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NIGHT SKY RAMBLINS


ONE MAN'S TAKE ON NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY

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HOW TO DETERMINE LONG-EXPOSURE SETTINGS FOR A NIGHT PHOTOGRAPH

Posted on October 30, 2022 by Hal Mitzenmacher
1

Although the noise performance of modern camera sensors at high ISO settings has
improved dramatically over the past decade, photographers who demand clean,
noise-free images must still wrestle with the problem of eliminating high ISO
noise. One strategy is to simply avoid shooting at high ISO settings whenever
possible by lowering the ISO and extending the exposure time. The question that
is often raised is – “what settings should I use to obtain a proper exposure”?
This is not a particularly difficult question to answer, however the answer
becomes infinately more useful and valuable if one understands the reasoning
behind the solution. This article is my take on solving this problem.

It is important to understand what a proper exposure actually is in the context
of low-light or nighttime photography. A proper exposure is NOT determined by
how the image looks when reviewed on your LCD screen after exposure. Your LCD
display will fool you every time – it is not determinative of a proper exposure.
What IS determinative is what is shown on your histogram, as this creates a
graphic representation of the data actually captured and recorded by your camera
sensor. So let us begin by learning what the histogram is, and how it can be
effectively used in the context of our night photography. The following graphics
explain the concepts we need to know in order to determine a proper exposure.

NOTE – Click images to view full size (Tablet or PC)



DETERMINING LENS APERTURE (f STOP)

So now that we know what a proper night exposure histogram looks like, how can
we determine the settings to create an image with a good histogram, which also
minimizes high ISO noise in our image?

The first exposure setting I prefer to establish is the lens aperture. This is a
balancing act- the wider the aperture, the shorter the exposure time needs to
be, however, the wider the aperture, the shallower the depth-of-field (DoF) that
is produced. My usual procedure is to select the widest aperture that still
gives me the necessary DoF my composition requires. To do this, I refer to one
of the readily-available Hyperfocal Distance Calculator apps that resides on my
smartphone. A test shot taken with the lens focused at the calculated hyperfocal
distance will allow me to review the exposure to be certain the my subject
matter is entirely in focus. If not, I will reduce the aperture (thus increasing
the depth-of-field), refocus at the new calculated hyperfocal distance, and try
again. When I am satisfied with the focus at the selected aperture, I can then
move on to determining ISO and exposure time.

DETERMINING ISO AND EXPOSURE TIME

Ideally, I would like to shoot my long-exposure at my camera’s native ISO, which
in the case of the Pentax K1 is ISO 100 (this is a common native ISO, however
your camera may vary). Shooting at the native ISO will minimize random noise in
the image. the following image comparison shows the extreme noise difference
between an ISO 6400 shot and an ISO 100 shot, which is the whole point of doing
a low ISO, long-exposure in the first place.

Noise Comparison ISO 100 vs ISO 6400

So let us figure out what exposure time we need in order to get a proper
histogram if we were to shoot at ISO 100. We could do this with guesswork or
trial and error, but that would be frustrating and wasteful of our precious
shooting time. Fortunately, there is a quick, simple technique that can be
employed to help us figure out our exposure.

Step 1

Set your ISO to 6400. Set your exposure time to 15 seconds. Take a test exposure
and check the histogram in your image review. If the histogram is too far to the
left, increase the exposure time. If the histogram is too far to the right
(possible, but unlikely in most circumstances) decrease the exposure time. Take
another test shot and evaluate the histogram. Continue adjusting the exposure
time and taking test shots until you are satisfied that you have a proper
histogram. Make note of these exposure settings.

Step 2

You will now use the previously noted exposure settings to calculate an
equivalent long-exposure time at ISO 100. There are two ways to do this. One way
relies on any of the readily-available smartphone Exposure Calculator apps.
There are many available, you may already have one at your disposal. You just
enter the test exposure information, enter the desired ISO, and the app tells
you how long the new exposure should be at ISO 100 (or any other ISO you
choose).

A second method utilizes the “Six Stop Rule.” Simply stated, this rule says that
the number of SECONDS of exposure at ISO 6400 will equal the number of MINUTES
of exposure at ISO 100. For example, if the test exposure that produced a good
histogram was 15 seconds at ISO 6400, the equivalent exposure will be15 minutes
at ISO 100.

FINAL THOUGHTS

While shooting a long-exposure at native ISO is the ultimate goal, it is not
always absolutely necessary to shoot at that low an ISO. Perhaps, like me, you
prefer to shoot long-exposures using the Long-Exposure Noise Reduction (LENR)
function available with your camera. In that case, the total camera time will be
double the exposure time (since the camera is taking a second exposure with the
shutter closed in order to accomplish a dark frame subtraction, which cancels
out hot-pixel noise). Therefore, a 15 minute exposure actually takes 30 minutes
of field time, which may be unacceptable to you. Perhaps you are shooting a
panorama or mosaic, in which case you may simply not have enough time to capture
all of the long-exposures at ISO 100. Under these circumstances, you might well
consider shooting your long exposures at ISO 200, ISO 400 or even higher. The
choice is yours, and your decision will be informed by your knowledge of the
characteristics of your camera and the circumstances you are faced with on any
given night. but now you have a framework for quickly determining what exposure
settings to use when shooting a long-exposure night photograph.

