Assignment #24: Crowd Control

Nikolai · February 3, 2007

OK, gang, shooting leaves was easy. They're plentiful, quiet and don't require model release.

This time we're going to have a rather advanced one, which I called Crowd Control.

The point of this assignment is to shoot a crowded scene with such a long shutter speed that the crowd totally (or almost totally) disappears from the shot. Crowd does not have to consist of people (although it's preferable). It can be a road or highway swarming with cars, like this picture of a busy Hwy 101:

or a pond with the ducks, or a marina with boats, or even fish tank full of fish. Basically, anything filled with objects that tend to change their position and hence disappear from the long exposures.

Subjects should be plentiful, just one pedestrian disappeared from the otherwise empty street wouldn't cut the cake. To establish this, please also provide a regular, short exposure frame of the same scene along with your main entry.

And, in case you're wandering, it should be a day shot. I mean, if you totally can't do it during the day, fine, but give it an honest try!

To get this you would need:

off-hands camera location (e.g. sturdy tripod)
nice dark ND filter
most likely a remote trigger with a bulb mode
possibly a dedicated light meter, since most of the cameras internal ones stop at 30 sec exposures, and you may need a longer one. If you don't have one - go below 30 or use trial-and-error method.

Due to the technical difficulty this assignment is for TWO weeks, not one.
[EDIT: THREE weeks, actually, to make a good use of a three-day weekend :-) :deal]

Other than that usual rules apply: no excessive post-processing (definitely not motion blurring:-), fresh pictures only, etc.

Let's get us some crowd to control! :ivar

Photog · February 10, 2007

Alrighty then. This has zero artistic merit--I was just trying to get a handle on the technique. D100, ISO 200, ND8, 28-80 3.5

This is a shot of a busy highway near my house.

Here's the "crowd control" shot. About 4" at f/27 on a craptastic 28-80 quantaray. (yeah, I know...). I shot one w/o the headlight trail but sorta liked it in this pic because it's a bit ghostly instead of looking completely empty.

I was shooting through a chain link fence so I cropped a bit...didn't bother to match 'em up exactly.

another view, normal exposure:

and crowd control mode--shazam, no cars--roughly same exposure as before:

Anyway--I know the composition sucks and if I had been on my game I woulda worked on the sky, but I was having a hard time getting the camera slowed down enough that I was feeling good about just getting the cars to go away. I'll reshoot a better subject later on, with a longer exposure.

This one was fun! Had to think a bit.

PS - used self timer...didn't use my remote release since I was well under the 30" limit on my camera.

Nikolai · February 10, 2007

Photog,

Photog wrote:

Alrighty then. This has zero artistic merit--I was just trying to get a handle on the technique. D100, ISO 200, ND8, 28-80 3.5

This is a shot of a busy highway near my house.
Anyway--I know the composition sucks and if I had been on my game I woulda worked on the sky, but I was having a hard time getting the camera slowed down enough that I was feeling good about just getting the cars to go away. I'll reshoot a better subject later on, with a longer exposure.

This one was fun! Had to think a bit.

PS - used self timer...didn't use my remote release since I was well under the 30" limit on my camera.

Thank you very much for the entry.

I was starting to think that this one is way over everyone's head..

Antonio Correia · February 14, 2007

Nikolai wrote:

...I was starting to think that this one is way over everyone's head..

I saw today the glass assignment !
I was in Dominican Republic then.
I hope I'll be able to post one later this week.:D

About this very assignment I want to tell you that I would like to participate and I will, but unfortunaly only at the end of the week.
I do have an ideia already !
It is not way over my head ...

This assignment takes a little more time than the others ...

evoryware · February 15, 2007

haven't had the time to set up this one but have plenty of places I can set it up at. Hopefully by the weekend...

anwmn1 · February 15, 2007

Don't give up on us Nik!

Haven't had anytime to shoot in the last two weeks. Three day weekend means lots of shooting!

Nikolai · February 15, 2007

Aaron,

anwmn1 wrote:

Don't give up on us Nik!

