1. Three's a charm. Yep, we all love a good third leg with it invaluable usefulness and charming demure. And now that we mention it a tripod is just such a three legged beauty. Strong, independent, stable and always willing to lend you a hand, those are the traits of a great tripod, how do you go about finding such a model? Don't rush out and buy the cheapest you can afford, I like to use tripods from Manfrotto or Gitzo and would suggest reading reviews and paying attention to supported weights before throwing your camera on any old thing. A poor quality tripod will not work in keeping your camera stable. Period.
2. Shoot with a low ISO. Contrary to what may first make sense when shooting in low light with a tripod don't jack up the ISO, simply use a longer shutter speed. By increasing the ISO you will increase noise, this particularly becomes an issue in long exposure photos so set your ISO nice and low.
3. The density, it is neutral. Ever heard of a neutral density filter? Available in a myriad of strengths and rated by how much light they cut. Essentially ND filters decrease the amount of light hitting your sensor whilst imparting no other changes in color temperature or visual quality. In practise they often change the color temperature slightly however it is nothing that can't be fixed with white balance. Now lets assume we are photographing a waterfall and we wish to render the water as a soft mist. First you would select a low ISO and a small aperture in order to obtain the slowest shutter speed possible, yet the shutter speed may still be faster than you wish. Just pop on an ND filter to slow things down even more and do a little dance. Just because.
4. Long live king Kodak. Now Kodak is often not the film of choice for me, but what is important is that film still has it's place in photography. One area where film still outshines digital is in long exposure photography. Whereas digital cameras produce harsh noise during long exposures film chugs along nicely with few ill effects. One thing to be aware of if shooting long exposures on film is an annoying neighbour named reciprocity failure. Reciprocity failure likes to come in and ruin long exposures on film and must be dealt with accordingly. Basically find yourself a reciprocity chart specific to the film you are using, make any necessary exposure changes and all should be well in the world.
5. Carry a torch! Often when shooting long exposure photos it will be dark or getting dark, I can't tell you how many times I've forgotten a torch and had to fumble around as darkness fell. A torch is so handy to keep in your bag for such occasions.
2. Shoot with a low ISO. Contrary to what may first make sense when shooting in low light with a tripod don't jack up the ISO, simply use a longer shutter speed. By increasing the ISO you will increase noise, this particularly becomes an issue in long exposure photos so set your ISO nice and low.
3. The density, it is neutral. Ever heard of a neutral density filter? Available in a myriad of strengths and rated by how much light they cut. Essentially ND filters decrease the amount of light hitting your sensor whilst imparting no other changes in color temperature or visual quality. In practise they often change the color temperature slightly however it is nothing that can't be fixed with white balance. Now lets assume we are photographing a waterfall and we wish to render the water as a soft mist. First you would select a low ISO and a small aperture in order to obtain the slowest shutter speed possible, yet the shutter speed may still be faster than you wish. Just pop on an ND filter to slow things down even more and do a little dance. Just because.
4. Long live king Kodak. Now Kodak is often not the film of choice for me, but what is important is that film still has it's place in photography. One area where film still outshines digital is in long exposure photography. Whereas digital cameras produce harsh noise during long exposures film chugs along nicely with few ill effects. One thing to be aware of if shooting long exposures on film is an annoying neighbour named reciprocity failure. Reciprocity failure likes to come in and ruin long exposures on film and must be dealt with accordingly. Basically find yourself a reciprocity chart specific to the film you are using, make any necessary exposure changes and all should be well in the world.
5. Carry a torch! Often when shooting long exposure photos it will be dark or getting dark, I can't tell you how many times I've forgotten a torch and had to fumble around as darkness fell. A torch is so handy to keep in your bag for such occasions.
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