Extending shutter speed with multiple exposures

Sunday 18 August 2024, 13:13 by Nando Harmsen | 3,325 views | 2 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

A really long shutter speed during the day in sunny weather is not easy. You already have to work hard to reach thirty seconds, unless you have a 15-stop ND filter. Does your camera support multiple exposures? Then there is a trick.

I was standing at Ringköbing-Fjord in Denmark with nothing more than a 10-stop filter. During the sunny midday, this allows a maximum exposure of 30 seconds. But I actually wanted to expose for more than 30 seconds. What if you use multiple exposures?

Thirty seconds is a long shutter speed that is perfect for the water, but not for the clouds. It should really be longer.
Multiple exposures are something I have talked about before. You can layer several photos on top of each other. With my camera, up to nine photos. By layering nine 30-second photos, I achieve a virtual shutter speed of 4.5 minutes.

By taking several 30-second exposures, it is possible to combine them into a virtual longer shutter speed. Multiple exposures make this possible.
Make sure the blending uses average exposure, so that the photos merge seamlessly. Even if the sun disappears behind a cloud for a moment, this makes no difference to the final result.

Does your camera support multiple exposures? Then this is something you can use perfectly. However, do you often take long exposures in conditions like these? Then it is still advisable to buy a 15-stop ND filter.

The result of multiple exposures in the camera, using six 30-second exposures. No Photoshop was needed.
Does your camera not support multiple exposures? Then you could consider taking several photos using the longest shutter speed available. You can then combine these in Photoshop. But achieving this directly in the camera is much more fun, of course.

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About the author

Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.

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2 comments

Hans van Sterkenburg wrote on Wednesday 21 August 2024 at 12:00 | reply
Hi Nando,

The Sony 6700 doesn't have 'double exposure' in the package. However, an app can be added that does this. Do you have any experience with that?

Regards,
Hans.
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Wednesday 21 August 2024 at 12:06 | reply
Sony has been standing out for years by lacking this creative setting option. Unfortunately.
I have no experience with apps that you could add, but I believe that possibility has become very limited with new cameras (including the A6700).
Translated from Dutch.

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