ON LOCATION GET SET UP FOR SHUTTER BLENDING

Learn how to shoot daytime long exposures while varying your shutter speed over a range of frames

01 USE A TRIPOD

You need a tripod for long exposures to keep the camera still while the movement of water in scenes is blurred. A tripod that lets you expand the legs outwards so you can get low to the ground can be very useful when photographing waterfalls, as it lets you frame the water closer to the lens.

02 MOVING ELEMENTS IN SCENES

The shutter speed blending technique is ideal in scenes where water is moving at different speeds in different parts of the frame, as it enables us to use a very slow speed of 20 seconds to blur the slower moving river, and a faster speed of one second for crisper streaks in the waterfall.

03 STRONG ND FILTER

A strong ND filter stems the flow of light into the lens, enabling you to shoot seconds-long exposures in bright daylight. We used a six-stop ND filter, along with a polarizer (which cuts out about a stop of light), enabling a max exposure of about 20 seconds at ISO100, aperture f/16.

04 CANON CAMERA SETTINGS

Set up your EOS to shoot in Manual mode with Auto ISO. Keep the aperture constant throughout – a narrow aperture such as f/16 ensures maximum depth of field, plus helps extend exposures. Adjust the shutter speed as you shoot, and allow the camera to adjust the ISO to compensate.

05 VARY THE SHUTTER

Try varying your shutter speed and assess how it blurs the water. For faster speeds, you may want to remove the filter and capture frames without it (especially if it makes a vignette in the corners). For contrasty scenes like this, you may also want to capture a darker frame for the sky.

06 USE TIMER OR REMOTE

A remote release is essential for long exposures as it lets you trigger the shutter without touching the camera. Alternatively, set up a two-second timer or delay mode so you can remove your hands before the shutter fires. If you use a DSLR, engage Live View to prevent mirror shake, too.