 250th sec take 9 stops from that = 2 sec
It is Sahara. I cut it on a bit of broken metal on my tripod as we were moving from one place to another. It was so cold I didn't even feel it though..
Thanks for this video! Have you already experimented with the wind direction? If you have the wind from left to right or right to left you get horizontal streaks. But if you have it from front to back or back to front you get it like rays that seem to come from a center. All this is due to perspective. I want to start experimenting with that myself and I guess you would like to do that too!
You're welcome @Maike. Yes wind direction is a big factor creatively and I use it wherever i need to. have a look at the link below. 1st image of the Aircraft and hanger is an example of wind direction effect. Takes a lot of time work and effort to make it work with the composition / shot you want because you have to plan shoots for the weather. I was lucky with the aircraft shot - I had only one 24 hour window to shoot it before my clients took it into the hanger to dismantle it... MIKE www.photographycourses.biz/commissions
Mike Browne that is exactly what I meant! I think I will make it my theme for this year to experiment on and to try to make photos that include a great sky (using wind, clouds, moon, sun, Milky Way and more). Thanks for showing me this nice photo of the airplane. And a BIG thank you for teaching me so many things. I passed the ‘test’ of the local photo club and became a member last month. Without your videos I would never have learned about composition, leading lines, lighting and many other things. 👍🏼
HI @Maike. Congratulations on passing your test and enjoy your project. Oh, and please share my vids around as it helps me make more of them. Best wishes... MIKE
Thanks Mike,my big stopper was gathering dust after the initial first burst when I got it,your clip will encourage me to dust it off :) Just to mention a little matter you didnt cover here,with exposures over 30 secs switch to bulb mode. Thanks again,glad ye got the coffee :)
Loved the video, thanks. Instead of blocking the rear viewfinder to prevent light leaking in, would it not work just as well to run the camera in Live View? (it may be a dumb question as I am totally new to DSLR photography, so don't laugh! - When I bought my 80D it came with a piece of rubber to do just as you have said. To be honest, I thought this was some sort of mistake / misprint or a joke, I never thought that they were serious, like I say, totally new to this so any explanations are most welcome - The other thing was about your choice of F stop. Why do you go for the f25 rather than opening up the aperture to take more advantage of the filter?
Thanks Richard. Yes I guess you could use live view. I never use it persoanlly, prefer a viewfider but don't see whay it wouldn't work. Aperture choice is to remove as much light as possible to slow the shutter. If it was wider open then the shutter speed would have to be faster to compensate. I know, photography is full of confusing stuff like back to front numbers. Please come take a look at my online beginners course. I know it'll help you. There's lots of free stuff about it's true, but if you don't know the right question (and how can anyone who's starting out) there will be gaps in what you need to know in order to make things work. Take a look and try a free sample at the link below... MIKE www.photographycourses.biz/ubc
Hello Mike, First of all great video, this is the first that I've seen from you and I will surely check out more. I have a question for you though... first you focused on auto and then switched it to manual when you used the filter? Greetings from Romania
Thank you Adrian Luca cameras cannot auto focus through 10 stop ND filters because they are too dark so I focused first, switched to manual (effectively switching off AF) so focus wouldn't change when I pressed the shutter, put on the filter and made the exposure... Glad you like the video(s). Please help me grow the channel and make more free vids by sharing them here, on Facebook, forums etc :-)
Depends entirely on that you want from the photo John so there's no 'rule'. In small aperture shot it makes almost no difference because DOF with wide lens is massive. Here's a 2 part video about it... MIKE www.photographycourses.biz/videos/technical/getting-sharp-images/where-to-focus-Pt1
Hello,,, thank you very much for all your effort - imparting us your skills and talent in photography.. I HVE my 750D dslr cam... and I love to learn from basic until fantastic photography.... PLS I need help for this...ONCE again... thank you very much....
Hello Mike, thank you very much for your videos. I have a question. There are more types of ND filters. I mean not so dark. ND2... It is just for the situations, when there is lot of light and I want to have very wide aperture? Or I can use it for something else? Thank you and greetings from Czech Republic!
Great video Mike, big fan of your content. I’ve been looking at filters, I saw Cokin at first but then swaying towards glass filters such as Lee for the quality. If I get Lee filters, what would you suggest to start off with? Also Photography Show at NEC Birmingham next month, maybe see you there?
Thanks jkd1984. Which filter depends on what you want to shoot really. Suggest a couple of ND grads to darken skies down (assuming you're into landscapes) I'm pretty sure Lee do a starter pack so do a bit of googleing... Yep I'm speaking at Photoshow on the Monday at 12. Use this promo code and they'll give you 20% off your tickets - SPKTPS19 - Hopefully see you there... MIKE :-)
Thank you Christopher Please help us spread the word and grow the community by 'liking' 'G+ing', sharing our videos and linking to us on photo forums, Facebook etc
Great video, Mike! Learned quite a lot from this and excited to view all of your videos :) Quick question, please, why did you have to lock up the mirror? Thank you.
