Using Barrel Lens

[Smitty]

How accurately can exposures be made using a barrel lens in ULF photography? It would seem that long exposures would be beyond the range of shutters anyway.
Thanks, Steve

[j.e.simmons]

Anything over a second, I use a metronome. You can set it clicking at 60 for one second intervals or 120 for half seconds.

[Jim Jones]

Practice counting seconds while watching a clock with a readout in seconds. It should be easy to achieve better accuracy than most shutters for exposures of 1/4 second and longer, and it's more convenient than relying on some gadget.

[Two23]

How accurately can exposures be made using a barrel lens in ULF photography? It would seem that long exposures would be beyond the range of shutters anyway.
Thanks, Steve


For one second I just say, "One potato." For multi seconds I use the stop watch function on my cell phone, just like the old timers did.


Kent in SD

[Smitty]

With the barrel lens just hold a piece of black cardboard in front of the lens then make the exposure?
Steve

[AtlantaTerry]

I just count slowly in my head. After all, long exposures with black and white film don't need to be very accurate. With transparency film, that may not be the case. On the otherhand, I once made a 30 minute exposure on a 4x5" sheet of Tungsten film.

[Randy]

For one second I just say, "One potato."For two seconds I say "two potato"...and so on...but my negs come out a tad under exposed for some reason.

[John Kasaian]

For two seconds I say "two potato"...and so on...but my negs come out a tad under exposed for some reason.

Try" one zucchini, two zucchini...":o

[Vaughn]

With the barrel lens just hold a piece of black cardboard in front of the lens then make the exposure?
Steve

Or lens cap. I work the cap almost all the way off first.

I have counted up to 15 minutes -- a bit boring.

[Alan Gales]

Or lens cap. I work the cap almost all the way off first.

I have counted up to 15 minutes -- a bit boring.


What were you doing, Vaughn, star trails? :)

I have seen photographs shot in old run down factories, hospitals and churches shot at long exposure times like that.

[Vaughn]

What were you doing, Vaughn, star trails? :)

I have seen photographs shot in old run down factories, hospitals and churches shot at long exposure times like that.

Middle of the day under the redwoods! Well, it was at the end of a steep walled canyon at the base of a waterfall. Most of my exposures are around a minute.

This one was 10 minutes...but only at f/32! (4x5 carbon print)

[Jac@stafford.net]

Outstanding, Vaughn, and a reminder that long, long exposures even out irregularities. Just remove the lens cap, move away from the tripod, sit somewhere comfortable and use a watch. (Does anyone else still wear one?) Sometimes I measure exposure in number of beers.

[Alan Gales]

Middle of the day under the redwoods! Well, it was at the end of a steep walled canyon at the base of a waterfall. Most of my exposures are around a minute.

This one was 10 minutes...but only at f/32! (4x5 carbon print)

The exposure time makes your image even more impressive, Vaughn!

I've never been to California. I'd love to see the redwoods. I need to visit my step-son and his family in San Jose. It's just a rough plane trip for me with my back.

[Alan Gales]

Outstanding, Vaughn, and a reminder that long, long exposures even out irregularities. Just remove the lens cap, move away from the tripod, sit somewhere comfortable and use a watch. (Does anyone else still wear one?) Sometimes I measure exposure in number of beers.


I feel naked without my watch.

[Vaughn]

If I have my flip phone, I use that to time -- but I often leave it behind. I've used a kitchen timer and various old watches. I have a winding watch that is nice -- just sits in my camera pack and when I need it, I give it some winds and it is ready to go!

The longer the exposure, the less accurate one has to be, too. After counting out that 15 minute exposure (count out a minute, put another pebble in the pile), I went home and tried to repeat the count. Turned out my 'minute' was closer to 70 seconds. Never hurts to have a little more exposure! Unfortunately, my processing of the 11x14 negative was not up to snuff...and the composition left something to be desired. And I think I had some uncorrected bellows factor involved.

It is one thing to have a long exposure, the other is to expect your human subject(s) to stand for it! My boys got pretty good at it. This was a two-minute exposure (w/watch) on New Years Day, 2008...8x10 carbon print. I also made a one-minute exposure right before this one. That negative was processed for platinum printing. I also made one without the boys -- for that one I was able to close the lens one stop more and use a 5 minute exposure (with no boys to be still for that long!) I gave the ones with the boys miminal exposure -- because my boys have a limit and also that dark end of the fallen tree facing the camera (I can keep texture in there).