Haven't had anytime to shoot in the last two weeks. Three day weekend means lots of shooting!

I guess we should extend it for the next week, too, n'est ce pas?

pyroPrints.com · February 15, 2007

Nikolai wrote:

I guess we should extend it for the next week, too, n'est ce pas?

I'd like to join in, when's the deadline?

Nikolai · February 16, 2007

There is none

pyroPrints.com wrote:

I'd like to join in, when's the deadline?

I mean, each assignment normally lasts a week in a sense that in a week there will be another one, and so on (there are exceptions, as this one)
However you can always submit to any older one as long as the picture is actually fresh. I usually ask to start witht he most recent subject and play the catchup game later, but in the end it's up to you.

Hope to see your entries soon!

Antonio Correia · February 17, 2007

Nikolai,
Are these any good ?
I don't like them very much ! It's the best I could do today.

I felt that NDF + CPF together don't give that quality that we are used to have without filter or with one filter at the time.
May be I am wronge.

I am not providing a "short exposure frame of the same scene along with" my "main entry" because I just forgot to shoot it. Sorry.

May be this last one is the best !
All with tripod. (of course)
All fresh and crispy photos from saturday's morning (the young man) and from this afternoon, in Lisbon.

Nikolai · February 17, 2007

Antonio,

Antonio Correia wrote:

Nikolai,
Are these any good ?
I don't like them very much ! It's the best I could do today.
I felt that NDF + CPF together don't give that quality that we are used to have without filter or with one filter at the time.
May be I am wronge.
I am not providing a "short exposure frame of the same scene along with" my "main entry" because I just forgot to shoot it. Sorry.
All with tripod. (of course)

I'm sorry, my friend, but these can only count as attempts

1) the "short exposures" are integral (and mandatory) part of the assignment.

For instance, there is nothing to compare image #1 with :-(

2) your long exposures are not long enough :-( :cry
I meant minutes, not seconds Hence the need for a very strong ND and f/22 or smaller apertures.
The idea is to make all your subjects totally (or almost totally) invisible. Both young man and the pigeons in #3 are "there", just blurred. So are the cars on #2

Care to reshoot:-)?

pyroPrints.com · February 20, 2007

I know this isn't quite what you're looking for, but I wanted to post something.

Nikolai · February 20, 2007

PyroPrints

pyroPrints.com wrote:

I know this isn't quite what you're looking for, but I wanted to post something.

Since it's a Class, I must give the feedback.

Submitted: 4
Accepted: 0 :cry

That fish tank has a potential, you just need two exposures: one short, and one loooooooong.

Highway at night.... yawn... yeah, wlel, if you can provide a short exposure comp with the cars standing still and clearly visible

Let's try again, shall we?

pyroPrints.com · February 20, 2007

Nikolai wrote:

Since it's a Class, I must give the feedback.
Submitted: 4

Accepted: 0 :cry

That fish tank has a potential, you just need two exposures: one short, and one loooooooong.

Highway at night.... yawn... yeah, wlel, if you can provide a short exposure comp with the cars standing still and clearly visible

Let's try again, shall we?

Will do, when I have some extra time during the day. Now I don't have an ND filter. I was gonna use an IR filter but I'm pretty sure that's not what you have in mind.

So any tips besides shooting in Aperture priority, at lowest iso.

anwmn1 · February 20, 2007

Sorry Master, but I have failed you.

Don't have the proper gear to pull this one off. Opted for the color gradient filter since I was heading to the Grand Canyon.

The ND filter will have to wait a week or two when I head to Southern Utah.
On my own- can't afford the class in May :eek1

Nikolai · February 21, 2007

Aaron,

anwmn1 wrote:

Sorry Master, but I have failed you.

Don't have the proper gear to pull this one off. Opted for the color gradient filter since I was heading to the Grand Canyon.

