The Beauty of Illusion Capturing Images of an Unrealistic World with Lenses

The Beauty of Illusion Capturing Images of an Unrealistic World with Lenses

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The Beauty of Illusion
Capturing Images of an Unrealistic World with Lenses


The world of photography is full of possibilities. While some are fascinated by the excitement of high-speed photography, others may indulge in the tranquility of photos captured using slow-speed shutter. The image and mood created by a slow-speed shutter are uniquely charming. One-of-a-kind images that lie between the real and the virtual can be achieved by combining photo elements such as reflection and light traces.


The Fluidity of Water and Mist

Title : 《寂靜》 Club Canon Member : Benny
Camera : Canon EOS 5D Mark II   Lens : EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM
Focal Length : 50mm   Shutter Speed9s   Exposure Value : f/22    ISO : 50

Many people would use high-speed continuous shooting to freeze the action of a fast-moving athlete. When it comes to landscapes and rivers, slow-speed photography is preferred. Flowing water can create a sense of motion in a relatively static scene. We can use a slow-speed shutter to capture images that look dreamy and mysterious. When capturing flowing water with a slow-speed shutter, apart from a rigid tripod, we also need to consider various combinations of camera settings carefully.

Due to the use of slow shutter speed, the ocean water will appear smooth and silk-like in the photo whenever the waves splash against the rocks. With waves flowing softly and smoothly across the rocks and turning into a thin layer of mist covering the sea surface, a sense of illusion that makes people feel like they were up high in the sky can be created. Take this photo as an example. The photographer used a small aperture of f/22 and ISO 50 to prolong the exposure time. The accentuated texture of rocks made possible by the small aperture created nice visual contrast with the soft waves. To create an image like this, a shutter speed of approximately 10s is suggested for relatively fast-moving waves. Besides, the photographer used manual white balance to cast a blue tint to the overall color to add a touch of fantasy to the image.



The Silk-Like Waterfall

Title : 《Waterfall in Iceland》   Club Canon Member : Simon Wong
Camera : Canon EOS 5D Mark III   Lens : EF 17-40mm f/4L USM
Focal Length : 40mm   Shutter Speed20s   Exposure Value : f/13    ISO : 100

To capture the spectacular flow of water over the falls, we can use a small aperture, low ISO setting and slow-speed shutter to give the falls a smooth, soft and beautiful appearance in the photo. For example, this photo that looked like a delicate oil painting showcased the artful skills of the photographer in capturing waterfalls and rivers with slow shutter. Besides, high image quality that looks smooth and detailed was achieved, thanks to the use of low ISO 100.

If the shutter speed is still too fast for a nice capture (e.g. only 1s or 2s) even after reducing the aperture and adjusting to low ISO setting, we can consider applying Neutral Density (ND) filter. ND filters can be divided into different classes like ND2, ND4, ND8 etc – a higher number means higher capability to reduce the amount of light entering the lens. The transmission rate for ND2 equals to 1/2 of the original amount of light, thus enabling the exposure time to be 2 times longer. Likewise, the transmission rate for ND4 is 1/4 of the original amount of light, enabling 4 times longer in exposure time. For camera settings of f/16 aperture, ISO 50 and 2s shutter speed, the application of ND4 filter can prolong the shutter speed to 8s, making it useful for photographing subjects like running water.



A Misty View

Title : 《幻影》   Club Canon Member : James Kwok
Camera : Canon EOS 5D Mark III   Lens : EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
Focal Length : 200mm   Shutter Speed30s   Exposure Value : f/7.1   ISO : 400

Many people consider misty landscape a challenging topic. In fact, through good observation and by applying appropriate skills, landscape photos that look like a fairyland can be created even under dense fog. The photographer of this photo turned the flowing mist into a veil covering the city lights gently using a long exposure time of 30s. This duration of exposure time was long enough to capture the lights penetrating through the mist, adding colors to the white mist to make the photo look more vibrant.



The Reflection in Mirror

Title : 《晨》   Club Canon Member : LIUYING
Camera : Canon EOS-1Ds   Lens : EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
Focal Length : 44mm    Shutter Speed1/50s    Exposure Value : f/16    ISO : 100

Reflection in water is a popular photographic topic. In this photo, the photographer created a horizontally symmetrical composition by using the water reflection ingeniously, resulting in landscape photo that blurred the lines of reality and illusion and looked like a wonderland. The time to shoot is crucial when taking photo of this kind. Normally it is ideal to shoot in the early morning, as the sunlight is soft and there will not be big difference in lighting contrast among the water surface, ground and sky, thus ensuring normal exposure for the ground and sky. Besides, the direction of light is important too. When we take a detailed look of the photo, we can see that the main light source was coming on the left side from behind the photographer. The use of side lighting can help add depth and gradation to the ground objects. When the sunlight shone over the calm lake, the lake turned into a mirror and reflected the surrounding environment, making this horizontally symmetrical photo extraordinary.



The Translucent Water

Title : 《七彩九寨溝》    Club Canon Member : Photofan
Camera : Canon EOS 450D    Lens : EF 17-40mm f/4L USM
Focal Length : 37mm    Shutter Speed1/100s    Exposure Value : f/8    ISO : 400

Clear lake water is a useful element for photographing reflection. The crystal clear lake water in this photo reflected both the blooming red leaves on the shore and the mountain’s lavish greenery in the centre of the lake, capturing the otherworldly beauty in the water that went in harmony with the real landscape. For this kind of photographic subject, we should avoid shooting under a bright sun. Instead, it would be good to have a couple of clouds as a cloudy weather can diffuse light softly and evenly, helping bring out more vivid colors than strong sunlight. The photographer of this photo also decreased the exposure compensation value by 1 stop in order to enhance the contrast and make the reflection more stand out.


Title : 《寧靜小鎮》    Club Canon Member : midellen
Camera : Canon EOS 5D Mark III    Lens : EF 24-105mm f/4L USM
Focal Length : 105mm    Shutter Speed1/125s    Exposure Value : f/8    ISO : 250

This photo gives readers a sense of peace and comfort. The refection in the lake and the real landscape took up half of the composition evenly, and the skills applied in capturing this photo are similar to those in “七彩九寨溝”. We need to be careful to maintain a horizontal level when shooting, and avoid shooting under a bright sun. Different from photographing the summer’s greenery and autumn’s red leaves, when it comes to snowy landscape in winter, we need to pay extra attention to the metering. Since the town in this photo was situated adjacent to a snowy mountain, normally we have to increase the exposure compensation value by 2/3 stop in order to reproduce the snow in white color.

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