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Posted in A Night Photographer's Ramblins, Photography Ramblins | 1 Reply


POCKET SOFTBOX APP FOR NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY

Posted on June 24, 2018 by Hal Mitzenmacher
Reply
Pocket Softbox is an Android app (available from Google Play) that turns your
smartphone or tablet into a nice low level lighting source when photographing at
night. In the photograph shown above, I used Pocket Softbox for two purposes.
First, I used the app to light the trees during the course of several long
exposures by walking up and down the roadway, holding my phone in a manner that
cast light up into the treetops. Second, whenever the ubiquitous fireflies
settled down and ceased their display, I found that by walking around for a
minute or two with the Pocket Softbox app set to 3200°K, the fireflies would
resume their flashing display. Simply clicking on the Pocket Softbox icon
(above) instantly brings up the app in the last mode that was used. This is what
the app look like in use. I have selected a lime green color by sliding my
finger in a vertical direction on the screen, and the brightness was selected by
sliding my finger horizontally on the screen. The settings can be locked, which
prevents inadvertent changes in color or intensity. In RGB color wheel mode, any
possible color in the RGB color space can be selected, so if you want to light
paint with color, this is the mode to use. If you select the Kelvin Color Scale
mode, the app produces white light at the selected color temperature. The app
comes with 7 commonly used Kelvin presets, as shown above, but you can save any
number of your own commonly used settings as a preset. As an example, I named
and saved two – Pinkish Red and Bluey Blue. Saving a preset is as easy as
selecting Save Preset from the menu and entering the name you want to use in the
dialog box. You can choose to use Eye Light mode from the menu, which produces a
round shape as seen above. I have not found anything useful about Eye Light mode
for my photography, with the exception that it is also used in Strobo mode. When
Strobo mode is selected from the main menu, you are presented with the screen
above, where you choose the duration of the light and dark cycles. The app will
then flash your chosen color on and off through the Eye Light circle, using the
parameters you have set on the screen above. This is useful for helping control
the amount of light being added to the exposure by counting the number of times
the light flashes. Not enough fill light? Up the number of flashes. Too much
fill light? Reduce the number of flashes. This makes your light painting
controllable and repeatable. I recommend this app without reservation. It is
free, has no advertising, is small, and requires no special permissions. A very
nice simple light painting tool to have in your bag of tricks!
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Posted in A Night Photographer's Ramblins | Leave a reply


[SOLD QUICKLY] FOR SALE – OCEAN KAYAK FRENZY & SEAQUEL OAR – $150.00

Posted on April 24, 2018 by Hal Mitzenmacher
Reply
This heavy-duty Ocean Kayak Frenzy solo sit-on-top model is an ideal blend of
design concepts that make it well suited for various kayaking conditions. From
ocean kayaking, surf riding, river floating and moderate white water, the Frenzy
does it all. The shorter length of the Frenzy compared to other models allows
for excellent maneuverability, while the tri-form hull and keel design creates a
kayak that tracks in a straight line without undo fuss on the paddler’s part.
The wide stance of this kayak makes for a very stable kayaking experience. It is
easy to board from in the water, and actually takes an effort to capsize this
boat. This is a particularly fine kayak to scuba dive from due to its
outstanding stability. There is a tank holder molded into the stern of the
kayak, and heavy duty straps to hold all your gear. Here are additional views of
this kayak. It is an older design than is produced today, lacking a molded-in
cup holder and side handles, otherwise, the design is essentially the same as
the current Frenzy model from Ocean Kayak. I have added on the Scotty Bait
Caster/Spinning Rod Holder pictured above. I have also added a bungie cord style
oar holder on the side opposite the rod holder, so fishing off this kayak is a
breeze, especially with the stable, wide stance this kayak provides. Also
included in the sale is a fine quality Aqua-Bound Seaquel oar. This oar
separates into two sections for easy storage and transport. This is an aluminum
oar, which Aqua-Bound has discontinued, but I paid approximately $70.00 for it
when new. This is truly an ocean worthy kayak. I used it with much enjoyment at
California’s Channel Islands National Park while living aboard my trawler in
Southern California. You can’t go wrong buying this kayak and oar for the
bargain basement price of $150.00. You will have to come pick it up in the
Omaha, Arkansas area. Cash only – first-come, first-serve! E-mail me at
hal@mitzenmacher.net if interested.
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