The ND filter will have to wait a week or two when I head to Southern Utah.
On my own- can't afford the class in May :eek1

Don't feel bad, please! It was a tough one, requires some specialized gear (very dark ND filter, etc) and a place and time to use it.

I do wish you a great success in your GC trip, I'm sure you'll bring back some awe-inspiring results

Mr. 2H2O · February 21, 2007

Photog wrote:

Alrighty then. This has zero artistic merit--I was just trying to get a handle on the technique. D100, ISO 200, ND8, 28-80 3.5

This is a shot of a busy highway near my house. Here's the "crowd control" shot. About 4" at f/27 on a craptastic 28-80 quantaray. (yeah, I know...). I shot one w/o the headlight trail but sorta liked it in this pic because it's a bit ghostly instead of looking completely empty.

Anyway--I know the composition sucks and if I had been on my game I woulda worked on the sky, but I was having a hard time getting the camera slowed down enough that I was feeling good about just getting the cars to go away. I'll reshoot a better subject later on, with a longer exposure.

This one was fun! Had to think a bit.

PS - used self timer...didn't use my remote release since I was well under the 30" limit on my camera.

I was looking through and said, "gee, I know that road!" - I live in Cary...

- Mike

Photog · February 21, 2007

Mr. 2H2O wrote:

I was looking through and said, "gee, I know that road!" - I live in Cary...

- Mike

I shot it from the Avent Ferry Rd overpass (there at Lake Johnson) around 5pm or so.

There is a chain link fence there (small links that I couldn't completely zoom past) so my original shots have ugly chain link framing.

Nikolai · February 21, 2007

PyroPrints

pyroPrints.com wrote:

Will do, when I have some extra time during the day. Now I don't have an ND filter. I was gonna use an IR filter but I'm pretty sure that's not what you have in mind.

So any tips besides shooting in Aperture priority, at lowest iso.

IR will be too dark in visible spectrum, and in IR - well, it will be almost transparent...

If you don't have ND filters, why don't you try multiple exposures and stacking. CS3 is particularly good at aligning almost identical shots, and since the fish is usually brighter than the water in the tank, you may have some luck with Darker mode..

Antonio Correia · February 21, 2007

Nikolai wrote:

IR will be too dark in visible spectrum, and in IR - well, it will be almost transparent...

If you don't have ND filters, why don't you try multiple exposures and stacking. CS3 is particularly good at aligning almost identical shots, and since the fish is usually brighter than the water in the tank, you may have some luck with Darker mode..

Why not 3 breaked stacked photos ?

I suppose this can be an option...

The problem is the lack of time to mount the "cinema": tripod; crowded time = + or - working time; camera settings ...

pyroPrints.com · February 21, 2007

Nikolai wrote:

If you don't have ND filters, why don't you try multiple exposures and stacking. CS3 is particularly good at aligning almost identical shots, and since the fish is usually brighter than the water in the tank, you may have some luck with Darker mode..

I gotta tell ya, that was over my head

stacking?
CS3?
Darker mode?

Either I'm not understanding the terminology here, or I'm a total noob

Nikolai · February 21, 2007

PyroPrints,

pyroPrints.com wrote:

I gotta tell ya, that was over my head

stacking?
CS3?
Darker mode?

Either I'm not understanding the terminology here, or I'm a total noob

CS3: new (beta) version of Adobe Photoshop, to be released some time in Spring 2007.
Darker Mode: one of the two new blending modes in CS3, not available in previous versions
Stacking: a procedure of loading several images into different layers with the purpose of blending/merging them later.

HTH

pyroPrints.com · February 21, 2007

Nikolai wrote:

CS3: new (beta) version of Adobe Photoshop, to be released some time in Spring 2007.
Darker Mode: one of the two new blending modes in CS3, not available in previous versions
Stacking: a procedure of loading several images into different layers with the purpose of blending/merging them later.

HTH

Oh ok, so I wasn't completely clueless. I'm aware of all the concepts here, but now I'm having trouble figuring out how this would apply to this assignment.

