Long exposures with a 10-stop ND filter

Tahoe Sunset #1. Lake Tahoe, Nevada, 2013

I have always liked the smooth, dreamy look of long exposures using dense neutral density filters. I finally was able to have a go at it myself with my 10-stop filter from B+W. The location was the Cave Rock Tunnel pull out by the shore of Lake Tahoe, Nevada. This was a first experiment…next time around, though, I need to work on something a bit less cliché than a dock in the water.The basic drill:

1) See and compose.

2) Frame and focus with the camera on the tripod.

3) Note the shutter speed required without the filter. (In this case, it was 1/30 sec.)

4) Check your shutter speed table for the exposure time required with the filter. The table found HERE is pretty good as it has columns for filters of various densities. (This is easier than doing the math.)

5) Ensure your camera will not change focus (autofocus) when shutter is tripped–set manual focus, if necessary.

6) Set shutter speed to “Bulb” (with many DSLRs, not necessary if exposure is 30 seconds or less).

7) Gently screw on the filter without moving the zoom or focus, then shut or cover the viewfinder window to avoid light leakage (it causes streaking on your image).

8) Trip the shutter with a remote and time the exposure with your cell phone. (In this case, about 4 minutes.)

9) Process in Photoshop to eliminate any strange coloration caused by the filter and to clone out any hot pixels.

10) Enjoy!