Category: Tips and Tricks

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6 Steps to Image Stacking for Long Exposure

Here’s a quick-tip/full tutorial about an image processing technique that’s both versatile and powerful- and it only takes a few clicks!  Like so many features in Photoshop, the software does the heavy lifting for us… we just need to know where to click to get it going.  So let’s dig in…

  • SUMMARY:
    Image stacking, or just “stacking”, is actually a pretty broad term that means taking multiple images and, one way or another, combining them.  This tutorial focuses on stacking to extend the duration of your capture, resulting in a long exposure / slow shutter image.  I’ll run through it click-by-click in Photoshop (and you’ll be surprised how easy it is!), as well as how to do it manually- so users of other programs can still easily use this technique.  I’ll run through a couple of the pro’s and con’s of stacking a long exposure, and finally I will glance over a couple alternate uses of stacking to maybe help spark some creativity and further exploration…

Continue reading “6 Steps to Image Stacking for Long Exposure”

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Carpe Noctem

Carpe Diem is a well-known latin phrase, meaning seize the day.  It’s an excellent philosophy for any photographer, be it a pro or hobbiest/enthusiast.  Carpe Noctem, you might have guessed, means seize the NIGHT.

If you’re not afraid of the dark, and willing to give up some precious sleep… and dress warm… night time photography has a lot to offer, and can be hugely rewarding!

This image was captured for a client working on a community farming project, and- along with the rest of the images we provided- are meant to convey the beauty of the area and visually convey the opportunities present in living/raising a family in this area rather than in the Metro NY area.

Why are we posting about this today?  Well, this weekend is the New Moon- which is kind of a funny name for what really appears to be no moon at all.  This upcoming Saturday, March 17, the moon will be almost entirely in the Earth’s shadow… Continue reading “Carpe Noctem”

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Cool Stars

Last Friday we posted a photo-tip on social media; This recent cold snap brings with it excellent opportunity for some night sky photography.

Cloud cover acts like a blanket over the Earth, reflecting the overnight radiated heat back down.  So it’s not totally coincidental when you see an unusually low temp one night, to also find the skies to be clear of clouds.  And cold air holds another perk for the night owl shooter- colder air can not carry as much moisture in it, and humidity creates an awful “haze” that downs out all but the brightest of stars (or planets).

We took the opportunity on Friday to capture some artistic photos on a local farm for one of our clients, capturing how beautiful it is living here in the Hudson Valley of New York.

Afterwards- since I was already bundled up (and already frozen), and already out late with all my gear- I headed over to capture a different shot that’s been on my mind lately.  Inspired by my buddy Benji, who’s a wicked talented photographer I might add, I ended up with this image.

 

 

Quite pleased with how it turned out, especially considering by this point in the night the moon was pretty high overhead, reflecting sunlight that usually detracts from crisp star captures… but in this case the moonlight helped illuminate the path, the ridge, and even a bit of Skytop Tower at the Mohonk Mountain House!

We are curious… did anyone else brave the cold and capture anything cool?  If you have something you’d like to share email us and we’ll feature you on your blog and social media channels!  [email protected]