Create a serene seascape
Mike Harris uses a 10-stop neutral density filter to create a moody minimalist seascape
Take a moody minimalist photograph
If you regularly forego heading out with your camera on days with grey skies and muted lighting, you may be missing out. Drab weather is ideal for shooting minimalist seascapes and is the perfect chance to brush up on taking long exposures.
We braved the wind, cold weather and the occasional shower, and headed to the Philip Lucette Beacon in Shaldon. The lone subject, surrounded by sea and sky, provided us with a fine minimalist composition. We used a 10-stop ND filter to achieve a six-second exposure, which enabled us to smooth out the sea and soften the clouds.
Arguably the hardest thing to grasp when using an ND filter is the formula for calculating the shutter speed. Luckily, it’s 2020 and with the help of a simple app you can calculate this in no time. Exactly what ND filter you use will depend on the lighting. A bright setting might warrant a 16-stop filter, while a darker day might warrant just six stops.
Minimalist photography tends to feature clean compositions. So, read on if you’re willing to endure the cold before grabbing a tripod and filters, and heading to the coast.
Subjects matter
Find a minimalist subject. Minimalist photos tend to feature negative space, clean compositions and very little to detract from the subject. We captured the Philip Lucette Beacon, Shaldon. At high tide the sea surrounds the structure, making it an ideal subject.
Frame by frame
Set up your camera and lens (with filter holder) on a tripod. We pressed our Nikon D800’s ‘Lv’ button to activate Live View and pressed the ‘info’ button until the virtual horizon overlay appeared. Don’t be afraid to try portrait and landscape orientations.
Lens and VR
Minimalist photos can be taken with almost any lens. We used Nikon’s AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8e ED VR (at 70mm) to capture the beacon from our distant position. Switch off any form of image stabilization; when using a tripod some systems can add blur by correcting for movement that doesn’t exist.
Hands free
Pressing the shutter button can cause unwanted movement when taking a long exposure. Mitigate this by setting your camera’s self timer to two seconds (not necessary if you have a remote shutter release). Set your Af-area mode to single point and use AF-S to focus on your subject.
Skip the math
Select your camera’s base ISO and choose a suitable aperture while in Aperture Priority to find your base shutter speed. Switch to Manual mode and input the same settings. Use an app like Long Exposure Calculator to calculate your exposure by inputting your ND filter and base shutter speed.
Fix filter and shoot
Back-button focusing allows you to press the shutter button without engaging focus lock. However, if you’re not using backbutton focusing you’ll need to turn autofocus off to prevent hunting or refocusing when you press the shutter button. Finally, carefully attach your filter and activate the shutter when you’re ready to capture your minimalist seascape.