Thank you Marlon Mangabat I locked up the mirror as an extra precaution against camera shake caused by the mirror flipping up when you press the shutter. With a tripod as heavy as mine it's unlikely - but I wanted to be sure. www.photographycourses.biz/camera_shake.html
Hi Mike Excellent tutorial as always. I have a question for you. I am currently using a Nikon p510 and I have just recenly purchased an adapter ring and a 67mm ND filter, Polorizing filter and Graduated filter(all are circular). So with the max shutter time of 8secs, will I get the i good exposure using manual mode?
Thank you. And no worries about not liking the images in this one. As with all things creative it's subjective. What one person likes another may not. It'd be a boring world indeed if we all liked the same things.
Love this kind of photography, also enjoyed the earlier Big Stopper video. I have a cheaper B&W 10 stop screw in ND filter (around £50 from Amazon), you need to set aside time to sort out each shot. Mike, why did you use mirror lockup in the first shot?
Great video! I finally learned how to use a ND filter. Thanks Just have one question. After put on ND filter, it will be pure black if you try to see through camera. But how about you adjust the shutter speed to 30s or 1m? Is it possible to see the scene you try to capture through camera or is it still black? Thanks a lot. Bought a cheap variable ND filter(yes, i know, cheap...), did not work out for me...
If using an optical viewfinder you can't see through the filter Ashton Cooper Amazingly the electronic finder on My XT-1 can see through it. So set up the composition before adding the filter..
I need the wide angle lens up to € 500-600 that will be perfect for the landscape photography (must be sharp) with ND filter. My camera is FX, which one is the good enough for the money I have? Would fixed focal length wide angle lens be sufficient? Thanks for the advice! And - Mike, great move as always, a lot of useful information! Thanks.
Thank you MrWinotu - tough one for me to advise on because there are many wide lenses on the market - but I only know the one's I've owned. I prefer zooms to fixed length because it gives me a range of focal lengths instead of a fixed one. I had a Sigma 10-20mm a few years ago and was very impressed with that. I don't think they do a FX version but not sure. The only FX wide I've used is a Nikkor 14-24 but that was a lot more than your budget. Sorry I'm not much help with this kind of query... If anyone else can help please comment - MIKE
I was thinking about the Sigma you answered with, and I think I will decide to buy it - I would like to mainly do the portraits (obviously not with Sigma 10-20) however the landscape photography seems to be interesting in some aspects as well - the Sigma for this purpose will be sufficient. Thank you once again for the video and help :)
Are you sure you lost your eyecup cover and it's not attached to the side strap? I thought I had lost mine too until I was reading the manual and felt silly when I realized it comes attached to the side strap and it's always been there :)
Hey Andrew Smith - you probably don't 'need' to but viewfinders can leak a little bit of light during long exposures so i like to be extra careful and block the eyepiece.
Hi Mike, you should do a vid on hyperfocal distance. Mainly to show that you don't always need such a large aperture. Or was this purely so the exposure didn't run into minutes (as with larger apertures, you'd need an even longer shutter speed with a big stopper on). Either way, I'm not nit picking, I'm just curious. Great video by the way and thanks for liking my pics on Google :)
Thanks Gareth Brooks - the aperture I used was small because I wanted the longest exposure I could get. I should have used an extra filter because another 60 seconds would have been better...
love watching your vids Mike, always down to earth, and exciting ... i know lee stopper is a lot of $, is there a budget equivelant to this ?... keep up the good work, and i appreciate all your time in doing these videos...
Hi - wonderful instructional video!! I'm looking to get into some long exposures and your demonstration has helped. I do not have the Lee BStopper but do have a B&W ND110 which I'm hoping I can apply the same principles to, however, I didn't get a chart with it to help with the correct exposure time :( lol. PS - your beach hut shot is stunning
All a 10 stop ND does is block light by 10 stops aabulela - so if you use one when there is not much light you can get some very long exposures indeed. If it's dark enough maybe up to 60 minutes.
Can't believe people are nit picking over the use if 'A' and 'An', G.A.L. Anyway, great video as always Mike, very useful. Liked the piece of advice at the about going out and getting 3 great images as opposed to dozens of mediocre ones or just snapshots. Kind of echoes Jarid Polens (Froknowsphoto) about harking back to the back to the days of film when you only had 36 exposures etc and were limited with cost of developing, so you had to really think about what you were shooting.
Thank you. Yes you don't have to buy Lee there are lots of alternatives available. I should have explained this in the video. Search ND filters on Google and you'll find plenty..
