Monday, March 29, 2021

Long Exposure Photography

Long Exposures

A snapshot steals life that it cannot return. A long exposure creates a form that never existed. - Dieter Appelt⁠

I have gotten into the habit of accompanying my Instagram posts with a qoute that in some way relates to the image. I was looking for an appropriate one for this first image and instantly knew it was perfect. Long exposure photography is something that I enjoy but don't often practice. One of the things that is so attractive to me is the essence of the quote - I am creating something the never existed, something not visible to the naked eye. It is nonrepresentational but not necessarily abstract.

When you say "long exposure photography" people have a wide range of interpretations - some say anything slower than about 1/15th or 1/20th of a second while others may think something slower than a full second. I tend to think of anything slower than 1/2 of a second but I have no hard and fast rules. If I am shooting a sunrise at the beach and the sun is in the image, I work on the faster end of the spectrum because I the sun is moving quickly and I don't want it to be just a blog in the sky. If I am isolating some waves crashing on rocks or flowing on the beach, I will work with a slower shutter.

The most important piece of equipment for long exposure photography is, of course, a good, solid tripod. I have seen claims that some of today's cameras can be effectively handheld to as long as two (2) seconds using image stabilization but I am leary. As a landscape photographer you probably already use a tripod for most of your work so this shouldn't be an issue. I would argue that, equally important, is a good imagination. The ability to visualize the end result is something you will develop over time but every image will always be a surprise.

I use long exposures for different reasons; showing motion, smoothing water, and creating mood to name just a few. Each of the images presented here show one of these reasons. A long exposure can introduce a calming effect to a scene, like the Manasquan Reservoir image, and it can be used to create tension or mystery, like the black & white image at the start of this piece. In the latter case the viewer expects to see water but instead is greated by something more like smoke.

So comes the end of another blog - I hope you enjoyed the images and, maybe, I inspired you to go out and try your hand at long exposures. They are a lot of fun and there is no right or wrong way anymore than there is a right or wrong subject. Shooting at night and capturing light trails from cars can be a lot of fun, as can creating your own light trails with a flashlight, laser pointer or sparkler**.

Note: The two images captioned "Spring Lake" were made on the same day, within about a thirty (30) minute timeframe. They are two (2) different areas of the beach but the wave heights and frequency were about the same. You can see how dramatic the difference in exposure time can be.

** Note: Sparklers generate a lot of heat and throw sparks in the air than can start fires if they land on something flammable. They should be used with caution and only under adult supervision.

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!


    Technical information:
  • Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i (crop sensor - 1.6 factor)
  • Lenses: Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
  • Tripod: MeFOTO Roadtrip Classic
  • ISO 100
  • All focal lengths are as-recorded - the full-frame equivalent in parenthesis.
  • Shutter tripped with wired shutter release.

For Sale

Waves - Long Exposure #1 is for sale on Saatchi Art. It is available in a 20x20 Limited Edition - follow the link for more information.


Monday, March 15, 2021

Instagram and Me - A Rocky Relationship

Scouting New Locations

Ah, Instagram

I have been on Instagram (you can find me here - @valencia32photo) for a few years now and have somewhat of a love-hate relationship with it. I love sharing my work and receiving feedback, but I also find myself comparing my work, along with number of followers, likes, comments, etc.…., with others and becoming disappointed. Why did Jimmy (obviously not his real name 😉) get two thousand likes and I only received ten? He has how many followers? My work is ten times better and I do not have anywhere near that many! This is despite telling myself that it does not matter, I am not competing against Jimmy – I am competing against myself; challenging myself to get better each time.

My Instagram Feed

I am primarily a landscape photographer, but you can find a little bit of everything in my feed – nature, flowers, wildlife, macro, still life, you name it. The only thing you will not see a lot of is portraiture – maybe an occasional self-portrait or an environmental portrait of someone but that is about the extent. It just is not a genre that has ever excited me. My portrait work is mostly private and restricted to family and friends.

