Nikon SLR Cameras

How to take photos of water, using neutral density filter on a nikon d3000?

Kati
Kati

I just got my Neutral Density filters for my camera lens's and have a new remote for my camera (nikon D3000). I went out after talking to my teacher on how to use everything and to take the photos i want and i didn't work or just turn out white i want to take photos like…

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or like this…

http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-81846448/stock-photo-cromer-pier-at-dawn-a-slow-shutter-speed-blurs-the-waves-to-create-a-mist-like-foreground.html

i'm on vacation now and there's a lot i can take here would love step by step help or anything anyone could offer!

Guest
Guest

The photos turned out white, because you over exposed them.

You need to set the exposure using the light meter in the camera.
You need to set the lowest ISO your camera has.
You need to set a narrow aperture like f22
You need a tripod.

You might need a stronger and filter to take day-time long exposures - or shoot in the morning or evening when the light is not so bright.

EDWIN
EDWIN

When using an and filter you must have your camera in Manual since you'll be controlling the shutter speed. You'll also need to have your camera on a tripod. You also need to know how to calculate the correct shutter speed based on the strength of the and filter - the number of stops of light it blocks. The best way I know to show this is the old "Sunny 16 Rule" that states: "On a sunny day set your aperture to f16 and your shutter speed to 1/ISO."

ISO 100

f128 @ 1 sec. -6 stops
f90 @ 1/3 sec. -5 stops
f64 @ 1/6 sec. -4 stops
f45 @ 1/12 sec. -3 stops
f32 @ 1/25 sec. -2 stops
f22 @ 1/50 sec. -1 stop
f16 @ 1/100 sec. "Sunny 16"
f11 @ 1/200 sec. +1 stop
f8 @ 1/400 sec. +2 stops

So compose your picture and check the shutter speed suggested by the camera's meter, make a note of it, install the and filter and then adjust the shutter speed to compensate for the number of stops that the and filter blocks. The more stops of light blocked the slower the shutter speed. Just reduce the shutter speed by 1/2 for every stop of light blocked by your and filter.

nuclearfuel
nuclearfuel

You've got all the necessary equipment to get blurry water (or skies for that matter) in an otherwise sharp image, with the exception of a tripod perhaps. The idea is to get an accurate exposure, using a shutter speed that is long enough to capture the movement of the waves which causes the blurry effect. If the shutter speed is too fast, you'll 'freeze' the water instead of recording its movement.

To do so, you'll typically need shutter speeds of 1/10 s or longer, maybe even a few seconds.
Try the following steps:
* Mount your camera with the and filter attached, on a tripod (or at least put it on a steady surface)
* Select lowest ISO value (100 iso); don't use the auto setting
* Select an relatively small aperture value of around f/8 or f/11 in the (A) Aperture Priority setting
* Carefully frame your compostion, preferably using manual focus rather than autofocus.
* Use your remote to make the shot, avoiding all camera movement, vibration etc. Note that the exposure could last up to a severalseconds, depending on the amount of available light.
* Check the result. Stationary items should be sharp, moving objects, water etc. Should be blurry.

If you're not satisfied, you could experiment with the manual setting (M), gradually lengthening/shortening the shutter speed value. I would advise against altering the aperture value as this is necessary to ensure sharp, detailed stationary objects, and f/8 is usually considered the optimum aperture for many lenses.
If all else fails, you could try to force a long exposure, by experimenting with the (S) shutter priority setting, starting from 1/10th s and longer, but in that case you'll lose control of the depth-of-field which can be quite critical in this type of photography.

Forlorn Hope
Forlorn Hope

Use a heavier and filter and long exposure, and EXPERIMENT!

rick
rick

Easy as long as you have enough and. Close your lens to it's smallest aperture. Set your ISO to it's lowest setting. Put on all of your and filters and see what you get as an exposure. A tripod or something very stable is required too. Depending on the speed of the water try from 1/2 sec to 5 sec