Thanks also for your videos to keep someone who understood the English language not so well understands. I've been so well understood, and wish I also called such a big purchase stopper. I would like to get on with it. With greetings from an old male from Belgium
QUESTION: Is there any difference in the rendition of colours of a photo taken at 1/30s without BigStopper and a photo in same conditions taken at 30s with that BigStopper (apart from the obvious blurr of moving objects)?
Dear Mike, I would like to know whether is there a polarizer filter as a slot in option instead of a circular polarizer fixed to the lens. The reason asked was whether one can use a circular polarizer fixed to the lens with a ND slot in filter. Please advice.
This guy is one of the best presenters on RUclips with his warm, friendly and natural style - and more importantly, I have learnt so much from him, and for this, I say thank you Mike, if you are reading this! Excellent stuff!
No question! :)
I agree!
Loves:
1) Your ability to pass your knowledge, in a simple way
2) The different situations you chose to present to us
3) Your fine English accent...
Hates:
1) I m not a hater
2) I respect the work of other people
3) Love, love, love
I liked so much that tutor... THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU
(Dont forget the camerawoman -> Thank you too... Nice video!)
Greetings from Greece...
PS. Sorry for my bad English
hi +Spyros Theodoratos thank you for the lovely comment! - MELISSA ( for Mike )
Thank you +Spyros Theodoratos - and your English is fine and much better than any 2nd language I speak - MIKE
Hi Kieron - absolutely. There is a slight risk of light flare creeping round the holder if they don't have padding like the Lee. But i've done it before using 2 or 3 Cokin's and a polarising filter all together.
Yes I have adjusted density and contrast a bit which i always do. And yes you can correct a colour cast in camera raw. Take a shot of a white card through the filter so you can copy and paste the WB settings over.
Thank you. Some cameras do leak a bit of light through the viewfinder. Mine certainly do. If i put my thumb over the viewfinder when looking at the light meter in the LCD there's almost a 1 stop difference. I'm not a technical expert but it could be because my cameras are a bit old now and well hammered.
Thank you. Yes, there are different densities of ND filter and you choose the one for the job. If you only want to lose a couple of stops for a wider aperture ND2 is perfect. I was being extreme here wanting to blur movement so needed to lose lots of light and still had to use a small aperture to get shutter slow enough
Thank you AeroImagery. That's really cool to know your daughter is into our vids too. It is a lot of work but I find it really rewarding when you guys and girls get Eureka moments. And the vids are also an ad for my ebooks and workshops too of course.
Yes - Hengistbury Head near Christchurch. I run workshops there every month and it's a great place for photography.
i do love long exposure photography and the results it can give you, its like no other form of photography.
Thanks you two for another great film
Your videos are simply the best tutorials on youtube, in my humble opinion.
You have just opened a whole new chapter in my photography learning experience. I love landscape and living in S.W. US where mountains, deserts, rivers and lakes are everywhere filter shooting will help me to create amazing shots. Well done sir!!!
delighted it helped ***** - Please help me make more videos like this one by sharing it with other photographers on forums, Facebook, Flickr etc.
You bet!
Yes Mike, I think you should consider making one. The efforts that you (and your dedicated team) put in is phenomenal. Even my 15 yr daughter loves your videos amongst so many others on you-tube. As she says, "... and they go to so many places, at different times of day and night, just to make theses small clips. But actually its so many days work...."
When you make an exposure the mirror flips up to reveal the sensor to the shutter. Using the mirror lock up you can flip the mirror a few seconds before opening the shutter so any vibrations (which could cause a blurred image through camera shake) can die away. Camera shake can be a big problem with long exposures. A heavy tripod with a metal head helps eliminate it, I used mirror lock up for additional protection.
I have watched several of your videos. Congratulations! You are one of the few photographers on You Tube that knows what he is doing. Going through your camera bag you might have been going through mine! I thought I was the only one who carried a compass, Sticky Tac, gaffer tape and the lot. Your videos are interesting and spot on! Thanks a bunch and keep putting out that good advice and info!
Mike and Laura, thanks again. Im not a photographer but I get a great deal of pleasure being out and about keeping myself happy taking pictures. I am on the tightest of budgets and to save for one of these 'stoppers' would take me about 6 weeks. That's without the adaptor rings etc etc. It took me months to save for my D7100 but I treasure it like I do my children! After watching this video I have decided to start saving hard and treat myself. Love all your vids. And I like cheese.
thank you +Busyboy 42 glad you are on fire, keep the passion burning! Melissa pp Mike :)
As ever a brilliant instructional video Mike, I couldn't agree more with your comments below about the individual decided wether between the expense of a high end product against a budget alternative. £100 for one filter is a huge expense for someone starting out on their own especially when there are sets available for around £30 which will give similar results (at lower resolutions). The difference in quality will be apparent when the images are going to be used in large print formats. Everything said you can always buy the superior product as an when your business budget grows and the need arises. Great video Mike.