I try to publish new work on a regular basis but since the pandemic hit in March 2020 things have been a bit hit-or-miss. I do not get out nearly as often as I used to but try to make the most of any time that I do have. This past year has seen me embark on a “Backyard Boredom” project that I documented in my Instagram feed – follow #JoeValencia_BackyardDiscoveries and #BackyardBoredom to follow along. The #BackyardBoredom hashtag is also being used by others so you can follow their adventures, too.

My Followers

I do not have a lot of followers – there are 436 as-of this writing – but the core is very faithful, been with me for a long time and very supportive. I started March 2020 with 325 followers, steadily increasing each week. I am happy to see a 30% increase but still puzzled by the low number. I do know that in the last year I have (almost) always started each caption with a quotation appropriate to the image, along with a paragraph or so about the image – what, where, why, how, etc.… - and tried using the most efficient hashtags.

Who I Follow

There was a time when I followed a lot of people with the hope of getting a reciprocal follow. There were a lot of accounts showing up in my feed that I just did not enjoy; I decided to only follow accounts I was truly interested in and to constantly update the list. There are 533 accounts that I now follow, and I usually end up adding one or two a week, on average. These accounts make up a wide variety of genres of photography, but they are not all photographers; over the years I have followed painters, sketch artists, sculptors, celebrities, and “normal” people posting photos of their friends and families. I follow accounts for a variety of reasons, too. I like to be entertained and I also like to see what other creatives are doing – not so that I can copy them but to draw inspiration.

My Featured Work

You may be aware of “Feature” accounts on Instagram – they, typically, do not produce original material but rather feature the work of others that fit their focus of their account. If you want to get a chance at being featured, you use their hashtag – they monitor the images and choose the ones they deem worthy. This is a great way to get your work in front of people who might normally never see it. All the images used to illustrate this post were featured at one time; clicking on the image will take you to it. I have also had features in #SimplyNJShots, #NJspots, #NJinBloom, #NJShooterz, #NewJerseyHikes, and #SignatureShots; some have featured my work more than once. If I have forgotten any, I apologize for the oversight. It is exciting to see your work deemed worthy of a feature and to read the comments that follow. If you are interested in trying to get your work featured, you can try these accounts or search on Google – “Instagram macro photography feature accounts”, for instance.

Hashtags

I have already touched upon hashtags a little bit, along with some that I frequently use. Choosing the “right” hashtags is a tricky thing and I have no idea if I am doing it right. You want to use popular hashtags because that is what people are using to find things, but you do not want to use extremely popular ones because you end up being a drop in the ocean, making it difficult for you to be found. I usually include any equipment manufacturers involved in the image - #TeamCanon and #MadeWithMeFOTO being two of the most common. I also have made up hashtags for people who want to follow me, specifically – like #JoeValencia_Photography, #JoeValencia_BackyardDiscoveries, and #JoeValencia_Macro. I have a worksheet in Excel with 100’s of hashtags, many grouped into categories, so I can copy-and-paste the ones I need for an image.

Here is a list of New Jersey hashtags that I frequently use - #BeautifulNJ, #CentralJerseyExists, #GardenState, #GetOutStayOut, #HikeNJ, #HikeVibes, #JerseyCollective, #Just_NewJersey, #KeepItWild, #NewJersey, #NewJerseyHikes, #NewJerseyHikes_, #NewJerseyHiking, #JerseysBestCreators, #NewJerseyIsntBoring, #NewJerseyOutdoors, #NewJerseyPhotographer, #nj, #NJDotCom, #NJInBloom, #NJIsBeautiful, #NJRadiant, #NJOutdoors, #njPhotographer, #njShooterz, #NJspots, #NJSunriseSunset, #NJSunset, #OnlyInNewJersey, #OptOutside, #ScenicNJ, #VisitNJ, #WildNJ, #Allaire, #AllaireStatePark, #SharkRiverPark, #SharkRiverParkNJ, #HowellNJ, #WallNJ, #NeptuneNJ, #ManalapanNJ, #ManasquanReservoir

In Conclusion

Instagram is a great way to share your creative work, family photos and short videos and, if you manage your expectations, a lot of fun to use. I hope you enjoyed this post and hope you will take some time to check out my Instagram account – follow me if you like what you see!

