Tag Archives: super stopper

Hilbre Island

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Canon EOS M6, 136 mm, ISO 400, 120 sec @ f/11

After weeks of endless sunshine, the weather finally broke today and I popped down to the sea at West Kirby. At the Marine Lake there were loads of windsurfers whilst out on the estuary a number of kite surfers were taking advantage of the wind. I used a lens I’ve not used for a while, my EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM and took a few shots of the kite surfers but there was nothing to write home about so I got the old super stopper out and reverted to type with some long exposures facing Hilbre Island… This time I was able to use my new very hard 2-stop ND grad filter from LEE as well. I remembered to take an umbrella this time to shield the camera from the wind too and it seemed to do the trick. Plus it gave me some welcome shelter as well!

 

Port of Liverpool Building

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Canon 5D, 25 mm, ISO 100, 240 secs @ f/11

The Port of Liverpool Building or the former offices of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board is one of the ‘Three Graces’ on the Liverpool waterfront along with the Royal Liver Building and the Cunard Building. Although neither the most famous nor the biggest of the three, to my mind it’s the best looking of the three buildings, with the only problem being the number of people wandering in front. Fortunately a suitable exposure time can help remove those who walk in and out of the shot. Note how still those sitting on the benches on either side of the image must have been during the 4 minute exposure…

Along with the now regular warm toning, the inevitably converging verticals caused by the wide angle were corrected using Adobe Lightroom. I would have preferred the symmetry of the clouds to be aligned with that of the building but hey ho – there’s nothing less predictable than the good old British weather!

Lunchtime Stroll

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Canon 5D, 28 mm, ISO 100, 480 sec @ f/11

I took a stroll along the waterfront in Liverpool at lunchtime today. It was a fantastically bright day with a slight haze that produced a flat uninspiring light. I specifically wanted such conditions as I was intending to make use of my latest toy – a LEE Filters 15-stop Super Stopper.

I was hoping to get a shot of the Beatles statue with the Liver Building in the background, but I think even the Super Stopper would struggle to make the persistent tourists disappear such is their volume. Additionally the sky was rather grey with very little interest so the filter’s effect would be wasted.

So instead I wandered round and found Canning Dock looking particularly serene. A 0.6 ND grad filter gave a shutter speed of 1/60 sec that converted to an 8 minute exposure with the Super Stopper.

Of course the one downside of shooting long exposures at lunch time is that by the time you’ve found a suitable spot, the available time means one or two shots only before it’s time to head back to the office!