LANDSCAPE photography | EXPOSURE HACK for Low Light Long Exposures!

In this week’s landscape photography episode, I pick up where last week left off - exploring the power of minimalism after a cloudless sunset session featuring delicate trees and stumps standing in still water. Rather than heading home, I decided to sleep in the car and try my luck with sunrise photography the next morning. Fortune favoured me with some stunning pre-dawn cloud cover and rich twilight colours beginning to dance across the sky. Unfortunately, not everything went to plan - my Rode mic transmitter was flat, likely left on the night before, so I had to rely on my GoPro’s internal mic. Not ideal, but that’s the nature of field work - adapt and keep going.

Putting the gear hiccup behind me, I dove into the shoot. Early morning long exposure photography brings two key challenges: nailing focus in low light and calculating the correct exposure time without burning through precious twilight. To gain focus, I used my usual trick - switching to Shutter Priority mode, which allows the camera to ‘see’ enough of the scene to lock focus, before flipping back to Manual. As for exposure, my go-to ISO6400 test method saved the day: by simulating a long exposure with a high-ISO short burst (e.g., 4 seconds at ISO6400 equating to 4 minutes at ISO100), I could quickly and accurately gauge exposure without losing the moment. This simple hack helped me capture a beautifully exposed image rich in reds and deep blues, and I continued refining my shots with this technique throughout the morning, walking away with a strong set of images and a great sense of satisfaction.

I specialise in large format print focusing on creating fine art images best viewed on a wall.

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