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Photographing Water Using the Multiplication Factor Technique

© Rod Planck Loading...

© Rod Planck

A shutter speed of 1/1000 second stops the water; ten exposures create an appearance of smoothness to its surface. D3S, PC-E Micro NIKKOR...Read More

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More is easier than it used to be. It's also a lot more creative.

By more we mean multiple exposures—an age-old technique made new by digital photography. Simply, it means taking two or more exposures on the same frame. That used to mean a frame of film; today it means multiple capture on the camera's sensor.

It's a technique that nature photographer Rod Planck has been working with lately, especially in scenes that portray moving water.

"It's a way of getting a different look to the water," Rod says. "The idea is to create a sharp landscape and have the multiple exposures layer the movement of the water so that I get a contrast of textures."

For photos like these, Rod follows the golden rules of multiple exposures: camera on a tripod, mirror locked up, shutter tripped by electronic release. "Nothing can move except the water," he says, and he's not kidding.

When the subject's not water, there's still a lot that can be done. "Many times I'll hand-hold the camera and deliberately move it to dapple one exposure onto another to get a painterly look to the image." While this might sound mostly experimental, there is a degree of control.  "I compose the photo the same way I would if I were using a tripod, but I'm hand holding with the composition mapped out in my mind." Camera movements are slight as he makes the exposures. "If you move the camera too much you lose all definition in what you're photographing. So there's a magic amount of movement—enough that it's obvious that you're creating a technique, but not so much that there's no idea of what you're actually photographing." There's also such a thing as too little movement: "If you hand hold too well—that is, don't move the camera enough-you create a photograph that looks like you made a mistake." And thus the idea of "a magic amount of movement."

By now you're probably wondering about Rod's definition of multiple. Just how many exposures does he make for one image? Well, he has no hard and fast rules, but the number ten shows up a lot in his calculations. In fact, each of the photos you see here is comprised of ten separate exposures.

Nikon technology offers ease and control when it comes to making multiples. Access the camera's menu and simply choose the number of exposures you'd like.