There is something magical about the Everglades, and as I often do, I headed out to the Everglades last weekend. This is the time of year to go, the weather is cool (not as hot I should say) and the mosquitos are not too bad.
Once I got there I realized that there was no clouds, so I headed to my favorite spot and waited until the sun had set, once it started to get dark the clouds started coming. It was perfect, I put my camera on bulb mode and started shooting.
What is an ND filter? What is it for? How do you use it?
ND or Neutral Density filters are dark filters and are designed to reduce the amount of light reaching the sensor of your camera in order to increase exposure times, without affecting the color of the image.
There are many different manufacturers, and if you decide to get one, make sure you don’t get a cheap one. This filters usually start from light and go to really dark. They reduce your F-stop by 1 stop, 2 stops, etc. etc.
I like to use a 10 stop filter. This is a very dark filter, it reduces light by ten stops. You have to set up your shot before you attach your filter. Here is a video I made on how to use these filters.
This is the filter I use for all my daytime long exposures. 77mm 3.0 ND MRC 110M Filter, Every photo here has been shot with this exact filter, and I could not be happier.
Long Exposures Using ND Filters
So when do you use these filters? I like to use them when the weather is crazy, usually when the clouds are visibly moving really fast and the colors are vibrant. During sunrise and right after sunset is usually a good time.
You can use these filters in the day time that’s how you get the crazy movement of the clouds. Below are a few examples of how I use these filters. All these photos are shot in bulb mode and are from 1-3 minute exposures.
In this video I will show you how to bring out the shadows on your under exposed photographs, I will also cover graduated filters and show you how to make your photos pop with a few simple sliders in Lightroom 5.
Here are some tips on how to make a beautiful Black and White photograph. I live by this when shooting Black and White.
1. When shooting B&W photography it’s important that you learn to see in black and white. Remember you don’t have color to draw the eye when shooting B&W photography, so you have to find shapes and tones to compose your photo. Study the colors and study the your environment picture all the gray tones and picture everything in B&W. I will keep it short and sweet. If you have any others please share on the comments below.
2. Always shoot in color, it is important that you always shoot in color. Most cameras out there have a B&W setting DO NOT USE IT. If you shoot everything in color you will have more control of the gray scale in post production once you convert it.
The Man In White
3. Always use the lowest ISO setting possible. This will get rid of the noise in the photograph and you will end up with a great clear photograph. If you are looking for noise do it in post production. I like to add noise to (some) B&W but I always do it in post production that way I still have a very high resolution high quality photo.
4. Always shoot RAW, most DSLRS shoot in RAW (and any camera now a days), again this gives you more control of the image in post production thus making a better B&W photograph. If you don’t have this setting on your camera, don’t worry, you can still make an amazing B&W photograph shooting JPEG.
5. Contrast is very important when shooting B&W photography, it sets the mood it, it defines your lines, it brings out shapes and shadows you would never be able to see in color photography. Play around with it and make it work for you.
Did I miss any? Please leave them in the comments below.
Always remember that practice makes perfect, and always have fun out there.
I have been to hundreds of temples, churches, and cathedrals all around the world, but none have impressed me as much as Saint John’s Cathedral. The Cathedral is located in Valletta Malta, and it’s straightforward to find just ask anyone you see, and they will point you in the right direction.
Every corner of this place is covered with something, from the floors to the ceiling there is not an empty spot.
All the gold you see is gold leaf done by hand. In fact, while I was there, an artist was working on restoring a wall. I remember thinking while watching her, It must take months to do a small piece.
I walked around inside for about an hr, and I couldn’t get enough, I was mesmerized by its beauty.
Saint John’s Cathedral
The interior of Saint John’s Cathedral, in sharp contrast with the facade, is extraordinarily ornate and decorated in the height of the Baroque period. The interior was decorated mainly by Mattia Preti, the Calabrian artist, and Knight. Preti designed the intricately carved stone walls and painted the vaulted ceiling and side altars with scenes from the life of St John.. Wikipedia
Getting here is not hard, just ask around if you get lost but when you walk in if your jaw is not on the floor, you are in the wrong place.
About the photos:
I used a wide angle lens to get the job done. I did not use flash and shot everything handheld. Here are the settings: f2.8 ISO 1600 14-24 mm lens. The shutter speed varies from 1/40 of a second to 1/120 of a second. All shot with my Nikon D800e
I edit all my images with my Lightroom Presets download them and give them a try.
Have you ever been? Drop me a line, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this masterpiece, I always wonder why we don’t build things like this anymore.
I shot this a few weeks back from South Pointe Park here in Miami Beach. I often come here to watch the sunset and watch the ships leave the port of Miami. Its an spectacular site to see, not only the massive ships leaving but also the amazing sunsets you get to see from this park. This sail boat was coming into port as this ship was leaving and it looked like they were going to crash.
I made a video to show you how to edit photos like this one and get colors out of your images. Thats why its very important to always shoot RAW. (I made a video on this, its somewhere on my channel)
Camera settings: 1/200 of a second F2.8 ISO 500 I shot this with a 70-200mm lens my Aperture was wide open and my ISO was high because I didn’t have a tripod and had to shoot this handheld, shooting the photograph this way prevented any blur or fuzziness on my photograph.
Please drop me a line below or any questions you might have. Subscribe to my Youtube Channel to get updates on new training videos and some funky behind the scenes.
