Opinion wanted 'Kerkini' The Mistress Of North

[panos_adgr]

Location

Europe

Camera type

DSLR camera

'Kerkini' The Mistress Of North

Lake Kerkini is situated in the far North region of Greece in Macedonia. It is near the town of Serres and is a virgin place. It is a sanctuary of wild bird life where someone can witness unique beauty during the whole year. Each seasons is as an act of a play. As a dress of a beautiful mistress. And this mistress is the Lake Kerkini.
The lake is more than 600 km away from where I live and I visited this place 2 times last December (2021). Each time was a different experience because the weather was completely different. The second time was sunny and while I was driving there I was a bit frustrated, thinking that I will be missing the dramatic sky and majestic cloud scenes. Oh... how wrong was I... I was faced with a unique simplicity and minimal beauty.
My first visit was a lot different. It was foggy and cloudy and the scene was completely dramatic.
It is by far the most loved location for me. I feel completely enchanted by the nature and view of this place.

I will open my photo story of my first visit with a monochrome session.

Nikon D610
Nikkor AF-S 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 G ED VR @24mm
Hoya Pro ND1000 (10 stop ND Filter)
9 long exposures of 13''
Aperture: f/7.1
Shutter Speed: 13s
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Exposure Comp.: +1.3EV
Metering: Matrix
ISO Sensitivity: 100
Exposure tacking in Mean Mode



Nikon D610
Nikkor AF-S 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 G ED VR @24mm
Hoya Pro ND1000 (10 stop ND Filter)
9 long exposures of 25''
Aperture: f/9.0
Shutter Speed: 25s
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Exposure Comp.: +1.3EV
Metering: Matrix
ISO Sensitivity: 100
Exposure tacking in Mean Mode





Nikon D610
Nikkor AF-S 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 G ED VR @24mm
Hoya Pro ND1000 (10 stop ND Filter)
9 long exposures of 10''
Aperture: f/8.0
Shutter Speed: 10s
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Exposure Comp.: +1.3EV
Metering: Matrix
ISO Sensitivity: 100
Exposure tacking in Mean Mode

 

[Greg]

Great pictures, do you have them with colors ?

 

[panos_adgr]

Great pictures, do you have them with colors ?

Thanks Greg!
Yes I have them. I will keep updating the thread with more photos.

 

[Chavezshutter]

Magnificent! I love black white done well. The layers in the first photo are wild, the long exposure effect on the clouds and reflection are perfect. I'm going to try this stacking business next chance I get, I'm very curious and keen to try it out. Beautiful examples of fine art/long exposure photos. The tones and dynamic range of the last photo is impressive. Great work, thanks for sharing 🙏

 

[panos_adgr]

Magnificent! I love black white done well. The layers in the first photo are wild, the long exposure effect on the clouds and reflection are perfect. I'm going to try this stacking business next chance I get, I'm very curious and keen to try it out. Beautiful examples of fine art/long exposure photos. The tones and dynamic range of the last photo is impressive. Great work, thanks for sharing 🙏

Thank you so much for your kind words!
As for the stacking technique I will start a thread with my work flow from shooting to post processing. It's not a difficult technique.

 

[panos_adgr]

So for my dear friend Greg the above photos in color.

Nikon D610
Nikkor AF-S 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 G ED VR @24mm
Hoya Pro ND1000 (10 stop ND Filter)
9 long exposures of 13''
Aperture: f/7.1
Shutter Speed: 13s
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Exposure Comp.: +1.3EV
Metering: Matrix
ISO Sensitivity: 100
Exposure tacking in Mean Mode



Nikon D610
Nikkor AF-S 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 G ED VR @24mm
Hoya Pro ND1000 (10 stop ND Filter)
9 long exposures of 25''
Aperture: f/9.0
Shutter Speed: 25s
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Exposure Comp.: +1.3EV
Metering: Matrix
ISO Sensitivity: 100
Exposure tacking in Mean Mode



Nikon D610
Nikkor AF-S 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 G ED VR @24mm
Hoya Pro ND1000 (10 stop ND Filter)
9 long exposures of 10''
Aperture: f/8.0
Shutter Speed: 10s
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Exposure Comp.: +1.3EV
Metering: Matrix
ISO Sensitivity: 100
Exposure tacking in Mean Mode

 

[panos_adgr]

The next photo was taken from the same spot as the above photos, but a couple of weeks later. In my second visit.
The weather was really nice (something tah is not of my preference) with no clouds and I was a bit frustrated until I arrived to the lake and examined the scene. It was so beautiful.

The below photo was taken as I fore mentioned, from the same spot with the camera pointed towards left (in comparison with the above photos) The scenery was absolutely beautiful and completely different from my previous visit.

Nikon D850
Nikkor AF-S 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5 G ED VR @24mm
Hoya Pro ND1000 (10 stop ND Filter)
9 long exposures of 25''
Electronic Shutter setting (SL1 Mode / Silent)
Aperture: f/10
Shutter Speed: 25s
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Exposure Comp.: +1.3EV
Metering: Matrix
ISO Sensitivity: 64
Exposure tacking in Mean Mode

 

[Greg]

panos_adgr Whaaoooo wonderfull, I prefer with colors !!!! great picture ahah !!!

 

[panos_adgr]

panos_adgr Whaaoooo wonderfull, I prefer with colors !!!! great picture ahah !!!

Thank you very much Greg!

 

[Morexp57]

Beautiful pictures panos_adgr !
I prefer the color versions, but for once I think the black and white ones are just as beautiful.

