How To Use A Mirrorless Camera

Intermediate

Multiple Exposures Made Easy with Nikon Z Mirrorless Cameras

Multiple Exposure Photography – Picket the video to encounter how easy it is to create multiple exposure photos using Nikon Z series mirrorless cameras.

One of the more than creative and expressive techniques that digital photography excels at is the multiple exposure. Dorsum in the days of film it was much more hard to pull off a successful double or multiple exposure. Simply digital has opened up and then much in terms of creative options and the Z series mirrorless cameras have expanded those options even further.

At that place are two different means of creating multiple exposures using the Z series cameras: Multiple Exposure Mode and Image Overlay (which is located in the Retouch menu).

Nikon's Z series mirrorless cameras make double exposure or multiple exposure images a breeze due to the cameras' electronic viewfinder. This is because y'all tin can now see in the viewfinder a ghosted exposure of the previous exposures as y'all take each new ane, and so placement of subjects can be more precise.

"My idea for this image was to prove the mind'south strength for athletes, especially endurance athletes. My model is a female Ironman competitor and she'southward an infrequent athlete. To participate in such a grueling race, the mind must exist incredibly strong with substantial stamina and the power to endure suffering for extended amounts of time. To testify this visually, I started off past making the frame of her riding through the studio. My banana had to agree her bike steady so she could launch from one side of the studio, pedal twice or 3 times and so unclip from the pedals and stop before hitting the wall on the other side of the room. The background was lit and so she would be generally in silhouette. I used a piece of paper-thin I covered with Gaffer tape to help mask the flooring and put at the midpoint of the frame to only expose the superlative one-half of the frame and essentially exit the bottom one-half of the frame unexposed. Using the overlay feature, I shot the second image out in far westward Texas and turning the photographic camera upside down and once more using the masking menu I made to block off the top of the frame merely nonetheless allowing for a little bit of the texture of the mountains to drain into the tires of the bicycle." Z 6, NIKKOR Z 35mm f1.8 Southward lens, i/200 2d, f/ix, 320 ISO for the silhouette and the Z 6, NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S lens at 70mm, 1/800 2nd, f/2.8 l ISO for the mountain.

"The prototype of the hula-hooper was taken with the multiple exposure function set up to lighten and taken in a cake of 10 exposures as the model progressed through the frame." Z 6, NIKKOR Z 50mm f/ane.eight S, 1/200 second, f/6.iii, 100 ISO.

Using the Multiple Exposure Mode

You can record from 2 to 10 exposures as a single image.

To shoot multiple exposure images, you take to select the Multiple Exposure Mode which can be found in the shooting menu. Choose On (series) which lets you shoot until you plough it Off or On (unmarried photo) that takes one multiple exposure. Yous also have to select the number of shots you're planning on taking and the Overlay Fashion.

The overlay mode has 4 options: Add, Average, Lighten and Darken.

Add: The exposures are overlaid without modification; proceeds is not adjusted.

Average: Before the exposures are overlaid, the proceeds for each is divided past the total number of exposures (the proceeds for each exposure is ready to i/2 for 2 exposures, ane/3 for 3 exposures, etc).

Lighten: The camera compares the pixels in each exposure and uses simply the brightest.

Darken: The camera compares the pixels in each exposure and uses only the darkest.

"This image was taken using the Epitome Overlay characteristic. To prove the cityscape growing out of the dorsum of the head of the portrait, I first photographed a mostly silhouetted portrait with minimal calorie-free to the forepart of my bailiwick. The Dallas skyline nether cloud comprehend was photographed to expose for the buildings; letting the background get blown out to requite the cutaway look to the back of the head." Z 6, NIKKOR Z 85mm 1.8 Due south lens for both images, 1/200 2nd, f/v, fifty ISO for the portrait and 1/320 second, f/iv.5, ISO 64 for the city.

"This image was created using the Image Overlay feature. I photographed the model in the studio on white background with slightly more exposure to his face up. For the second image of the overlay I walked around downtown Dallas experimenting with various textures and mechanical elements I could observe to juxtapose with the expect of the model. When I found this broken electrical meter, I knew it was what I needed and they aligned perfectly." Z 6, NIKKOR Z 85mm f1.8 Southward lens for the portrait, with an exposure of 1/200 second, f/ii.8 at 50 ISO and the meter was shot with the NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f2.8 Due south lens at 70mm, ane/1250 second, f/2.viii at 400 ISO.

