Predawn rain.

[tbob]

i went out in mid October predawn (in the dark actually) at 5 am. I do this a lot as I am an early morning type. Any photography done is an excuse.

I was hoping for a great sunrise. Did not happen. But prior to sunrise I noted this band of clouds being blown over the barn. Since I was just standing around anyway I decided to see if long exposures would yield anything. I decided quite a while ago that I needed dramatic skies to make my images of old prairie barns work. Never tried shooting in quite dim light. And in a fairly stiff wind, 30 to 50 km per hour.

Fairly pleased with the results

So now I have a new technique to extend my shooting day

Twenty second exposure at 6:48 am




After repositioning and waiting for the clouds to move over the barn 7:11 AM one second exposure

[Shadowman]

Shooting in stiff wind makes me so nervous that my tripod will tip over. Nice series especially the B & W conversion.

[xpatUSA]

Shooting in stiff wind makes me so nervous that my tripod will tip over.

The pedant wakes . . .

The simple drag formula says the camera would experience a side force of about a pound in a 50 km/h breeze.

For what that's worth . . .

[Dave A]

Wow.....love these images.

Dave

[Round Tuit]

Two beautiful shots. Although I generally do not like B & W, This one really works for me.
Well done.

Andre

[Mike Buckley]

Fairly pleased with the results

Only fairly pleased?

Though I'm a fan of black-and-white photography, I especially like the color of the land in the first one because of the way the outer edges of that colorful area lead the eye so nicely to the barn. In fact, the sky in that scene doesn't really do much for me, so much so that I'd like to see other compositions that emphasize the sky less and emphasize that colorful area of the land more.

[mknittle]

Love the B&W Trevor. both are excellent though.

[tbob]

Shooting in stiff wind makes me so nervous that my tripod will tip over. Nice series especially the B & W conversion.

I invested in a really expensive tripod, Really Right Stuff serues 4 carbon fibre, because I shoot in in windy conditions a lot. I set it up as low as possible given composition requirements for the image I need. Seems to work really well.

[Donald]

Fairly pleased with the results

As indeed you should be.

All you need now is a dark ND filter and you could be doing exposures in minutes, not just seconds.

The sky in the second one is wonderful. Only thing I'd wonder about is what some more contrast and structure (Local Contrast Enhancement) in the gable-end timbers, would look like (we're allowed to get picky when what we're starting with is of high quality in the first place).

Mmm - Me and that barn have got to be introduced to each other!

[KimC]

Oh my, that first one is beautiful!

[Shadowman]

I invested in a really expensive tripod, Really Right Stuff serues 4 carbon fibre, because I shoot in in windy conditions a lot. I set it up as low as possible given composition requirements for the image I need. Seems to work really well.

I would usually hand a heavy camera bag on mine, but only had my back pack during last windy excursion.

[xpatUSA]

As indeed you should be.

All you need now is a dark ND filter and you could be doing exposures in minutes, not just seconds.

The sky in the second one is wonderful. Only thing I'd wonder about is what some more contrast and structure (Local Contrast Enhancement) in the gable-end timbers, would look like (we're allowed to get picky when what we're starting with is of high quality in the first place).

I was looking at the second one, too, and had a similar thought - wondering how it might have turned out with an IR filter, say 680nm, on the lens . .

[Donald]

I would usually hand a heavy camera bag on mine, but only had my back pack during last windy excursion.

Like John, and indeed whether the wind is blowing much or not and now that I'm using a Canon 5DS, I sling the bag onto the tripod to stabilise it. The Lowepro Trekker 650AW that I've got has a little loop that you can hang onto the hook on the tripod for the purpose. With another body and 3 other lenses in there, as well as all the other bits and pieces, it makes for a pretty reasonable weight.

[rachel]

I love the first one, the colour in the foreground is gorgeous.

[Wavelength]

Excellent pair of images.... liked both of them with different eyes

[tbob]

Only fairly pleased?

Though I'm a fan of black-and-white photography, I especially like the color of the land in the first one because of the way the outer edges of that colorful area lead the eye so nicely to the barn. In fact, the sky in that scene doesn't really do much for me, so much so that I'd like to see other compositions that emphasize the sky less and emphasize that colorful area of the land more.

I will try a crop to make it more of a panoramic aspect. Good point.

I also see I need to do some sensor spot removal in the black and white image. I don't see how that got past me. At any rate it is back to the computer for both

[tbob]

As indeed you should be.

All you need now is a dark ND filter and you could be doing exposures in minutes, not just seconds.

The sky in the second one is wonderful. Only thing I'd wonder about is what some more contrast and structure (Local Contrast Enhancement) in the gable-end timbers, would look like (we're allowed to get picky when what we're starting with is of high quality in the first place).

Mmm - Me and that barn have got to be introduced to each other!

Both you and Ted mentioned a longer exposure. Ted also mentioned a IR filter but that is an area I have no feeling for; so far beyond my ken as to be an alien concept to my brain, not that it may not be brilliant! But a longer exposure I can conceptualize. But why? What will it give the image, beyond more grass blurring at the risk of tripod motion? I am intrigued.

Since you will be in the neighbourhood next fall, only 3000km away, I can arrange a meeting with the barn at your pleasure.

[Donald]

... a longer exposure I can conceptualize. But why? What will it give the image, beyond more grass blurring at the risk of tripod motion? I am intrigued.

Absolutely legitimate question and one that people should ask before spending money on the tools that will achieve it.

When you do start going for longer exposures the results unpredictable ... to a degree. You don't know exactly what it's going to come out like. Experience is the only good tutor. Once you've done it for a long time, you'll get a feel/sense for what the effect of a long exposure in any given situation is likely to be. My intention with having bought filters that will allow me to really extend the exposure time is to take what we see in the images above, but exaggerate it even more. In other words, get really streaky clouds.

Now that has its place. Shooting at speeds that stop already dramatic skies and do not blur them, is also one of my goals. It is, as some of over here say, horses for courses.

Since you will be in the neighbourhood next fall, only 3000km away, I can arrange a meeting with the barn at your pleasure.

Oh well. I could nip up for an afternoon.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Trevor,

Great shots.

I agree with you that, to my mind, I can't see the benefit of blurring the clouds in the sky by using a super-ND, seems counter-productive in this instance, for what you want to achieve.

However, it might be useful when the sky is non-descript white/grey anyway and you frame up on a barn, then if the wind were blowing the grasses and blurring them, that might reduce unwanted(?) detail in the grass, allowing the barn to assume a 'permanence' while all around succumbs to the wind.

I don't practice this type of shooting, but the thought occurs that if it is 'very' windy, might not hanging a free-to-swing bag on the tripod be counter-productive to a still shot; the action of the wind on the bag actually adding (very low frequency) vibration?

Back to the photos;

In #1 I find the barn is a little too central, but I appreciate this was at the beginning of the experiment.

In #2, which is my favourite, I see a small, slightly brighter, halo on the roof line which looks unnatural. I agree that a little more structure in the boards might be a good thing, but I think the brightness of them is OK now, if you also raised their level, I feel that wouldn't suit the apparent weather conditions.

Hope those thoughts are helpful, Dave

[IzzieK]

I like the colour of #1 and having started on black and white occasionally, I am starting to understand how it works. I like the drama of the skies in #2...very threatening...Good shots on both.