Camera College

The complete guide to modern photography

_ Explore the basics of photography and understand them from every angle. This issue: how to capture multiple-exposure shots like a pro. Then enter our challenge, and you could win a copy of Affinity Photo!

you need to specify to get the results you’re expecting. You can tell the camera how many shots you want to combine, for example, along with how you want them to be merged – and, in some cases, whether you want to save the source files you’ll be shooting as well as the final multiple exposure. Your camera is probably going to save the end result as a raw file, which gives you more scope for fine-tuning the image later when you process the file.

The way that the images are merged is an important consideration, as it will determine which parts of each image are visible. It can also affect the overall exposure of the final image. Each time you add an image to the multiple exposure, you’re essentially increasing the level of brightness registered by each pixel. To prevent the final multiple exposure being an overexposed, white-hot mess, each image has to have its exposure level lowered. The camera can do this for you, once it knows how many images you want to combine. But in some cases, you may have to reduce the exposure for each shot manually.

As a general rule, you’ll need to reduce the exposure by half the number of shots you’ll be shooting. If you want to use five images, for example, you’ll

Each time you add an image, you’re essentially increasing the level of brightness registered by each pixel

need to reduce the exposure of each one by around 2.5 stops.

Once you’ve set the number of exposures and the Blending Mode, it’s then simply a case of finding subjects that are going to suit the ‘layered’ treatment and lining up your shots. This is where digital cameras really have the upper hand compared with film cameras, as you are able to view the multiple exposure while it’s being built. The Live View feed and the merged image will be displayed at the same time on the rear screen, making it easy to align the next shot with the previous images. A mirrorless camera makes the process even more convenient, as you can see it all happen in the electronic viewfinder. With a DSLR, you have to use the rear screen, which isn’t always convenient for handheld shooting, or when you’re working in bright conditions, where the image can be hard to discern.

Even though you can preview how the final image looks when you take a shot, you might find you’re unhappy with the way it sits with the previous images. The good news is that you don’t have to commit: simply undo that last shot and try again.

You also don’t have to start from scratch: you can use an image that’s already stored on your memory card as the

A mirrorless camera makes the process even more convenient, as you can see the magic happen in the EVF

‘base layer’ in your multiple exposure. The image could have been taken at a different time and in a completely different location, which gives you even more scope for merging diverse scenes and subjects.

If you really get bitten by the multipleexposure bug, you can keep a selection of your best merge-friendly images stored on a card so that you can try combining them with any suitable subjects, textures, colours and patterns you come across when you’re out shooting. Some cameras even give you the option of merging two images that are both already stored on the card, using an ‘image overlay’ function.

You can merge any subjects in a multiple exposure, and the aesthetic qualities of the end result can be more than enough to make it memorable. But when the technique supports the seed of an idea or concept, that’s when things really get interesting. Say you’re shooting in a city and you want to convey the idea that the buildings are crammed in, or capture the hustle and bustle of all the traffic and crowds. Shooting a multiple exposure and moving the camera for each shot to pull different parts of the scene into one densely layered final image can get across those ideas in an effective way.

You can also use the technique to illustrate the passing of time. As mentioned earlier, combining a sequence of shorter exposures to extend the movement of clouds across a landscape can be a more convenient alternative to using a strong ND filter to create a long exposure. And by locking the camera on a tripod, framing a wide shot and making several exposures over the course of an hour, you can capture the comings and goings of passers-by.