Nature Photography How To

One trick employed by experienced landscape photographers is to use long exposures to capture dramatic images of soft, flowing water and cotton-like clouds. This technique typically involves the use of neutral density (ND) filters to reduce the amount of light entering the camera, thereby permitting extended exposure times.

As you’ll see in this tutorial, it is possible to capture the movement of water, and other long exposure effects, without resorting to ND filters. Serge Ramelli is a professional nature photographer from Paris, and in the video below he provides a number of helpful tips for going “filterless” in the future.

You’ll watch Ramelli demonstrate his approach while shooting from beautiful El Matador Beach in Mailbu, as he discusses camera settings, exposure control, and more. As with all forms of long exposure photography, a sturdy tripod is a must.

Ramelli explains how to bracket exposures properly, so you can later merge three or more images to achieve a perfect result. You’ll also pick up valuable tips on composition, and choosing a proper vantage point for this type of photography. Near the end of the tutorial, Ramelli demonstrates his technique for processing the images.

Check out Ramelli’s YouTube channel for more shooting and editing tips, and be sure to read our recent piece from another top pro, who uses ND filters to “reveal the invisible.”