I tried taking some crowd control pictures inside a restaurant today, and that didn't work out well. I either couldn't see anything, or most of the person was gone but the torso or the legs would be left.

I'll try to see if any of those shots are salvageble when I get home tonight

anwmn1 · February 21, 2007

Nikolai wrote:

Don't feel bad, please! It was a tough one, requires some specialized gear (very dark ND filter, etc) and a place and time to use it.

I do wish you a great success in your GC trip, I'm sure you'll bring back some awe-inspiring results

Thanks Nik- I will work on getting the filter and completing the assignment in the near future.

As far as awe inspiring- let me know what you think

I have a post in Field and Street and a Journey followed by direct links.

pyroPrints.com · February 21, 2007

So, I was gonna re-shoot the fishtank, but apparently PetSmart has a no -photography policy. Instead, I headed over the local mall. I think this is more on topic, then my previous shots.

Same vantage points:

Nikolai · February 21, 2007

PyroPrints,

pyroPrints.com wrote:

So, I was gonna re-shoot the fishtank, but apparently PetSmart has a no -photography policy. Instead, I headed over the local mall. I think this is more on topic, then my previous shots.

These are, indeed, much better!

Antonio Correia · February 22, 2007

Are these any good ?
The scene with Exposure Time 1.3s Aperture f/4.0 ISO100 Focal Length16mm

and 3 (three) photos stacked with a shallow bracketing on the right
Date Modified 2007-02-22 21:44:35 Date Taken2007-02-23 19:04:07 CameraCanon EOS 20D Exposure Time 30s Aperturef/5.6 ISO100 Focal Length 16mm
It means that the picture represents 90 seconds exposures ...
More to come ...

No photos stacked.
1. Date Modified 2007-02-22 21:56:23 Date Taken2007-02-23 18:42:21 CameraCanon EOS 20D Exposure Time 0.2s Aperture f/2.8 ISO100 Focal Length 35mm
2. Date Modified 2007-02-22 22:05:37 Date Taken2007-02-23 18:42:46 CameraCanon EOS 20DExposure Time 30s Aperturef/10.0 ISO 100Focal Length 35mm

These two are stacked again. Representing 90 seconds exposure.

At the present time the stacked photos can be seen in my home page. Later they will be moved to this gallery. Thank you.

Antonio Correia · February 22, 2007

If these photos are not good I kill myself

Nikolai · February 22, 2007

Antonio,
You don't have to commit a suicide!

The last pair made it!

Thank you very much for your efforts!!!

However, I MUST say, I was expecting a great series of sunlit crowded Portugese cobblestoned squares with the people washed away by your long exposures.
I came up with this assignement 90% because of you, my friend!

Is it too late to request more?

Antonio Correia · February 23, 2007

Nikolai wrote:

You don't have to commit a suicide!
The last pair made it!
Thank you very much for your efforts!!!

However, I MUST say, I was expecting a great series of sunlit crowded Portugese cobblestoned squares with the people washed away by your long exposures.
I came up with this assignement 90% because of you, my friend!
Is it too late to request more?

Nikolai,

I was not able to make a serie of sunlighted crowed square because at that time of the day I am working.

Moreover, at sunlight the ND+CPF together are not enought to a long exposure.

Unless... I shoot in the late afternoon. I'll try today if I can.

Nikolai, you only liked the last pair of shots ?!

What about the others ?

Aren't they as good ?

My sleeping pils for the suicide are in my pocket !

On the right pocket of the coat !

Thank you for the 90 % my friend

Antonio Correia · February 23, 2007

Yesterday when I was shooting the pictures above I went to the car to get the flash.

I wanted to fill in the daulfin with some light.:D

I was using the flash ahead (with ETTL II active) and slow sync.
The camera was on P and I could not do it of course.

I have to go and read how to do it.

May be in the aperture priority I'll be able to use the second curtain and make a shot of 30" with ETTL II active (flash ahead, to the front)

Any tips please ?!

Thank you.

Assignment #24: Crowd Control

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