Sizzling summer landscapes

Work with harsh light and long exposure effects in the middle of the day

Summer may be the favourite season of beachgoers and sunbathers, but it’s less favoured by landscape photographers. The strong lighting casts deep shadows and bright highlights, stripping the colour from natural elements such as water and vegetation. In contrast to shooting landscapes during the golden hours (as discussed in our feature in Issue 266), daytime lighting in the summer is possibly the worst for scenic imagery.

This becomes even more apparent when we try to capture long-exposure shots. Lengthening the exposure time can be a great way to introduce some movement to static scenes but during harsh summer daytime lighting, it can be almost impossible to push the shutter speed above a whole second. A 10-stop ND filter is useful here but, if you don’t own one or don’t like the colour casts these often apply, there is an alternative solution.

In this feature, we’ll explore how to manage the strong contrast of summer lighting and use a multi-frame technique to add a long-exposure effect, regardless of light intensity. It is a two-part process, relying on software as much as camera work, so learning how to fully streamline your shooting and editing workflow can take some practice. The end result is, however, a technique that can be applied across many shooting scenarios and subjects.

Shooting steps

1 Set camera position

For this technique to work, we need the camera to be stationary between image frames. Our shot was taken on uneven ground, so rubber feet and three-section legs helped balance the rig and keep it steady. Weight the legs if necessary.