Until next time – stay safe, be healthy and enjoy life!

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!



Friday, March 5, 2021

A New Photography Location - Ocean County Edition

Bay Head

Twilight Lake

I had the day off yesterday and spent the day with my wife - we had an errand to run in the morning but the rest of the day we were free to do whatever we pleased. We had a nice lunch at the New Monmouth Diner in Middletown before heading to one of our favorite places - DeMarco's Catering & Gourmet Deli in Aberdeen Township. Do not try their assorted cheese bread! It is hard enough for me to get a loaf or two when I go, I don't want everyone buying it. 😀

It was a chilly, windy, but nice, day so we took the long way home along Ocean Avenue. We stopped at Mt Mitchill Park on the way to pay our respects at the Monmouth County 9/11 Memorial and take in a stunning view of Sandy Hook and New York City. We drove down along Ocean Avenue all the way thru Spring Lake before heading for home via Maclearie Park. During the leisurely drive, my wife noted more than once how nice the day was and the cloud cover might make for a lovely sunset. I haven't been out with my camera much lately, despite her encouragement, and so I gave it some consideration. Now, while I believe her intentions were truly selfless, I can't help but think she was also thinking about having the house to herself for a while. 😉 🤣

The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to get out and make a go at sunset. The question was, where do I go? I do not know about you but after a while I get tired of going to the same places and coming away with images like everyone else. I know that every sunset is different but…. I also like to challenge myself with new locations and trying to come up with great compositions.

When we got home, I opened Google Maps, zoomed out and started looking for bodies of water I was unfamiliar with. I got down to Bay Head before I found some promise; it was then time to change to “street view” and have a look around. It was not long before I decided that was my location; I was standing at the edge of the water within 45 minutes.

Leaving the house with a specific location and composition in mind takes a bit of pressure off; I could take my time, fine-tune the composition, then sit back and enjoy the show. When I got to the lake reality smacked me in the face, not hard but enough to get my attention. The 3D reality of the location did not match up with the 2D image presented to me earlier, making me struggle to try to make it work. Ultimately, I was not happy with the situation, deciding it was never going to work. That turned out to be the good news.

The one complaint I have (if you can call it a complaint) is that our beaches are somewhat boring – we have an occasional pier or jetty but that is about it. We do not have the cliffs, sea stacks and large rocks that the Oregon coast has, for instance. That is one of the reasons I was drawn to this final composition – the rocks were catching the golden light from the setting sun, I had some nice leading lines and, the topper for me, the footprints in the foreground. After setting up I took a few test shots and then sat waiting for the real show to begin.

As the sun dropped in the sky, I got more excited about the color falling on the rocks; I was just waiting for the few clouds in the sky to catch some light and the sky to explode in color. This is one of the images I captured during my wait – thirty (30) seconds later, the entirely of the rocky landscape was in shadow. A few little clouds moved in and the sky was beginning to pick up some color, but the magic was gone. That is how fleeting life’s moments can be.

It was time to pack up and head home – my sunset shoot ended before the sun set. I was going to try to find a new place on the way home, but the sun was dropping quickly, and I was quite ready to go home, warm up and have some of the cheese bread for dinner.

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!


    Technical information:
  • Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i (crop sensor - 1.6 factor)
  • Lenses: Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
  • Tripod: MeFOTO Roadtrip Classic
  • ISO 100
  • All focal lengths are as-recorded - the full-frame equivalent in parenthesis.
  • Focus was manual, exposure was set at aperture-priority with exposure compensation at -1/3 stop.
  • Shutter tripped with wired shutter release.



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