Alan -- 'short' drive up to the redwoods from SF! Much better than the Muir Woods!

[Vaughn]

...Sometimes I measure exposure in number of beers....or bowls.:cool:

[Smitty]

Very very nice examples, the true craft of photography.
I am setting up a 7x17 and have a 355 G Claron in Barrel that I plan to use with it. My guess is that shutter wont be of much help as to long exposures needed. I am sure I will need to figure out bellows extension and reciprocity corrections..
Steve

[jim10219]

For landscapes, I say 1 Ansel Adams, 2 Ansel Adams... For still life's, it's 1 Edward Weston, 2 Edward Weston... Works every time!

[BrianShaw]

Whichever mantra you use, beware the potential efficiency differences between a porkpie hat, a fedora, a 10-gallon, and a Tilly.

[Jim Fitzgerald]

I've shot in the Redwoods with Vaughn. Now I shoot Efke 25 in there and I have done 1 hour exposures. Mostly they are 9-12 minutes and the light does amazing things during that time.

[Jac@stafford.net]

...or bowls.:cool:

Oh no, no. I'm terrified of that stuff. Does that mean I am banned from Humbolt County? Should I grow out my hair? Bell bottoms?


Jim Fitzgerald: I've shot in the Redwoods with Vaughn. Now I shoot Efke 25 in there and I have done 1 hour exposures. [...]

I can hardly stay awake that long.

[Vaughn]

Oh no, no. I'm terrified of that stuff. Does that mean I am banned from Humbolt County? Should I grow out my hair? Bell bottoms?

I can hardly stay awake that long.

LOL! No, we love straights, too. I have taken naps during exposures!

[Jim Fitzgerald]

LOL! No, we love straights, too. I have taken naps during exposures!

I've done naps, long walks to scout the next shot or just marveled at the light.

[Alan Gales]

Alan -- 'short' drive up to the redwoods from SF! Much better than the Muir Woods!

Thanks, Vaughn. My wife has been out there several times and her son Shaun has taken her to San Francisco and also the redwoods near there. I guess it's been around ten years since Shaun and Beth got married in Los Vegas. That five hour plane ride to Vegas was rough. I could hardly walk after I got off the plane. Shaun has been begging me to come out there. I need to just suck it up and go.

[Two23]

For two seconds I say "two potato"...and so on...but my negs come out a tad under exposed for some reason.


Maybe you are counting the small Irish potatoes. Try counting the larger Idaho pototatoes


Kent in SD

[Robert Opheim]

I shoot 4x5 and some 8x10 long exposures. Exposures in the range of 1 second to 90 seconds usually. I use a stopwatch for long exposures. I used a watch but when the exposures get longer I would sometimes forget what minute I started from. A stop watch is one more thing done simply.

[Smitty]

Are these all guesstimated exposures or are folks taking some sort of readings and calculating reciprocity etc.?
Steve

[Vaughn]

Metered -- corrected for RF by years of experience (AKA, experienced guessing).

[Jac@stafford.net]

I shoot 4x5 and some 8x10 long exposures. Exposures in the range of 1 second to 90 seconds usually. I use a stopwatch for long exposures. I used a watch but when the exposures get longer I would sometimes forget what minute I started from. A stop watch is one more thing done simply.

With a 90 second exposure an over-exposure of even one minute will make very little difference.
.

[Vaughn]

With a 90 second exposure an over-exposure of even one minute will make very little difference.
.

I'll have to scratch my head on this one. I often take two negatives of an image -- if I am concerned with the effects of RF, I will double the exposure on the second sheet of film. The qualities and the printability of the two negatives (say at 60 seconds and 120 seconds) can quite different -- seen mostly in the lower values.

A minute off on a 10 minute exposure will make little difference.

Edited to add: I work with negatives a little differently than most people, so no longer scratching my head.

[Jim Fitzgerald]

I meter and take into account RF for the Efke 25 that I shoot, hence the 10 minute exposures and yes I have a stop watch.

[Jac@stafford.net]

I meter and take into account RF for the Efke 25 that I shoot, hence the 10 minute exposures and yes I have a stop watch.

Stop watch? I would need a Big Ben alarm clock (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41AUlzn7msL._SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg).

[Jim Fitzgerald]

I- phone

[Jim Andrada]

I find "one hippopotamus", "two hippopotamus", etc works pretty good. Better than potatoes for me at least.