Thank you rayeasom - MIKE
Yes - Big Stoppers ten towards the blue. you can minimise it by setting a cloudy / shade white balance - but it's only a couple of clicks to correct it in post production which is how I do it.
Thank you - Very good point. If i was using anything other than that huge manfrotto tripod then definitely. But that thing weighs a ton and with me sheltering it...
I just watched this. Your teaching style is relaxed but thorough. I can't wait to get through all your other videos!
Thanks Jim - MIKE
FINALLY! I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS CHANNEL FOR 4 DAMN DAYS! I like how you teach photography.
Thanks TheRandomego delighted you like it. Please help me make more videos by sharing them with other photographers on forums etc.
Hey Clint. Thank you. One of the great things about digital cameras is it costs no extra to give it a go. And if it doesn't work it's just a lesson learnt.
Thank you. I think variable ND filters are a great idea and save space in your bag too.
It's good practise to make sure the camera doesn;t vibrate when the mirror jumps up. I meant to do it on all of them but what with remembering where I have to stand, points to cover etc - I forgot. Luckily my old manfrotto tripod weighs a ton so no worries.
I just purchased a 10-stop ND filter today for a photo workshop in Iceland. Thanks for the video lesson. Now I won't look totally inept when it comes time to use it.
Our pleasure Mike Hailey Have fun with your new filter and don't ever worry what other people think - just go for it regardless :-)
Yes but you have to buy the Lee filter mount system. Have a look at their website
Thanks Jenny. I've been wondering if I should do a film about this (and more about me maybe?) because i get asked about it quite a lot. I'm looking into it and hope to have something fairly soon. If anyone else is interested please comment...
I learnt more in this video than my 10 years if shooting !
Wow that's big praise I_troll_cows thank you
Never quite sure what a ND filter exactly does, but now I know. Many thanks for another excellent video.
Wow that is cool, thanks for showing us! I think it makes landscapes look more peaceful and serene.
Just got my DSLR camera. Found your tutorial videos are concise but very informative.
Thank you very much and keep it up.
thank you Geoffrey! Melissa PP Mike
I love "everything is ready for rock and roll"!!! Many thanks for the tips! You make all so easy...
Thanks Antonio Agb. And please share any of my vids you find helpful around - it helps me make more of them... MIKE
So glad I found you! Your videos are clear and to the point, you are also a skilled professional, who does not mind giving up your time and tips to newcomers to photography like myself, and make it easy to understand. Thank you, I look forward to watching all your vids, and recommending you my friends!
Yes there are. Lee, Cokin and others all make them for their filter systems.
My learning curve yust had a giant leap watching this well spent 15 min.video. The closeup of Lee's big stopper exposure guide at 6.11 min. Until now I thought ~ when you have 1,000th of a second without the filter you need to click it up 10 times to 2 seconds.... with the big stopper(10 stops). Yust downloaded the Lee big stopper guide app which contain charts for the 6 stop - 10 stop and the 16 stop. So easy to use!
Thank you Mike for saving my first fieldtrip with the big stopper from beeing a big downer to probarly a promising and inspiring trip!
Thanks Falken, you're welcome... MIKE 🙏🙂
@@MikeBrowne Hi Mike - I had a great debut trip with my new 10 stopper thanks to you! I find it convivient to have both RAW and Jpeg so I can see the picture right after taken it. There's yust something I can't figure out.. When I set up my tripod down with the sea - then take 2-3 shots at automode with autofocus with wide area and no filters so I can see the shuttertime due to the bigstopper shuttertime. Then put on a CPL and a 10 stop and switch over to manual. I didn't do any focosing after that. My question: Will the camera (Sony 7) stick with the same focus after switching from auto to manuell-mode? Or will the camera 'forget' the focus I had in automode?
Here's 2 shots from yesterday's trip.
www.pexels.com/photo/cpl-nd1000-10stops-f14-16mm-30sek-3993792/
Great information as always Mike....and good job Lorna!!...panning when you should and keeping Mike in frame well!!
Thank you mervyn. Lee's are excellent but at the top end of the price range. Cokin are OK and I hear stories about making them from the glass in a welders mask. Search ND filters online and I'm sure you'll find loads.
Thank you Ipadbloke. NDs up to about 4 stops you should be able to. But not with a 10 stop ND like the one I used in this video because not enough light gets trough for your camera to work out the exposure so you must do it your self the way i showed you.
hi, thanks for your videos.................once you set your camera and took a test shot you put on the lens.......did you focus the camera again ? it must focus okay with such a dark lens on the front I suppose
Hi Terri, think you mean I put the filter on... No focus was done first because the AF can't 'see' through the filter... MIKE
Great video. Would have been nice if you talked about your focusing method for the landscape shots. Did you use hyper focus?