 

[René Rufer]

The color version is fantastic. You like to work with stacking, with which program do you assembled it ?
i use this method only for the macros.

 

[panos_adgr]

Beautiful pictures panos_adgr !
I prefer the color versions, but for once I think the black and white ones are just as beautiful.

Thank you very much! I think I prefer slightly more the B&W versions but yes they are nice in color!

 

[panos_adgr]

The color version is fantastic. You like to work with stacking, with which program do you assembled it ?
i use this method only for the macros.

Thank you very much!!!
This stacking technique differs a bit from focus stacking.

I do it in 2 ways depending on which of my cameras I'm using. If I use my D850 then I use a setting in Multiple Exposure mode called Average. It takes 10 photos in Raw and then it produces an eleventh which is the average value of the 10 shots. It is equivalent to the sum of the ten exposures. In example let's say that you have ten exposures of 15". Then the sum of them would be like an exposure of 150". It is convinient if you have let's say an ND 10stop filter and it's daylight and you cannot make a very long exposure. You use this technique and you are fine.
But the biggest advantage of this technique is noise cancelation. And this is the most important advantage!!!
Noise has a random pattern nature. So when my D850 stacks the photos and averages the final, noise is canceled because of its random nature. It differs in each exposure and it is rejected.

In case I'm using my other Nikons which do not have this setting I do it in Adobe Photoshop.

I import the set of long exposures and convert them in smart objects. (I do not align them because I use a tripod...) Then I select the Mean stacking mode which averages the photos and creates the most smooth long exposure motion sum of all the photos. There are other stack modes like Median but it is not that smooth... Anyways.

It is far better than using really long exposures.

In example...
If you use let's say only one exposure of 100 seconds you might get a single shot of the same result but then you will have to deal with noise even if it is minor. But the worst thing is hot pixels due to sensor heating regardless of camera model, price or brand. If you expose well hot pixels are less due to better sensor saturation but are still visible and require lot of post processing time which I'm not willing to spent cleaning the hot pixels....

The other disadvantage of stacking is that you need quite a few photo sets for each final image which translates to many shutter actuations...

This is why I prefer my D850. I set it in silent mode (fully electronic shutter) and I take my sets of exposures without overusing the shutter. So for each set of let's say 9 exposures I do it is only 1 click. Basically i go to Live View mode and do it through this mode. So in some cases it is one click for way more photos.

In the case of my other Nikons that do not have the silent live view shooting mode I do them in self timer mode with 9 auto repeated shot with half a second delay between the shots.

Post Processing is done in Adobe Camera Raw / Photoshop.

 

[Morexp57]

Thank you very much!!!
This stacking technic differs a bit from focus stacking.

I do it in 2 ways depending on which of my cameras I'm using. If I use my D850 then I use a setting in Multiple Exposure mode called Average. It takes 10 photos in Raw and then it produces an eleventh which is the average value of the 10 shots. It is equivalent to the sum of the ten exposures. In example let's say that you have ten exposures of 15". Then the sum of them would be like an exposure of 150". It is convinient if you have let's say an ND 10stop filter and it's daylight and you cannot make a very long exposure. You use this technique and you are fine.
But the biggest advantage of this technique is noise cancelation. And this is the most important advantage!!!
Noise has a random pattern nature. So when my D850 stacks the photos and averages the final, noise is canceled because of its random nature. It differs in each exposure and it is rejected.

In case I'm using my other Nikons which do not have this setting I do it in Adobe Photoshop.

I import the set of long exposures and convert them in smart objects. (I do not align them because I use a tripod...) Then I select the Mean stacking mode which averages the photos and creates the most smooth long exposure motion sum of all the photos. There are other stack modes like Median but it is not that smooth... Anyways.

It is far better than using really long exposures.

In example...
If you use let's say only one exposure of 100 seconds you might get a single shot of the same result but then you will have to deal with noise even if it is minor. But the worst thing is hot pixels due to sensor heating regardless of camera model, price or brand. If you expose well hot pixels are less due to better sensor saturation but are still visible and require lot of post processing time which I'm not willing to spent cleaning the hot pixels....

The other disadvantage of stacking is that you need quite a few photo sets for each final image which translates to many shutter actuations...

This is why I prefer my D850. I set it in silent mode (fully electronic shutter) and I take my sets of exposures without overusing the shutter. So for each set of let's say 9 exposures I do it is only 1 click. Basically i go to Live View mode and do it through this mode. So in some cases it is one click for way more photos.

In the case of my other Nikons that do not have the silent live view shooting mode I do them in self timer mode with 9 auto repeated shot with half a second delay between the shots.

Post Processing is done in Adobe Camera Raw / Photoshop.

Thank you very much for this explanation panos_adgr !
I will try it with my D7500 the next time I'm on the shore of lake Geneva or close to a river. I can't wait to see the results!

 

[panos_adgr]

You are very welcome dear friend!
I'm going to write a thread, one day, describing the whole work flow more detailed. Till then, I hope I helped you or at least I hope I gave you a nice opportunity to try this new technique. If you need more details let me know.

 

[lovitazoe]

Breathtaking!!

 

[panos_adgr]

Breathtaking!!

Thank you L lovitazoe !
I'm glad to see you here as well!

 

[nicufrozzy]

Beautiful pictures. Both versions ..each has its own charm.

 

[panos_adgr]

Beautiful pictures. Both versions ..each has its own charm.

Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked them.
Yes indeed. Each version has its charm.🙂