Thanks Yardley - here's a 2 part series on where to focus. PT2 is more landscape based... www.photographycourses.biz/where_to_focus.html
Thanks
G,day Mike I have been just on the edge of wanting to try some long exposure togophy but what has put me off has been all the tuts showing you how to take photos of waterfalls and the ocean I don't live near falls or ocean and was wondering if you could do this using other subjects as long as there was movement now I know it can be just clouds or grass or flags flapping in the wind I am happy to now try this myself thank you for showing us that I really am getting excited of getting my ND filter and getting started thank you again
Cool Sandy De Jong - try busy streets, fun fairs, trees on windy days and anything else that's moving, but with some solid stationary things like buildings etc in the composition as well. Love to see how you get on if you're up for posting a few pics on our Facebook page... facebook.com/DigitalPhotographyVideos
I have been studying & trying long Exposure for about 6 months now. Thank you for your video. My question is: After I focus & then switch to M does any of the movements I'm making ie putting on filter cause any movement in the focus?
HiRosalie. No, not as long as you're careful not to touch the focus ring as you do it... MIKE
Hmm - never had that happen with mine. Is it a Lee Big Stopper or another make? Has anyone else experienced this. Love to hear from you......
Is this at Mudeford Quay and Mudeford Spit Mike? I'm going there in two weeks to relive childhood memories of the place.
Sure is MrBooojangles. I spent a lot of my childhood around here too. Enjoy memory lane... MIKE
I certainly will. If i'm very lucky I might even see you around there. I would definately come and shake your hand if I do. Martin. :-D
Thank you. They are lovely folk at that restaurant. And the food's great too. I take my workshop clients there for lunch... Tempted?
Hello Mike, I looked with passion at your tutorial and, after reading a lot about the ND filters, because I want to understand more about long exposures, I realise that you mentioned using the smallest aperture of the camera F22 which is in contrast to what other professional photographers recommend. When I say that I mean that after a certain value of aperture diffraction starts to kick in and it softens your images that they become unusable. From what I read on Internet, each lens has a sweet spot of the best sharpness corresponding to an aperture between certain values (for example F4.5 to F11) and beyond that the diffraction starts to kick in gradually the more you decrease the aperture. Can you reply with your thoughts? Regards
No worries Alex. Yes around f8 /f11 is the sweet spot, but what do you do if f8 or11 are too wide for the light levels, you need let's say 2 seconds and are already on your lowest iso? What would happen to the exposure, because too much light is getting in? If you don't have a 2nd ND filter to hand then the shot will be overexposed. So there's only one place left to go, smaller aperture. This is what i mean about Thinking like a photographer. I'm not saying these people are wrong, they're just not telling you the whole story... MIKE
Light can still sneak past on some cameras and my D300 is a bit old so just making sure.
I don't know why I bother with other "instructors." You're the best.
Thank you steve! - Melissa pp Mike
Thanks Steve - MIKE
Very true. I didn't want to get side tracked into explaining about sweet apertures and spots etc...
I am heading to Alaska for a BIG photo vacation and I am going to get an ND filter to try some shots, thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks John Hubickey - have fun and please come show us how you got on on our Facebook page facebook.com/DigitalPhotographyVideos
Mike,
Just geting into photography and find your videos really helpful and encouraging. Most of my work is record keeping for my job but really love long exposures and night time photography for me. Which is better in your opinions and possibly the advantages and dis-advantatures of a square filter like the Lea filter used here as a-posed to a screw on filter? Could you also maybe look at doing something on how to capture stars in your photos at night?
Cheers Ross
Thanks Ross +Amanco85 I've never used a screw on ND filter but if it's optically good and you like working with one - go for it. And thanks for the Stars at Night suggestion. We'll see what we can do but it won't be for a while... - MIKE :-)
Thanks Mike for getting back to me Ill try both when I can afford to buy a good quality square filter. and even if its not for a while I really look forward to it.
I like this explanation but I'm wondering if a filter like this will help me when I'm doing sunrise/sunset shoots that include people in them? It was suggested that I get an ND filter as I have been blowing out my backgrounds. I'd really like to have the skies/clouds in my shots. Thanks so much!
Hi Shannon Whit Thanks. A high density ND will make for slow shutter speeds so you can blur movement. So the people will need to either keep still or let them move and you get a lovely blurry movement outline to them. To darken skies only you need an ND Graduated filter to darken the sky but not the entire image.
I love the emotion you have taking photos
Thank you wayne. The exposure depends on how much light there is where you are at the instant you take the exposure so I can't say if 8 sec will work or not unless I'm with you when you take the photo. Have a look at the exposure playlist and that will help you understand.. /playlist?list=PLeu1p5jL9GONyuUf92ngOvRN41TxrQsQ-
I love British english accent , much nicer than american accent. Mike is such a warm person and I love his videos.
thank you Sandeep Krishnan that's a lovely comment , it's flattering you are amuse by his accent. - MELISSA ( for Mike )
You are welcome Melissa :)
Thanks Sandeep Krishnan - MIKE
Hi Mike, if you had to recommend one lens for micro 4 thirds ( for great Bokeh, potraits and landsacpe) , what would you reommend
Sandeep Krishnan mike only uses Fuji xt1 camera which is a compact system camera - so i think he can only speak on what he uses, but i will ask him when he gets back - MELISSA ( for Mike )
Oh! This video helped answer the question I asked in the vid you did with T. Mackie! So, this would be a perfect filter to use at my Nova Scotia beach property...lots of beach, water, waves, wind, clouds...yeah?
Thanks Sharron Timmins - 10 stop grads are great with water and movement so sounds like a plan to me :-)
Sorry - meant 10 stop NDs not Grads. Sharron Timmins
your instructions are clear and your photos are great, is it better to buy Lee filters or are some of the other makes as good. thanks mervyn
Thanks Mike I love this lesson
I have a question about filter , when I used Polarizing Filters or HOYA filters is there any different?
Best wishes
hello mike, great video you did there. I want to ask something, you used f/22 in your video, wouldnt it make the image become soft? thanks for the advice mike.
Great lesson thanks!
Is it possible to post the shutter speed calculator?
I have an ND 500 from Hoya and lm a little confused with this part . Thanks
Glad you like it John Zachos I can't post the Lee calculator here and it might cause more confusion. I looked up your filter and it's a 9 stop filter whereas the Lee is 10. I suggest you do some experiments. Check the unfiltered exposure then increase it by 9 stops with the filter on. For example - if the unfiltered exposure = 250th sec take 9 stops from that = 2 sec
I have an ND filter and never totally grasped the best way to use it. THANK YOU, this really helps.
It is Sahara. I cut it on a bit of broken metal on my tripod as we were moving from one place to another. It was so cold I didn't even feel it though..
Thanks for this video! Have you already experimented with the wind direction? If you have the wind from left to right or right to left you get horizontal streaks. But if you have it from front to back or back to front you get it like rays that seem to come from a center. All this is due to perspective. I want to start experimenting with that myself and I guess you would like to do that too!
You're welcome @Maike. Yes wind direction is a big factor creatively and I use it wherever i need to. have a look at the link below. 1st image of the Aircraft and hanger is an example of wind direction effect. Takes a lot of time work and effort to make it work with the composition / shot you want because you have to plan shoots for the weather. I was lucky with the aircraft shot - I had only one 24 hour window to shoot it before my clients took it into the hanger to dismantle it... MIKE
www.photographycourses.biz/commissions
Mike Browne that is exactly what I meant! I think I will make it my theme for this year to experiment on and to try to make photos that include a great sky (using wind, clouds, moon, sun, Milky Way and more). Thanks for showing me this nice photo of the airplane. And a BIG thank you for teaching me so many things. I passed the ‘test’ of the local photo club and became a member last month. Without your videos I would never have learned about composition, leading lines, lighting and many other things. 👍🏼
HI @Maike. Congratulations on passing your test and enjoy your project. Oh, and please share my vids around as it helps me make more of them. Best wishes... MIKE
Mike Browne, honestly, I tell everyone about your videos!!
Thak you Maike. I really apprieciate it... MIKE :-)
Thanks Mike,my big stopper was gathering dust after the initial first burst when I got it,your clip will encourage me to dust it off :) Just to mention a little matter you didnt cover here,with exposures over 30 secs switch to bulb mode. Thanks again,glad ye got the coffee :)
Hi Mike, great video, what lens size did you use was it a prime or zoom and did you use single point focus, thanks Ken.
Loved the video, thanks. Instead of blocking the rear viewfinder to prevent light leaking in, would it not work just as well to run the camera in Live View? (it may be a dumb question as I am totally new to DSLR photography, so don't laugh! - When I bought my 80D it came with a piece of rubber to do just as you have said. To be honest, I thought this was some sort of mistake / misprint or a joke, I never thought that they were serious, like I say, totally new to this so any explanations are most welcome - The other thing was about your choice of F stop. Why do you go for the f25 rather than opening up the aperture to take more advantage of the filter?
Thanks Richard. Yes I guess you could use live view. I never use it persoanlly, prefer a viewfider but don't see whay it wouldn't work. Aperture choice is to remove as much light as possible to slow the shutter. If it was wider open then the shutter speed would have to be faster to compensate. I know, photography is full of confusing stuff like back to front numbers. Please come take a look at my online beginners course. I know it'll help you. There's lots of free stuff about it's true, but if you don't know the right question (and how can anyone who's starting out) there will be gaps in what you need to know in order to make things work. Take a look and try a free sample at the link below... MIKE
www.photographycourses.biz/ubc
Hello Mike,
First of all great video, this is the first that I've seen from you and I will surely check out more.
I have a question for you though... first you focused on auto and then switched it to manual when you used the filter?
Greetings from Romania
Thank you Adrian Luca cameras cannot auto focus through 10 stop ND filters because they are too dark so I focused first, switched to manual (effectively switching off AF) so focus wouldn't change when I pressed the shutter, put on the filter and made the exposure... Glad you like the video(s). Please help me grow the channel and make more free vids by sharing them here, on Facebook, forums etc :-)
Mike Browne If I am using a 3stop ND filter I guess I should be following the same procedure
All I can suggest is try it Adrian Luca - if the camera can focus through 3 stops great - if not then you know what to do....
Great video learnt a lot, but Just out of interest where was your focus point. Do you have a video explaining where you should set your focus point.
Depends entirely on that you want from the photo John so there's no 'rule'. In small aperture shot it makes almost no difference because DOF with wide lens is massive. Here's a 2 part video about it... MIKE
www.photographycourses.biz/videos/technical/getting-sharp-images/where-to-focus-Pt1
It's the Lee adapter which is part of the Lee filter system
Hello,,, thank you very much for all your effort - imparting us your skills and talent in photography..
I HVE my 750D dslr cam... and I love to learn from basic until fantastic photography....
PLS I need help for this...ONCE again... thank you very much....
Thank you +Almabelle Verzola Raj - MIKE
Hello Mike, thank you very much for your videos. I have a question. There are more types of ND filters. I mean not so dark. ND2... It is just for the situations, when there is lot of light and I want to have very wide aperture? Or I can use it for something else? Thank you and greetings from Czech Republic!
Great video Mike, big fan of your content. I’ve been looking at filters, I saw Cokin at first but then swaying towards glass filters such as Lee for the quality. If I get Lee filters, what would you suggest to start off with? Also Photography Show at NEC Birmingham next month, maybe see you there?
Thanks jkd1984. Which filter depends on what you want to shoot really. Suggest a couple of ND grads to darken skies down (assuming you're into landscapes) I'm pretty sure Lee do a starter pack so do a bit of googleing... Yep I'm speaking at Photoshow on the Monday at 12. Use this promo code and they'll give you 20% off your tickets - SPKTPS19 - Hopefully see you there... MIKE :-)
Thank you, yeah they got 2 starter packs; i'll wait and see if they got any offers on at the Photography Show. See you there :) @@MikeBrowne
Looking forward to it... MIKE :-)
Thank you Christopher Please help us spread the word and grow the community by 'liking' 'G+ing', sharing our videos and linking to us on photo forums, Facebook etc
Great video Mike! I like how you take your time and explain things and show the before/after shots.
Great video, Mike! Learned quite a lot from this and excited to view all of your videos :)
Quick question, please, why did you have to lock up the mirror? Thank you.
Thank you Marlon Mangabat I locked up the mirror as an extra precaution against camera shake caused by the mirror flipping up when you press the shutter. With a tripod as heavy as mine it's unlikely - but I wanted to be sure. www.photographycourses.biz/camera_shake.html
The best photography tutorial in youtube !
Hi Mike Excellent tutorial as always. I have a question for you. I am currently using a Nikon p510 and I have just recenly purchased an adapter ring and a 67mm ND filter, Polorizing filter and Graduated filter(all are circular). So with the max shutter time of 8secs, will I get the i good exposure using manual mode?
outstanding video, I learn more about neutral density filters than any other time. thank you and keep up the great tutorials
Thanks. Please help me make more of them by sharing them around other photographers. .. MIKE :-)
Thank you. And no worries about not liking the images in this one. As with all things creative it's subjective. What one person likes another may not. It'd be a boring world indeed if we all liked the same things.
Great review... Can I use a Big Lee on my Nikon D5200?
Love this kind of photography, also enjoyed the earlier Big Stopper video.
I have a cheaper B&W 10 stop screw in ND filter (around £50 from Amazon), you need to set aside time to sort out each shot.
Mike, why did you use mirror lockup in the first shot?
Great video! I finally learned how to use a ND filter. Thanks
Just have one question.
After put on ND filter, it will be pure black if you try to see through camera. But how about you adjust the shutter speed to 30s or 1m? Is it possible to see the scene you try to capture through camera or is it still black? Thanks a lot.
Bought a cheap variable ND filter(yes, i know, cheap...), did not work out for me...
If using an optical viewfinder you can't see through the filter Ashton Cooper Amazingly the electronic finder on My XT-1 can see through it. So set up the composition before adding the filter..
I need the wide angle lens up to € 500-600 that will be perfect for the landscape photography (must be sharp) with ND filter. My camera is FX, which one is the good enough for the money I have? Would fixed focal length wide angle lens be sufficient? Thanks for the advice! And - Mike, great move as always, a lot of useful information! Thanks.
Thank you MrWinotu - tough one for me to advise on because there are many wide lenses on the market - but I only know the one's I've owned. I prefer zooms to fixed length because it gives me a range of focal lengths instead of a fixed one. I had a Sigma 10-20mm a few years ago and was very impressed with that. I don't think they do a FX version but not sure. The only FX wide I've used is a Nikkor 14-24 but that was a lot more than your budget. Sorry I'm not much help with this kind of query... If anyone else can help please comment - MIKE
I was thinking about the Sigma you answered with, and I think I will decide to buy it - I would like to mainly do the portraits (obviously not with Sigma 10-20) however the landscape photography seems to be interesting in some aspects as well - the Sigma for this purpose will be sufficient. Thank you once again for the video and help :)
MrWinotu Check to make sure the 10-20 Sigma comes as FF version before you buy or it'll vignette on your FF camera - MIKE
Are you sure you lost your eyecup cover and it's not attached to the side strap? I thought I had lost mine too until I was reading the manual and felt silly when I realized it comes attached to the side strap and it's always been there :)
Can you do a short video on why you need to place blue tak on the viewfinder.
Thanks
Andy
Hey Andrew Smith - you probably don't 'need' to but viewfinders can leak a little bit of light during long exposures so i like to be extra careful and block the eyepiece.
Hi Mike, you should do a vid on hyperfocal distance. Mainly to show that you don't always need such a large aperture. Or was this purely so the exposure didn't run into minutes (as with larger apertures, you'd need an even longer shutter speed with a big stopper on).
Either way, I'm not nit picking, I'm just curious. Great video by the way and thanks for liking my pics on Google :)
Thanks Gareth Brooks - the aperture I used was small because I wanted the longest exposure I could get. I should have used an extra filter because another 60 seconds would have been better...
Good Job Mike. I am going to test my Big Stopper soon and you gave me some good ideas thanks for helpful video.
love watching your vids Mike, always down to earth, and exciting ... i know lee stopper is a lot of $, is there a budget equivelant to this ?... keep up the good work, and i appreciate all your time in doing these videos...
Hi - wonderful instructional video!! I'm looking to get into some long exposures and your demonstration has helped. I do not have the Lee BStopper but do have a B&W ND110 which I'm hoping I can apply the same principles to, however, I didn't get a chart with it to help with the correct exposure time :( lol.
PS - your beach hut shot is stunning
Hi Mike, how often do you do the workshops at Hengistbury Head? I've only got a D3100 to play with though.. :(
Always good tutorials Mike! Thank you so much for helping out novice like me. Cheers from the Netherlands.
you're more than welcome Duuve - Melissa pp Mike
Will a 10 stop ND filter also work at night or it is primarily for day light shooting?
All a 10 stop ND does is block light by 10 stops aabulela - so if you use one when there is not much light you can get some very long exposures indeed. If it's dark enough maybe up to 60 minutes.
Can't believe people are nit picking over the use if 'A' and 'An', G.A.L. Anyway, great video as always Mike, very useful. Liked the piece of advice at the about going out and getting 3 great images as opposed to dozens of mediocre ones or just snapshots. Kind of echoes Jarid Polens (Froknowsphoto) about harking back to the back to the days of film when you only had 36 exposures etc and were limited with cost of developing, so you had to really think about what you were shooting.
Thank you. Yes you don't have to buy Lee there are lots of alternatives available. I should have explained this in the video. Search ND filters on Google and you'll find plenty..
No worries. All you need is a lockable cable release and set the camera to Bulb mode, then time it with your watch.
great videos!!!!!!!!!! thanks . Could you tell me what kind of tripod is the one on this video? thanks in advance.
Thanks also for your videos to keep someone who understood the English language not so well understands.
I've been so well understood, and wish I also called such a big purchase stopper.
I would like to get on with it.
With greetings from an old male from Belgium
Thank you Roy Verge - Greetings from an ageing man in UK :-)
QUESTION: Is there any difference in the rendition of colours of a photo taken at 1/30s without BigStopper and a photo in same conditions taken at 30s with that BigStopper (apart from the obvious blurr of moving objects)?
Top Gear for photographers
That would be DigitalRev
Sterby jr. But Mike is a true artist with the camera.
Hey thanks Frank. You're right I completely forgot to mention Bulb :-/
Dear Mike, I would like to know whether is there a polarizer filter as a slot in option instead of a circular polarizer fixed to the lens. The reason asked was whether one can use a circular polarizer fixed to the lens with a ND slot in filter. Please advice.