The cameras likewise give you the choice to go on all of the exposures as individual files or create the multiple exposure and discard the private exposure files.

Turning On Overlay Shooting lets you meet earlier exposures superimposed in the viewfinder as you shoot.

Lastly, select first exposure (NEF) gives you the opportunity to choose the first exposure from the NEF images on your memory card.

Multiple exposures shot with an NEF (RAW) option selected for image quality will be recorded in JPEG fine L format. What this means is that each individual image will exist captured as a NEF file, but the finished multiple exposure created by the camera is saved every bit a JPEG fine L (large) file.

"The mirrored cityscape could have been washed in 2 ways with the Z 6. It could take hands been taken as a multiple exposure since I took them in sequential frames. If I had washed this, I would have either used lighten or average. Instead, I used the overlay feature again. The image was taken during a very hazy twilight over downtown Dallas cheers to a Saharan grit cloud that had blown beyond the Atlantic and filled the atmosphere across North Texas for several days. I aligned the buildings and the horizon to where I had reference points with the grid display in the EVF and the camera was on a Gitzo gimbal head and tripod. After taking the first frame, I rotated the gimbal and then the photographic camera was upside down, realigned the limerick to match the outset image and took the second frame to use for the mirror reflection." Z half dozen, NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f2.8 S at 38mm focal length, 2 seconds, f/ii.8, fifty ISO.

When shooting multiple exposures, inside the i Menu, you can view progress, retake the last exposure save and exit or discard and exit. To access these options, press the play button so the i button.

View progress: View a preview created from the exposures recorded to the current indicate.

Retake last exposure: Retake the most recent exposure.

Save and exit: Create a multiple exposure from the exposures taken to current point.

Discard and go out: Go out without recording a multiple exposure. If On is selected for Continue all exposures, the private files will be kept.

"For this epitome with the cow and downtown, I was again exploring how to combine opposite elements into one cohesive frame. Knowing I had enough skyline photos that would afford me options in how I could use them in an Image Overlay, I hitting the road and traveled through the central Texas hill country on my fashion to the Large Curve region of far W Texas. On my journey I passed this cow in the field and decided to cease. The way the trees were situated in the field, I knew that they could play well to the buildings on the cityscape that was on the media card." Z vi, NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 South lens at 70mm focal length for the cityscape with an exposure of 1/3200 2nd, f/iii.2, 160 ISO and the cow in the trees was photographed with the NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 South lens with an exposure of 1/1600 2d, f/1.8, 50 ISO.

"With the fume prototype, my assistant and I prepare off smoke grenades exterior of the studio one afternoon between models. Using a white background and variety of colors, we shot until we had enough exposures that I was content that nosotros had what we needed. For the second shot, I had the model split open a set of curtains nosotros hung in the studio while lighting the background which would provide the necessary canvas for the fume exposure. This was done using the Paradigm Overlay feature." Z six, NIKKOR Z 85mm f/ane.8 S, 1/2500 2d, f/eight at 800 ISO for the smoke. The portrait was captured using the aforementioned lens, with an exposure of ane/200 second, f/4, 100 ISO.

In-Camera Epitome Overlay

The Paradigm Overlay feature lets you lot create double exposures merely information technology works in a different way. The in-camera Image Overlay lets you choose any ii images taken with the same photographic camera that are saved on your media card to be combined in-camera. Combine images that were taken weeks autonomously and you tin choose whatever images on the media card.

To become started, go to the Retouch carte. Toggle down and choose Image Overlay. Now cull Image 1, and ringlet through the images on your media bill of fare to find the first shot. Then cull Image two, and select Overlay. The 2 images volition be combined in camera, and saved as a JPEG file on your media menu.

The combinations are limitless. Y'all can even go along a media card with images of a full moon or some other subject handy and when you come beyond a scene or subject that would piece of work as a double exposure, simply use that media card and experiment!

Andrew Hancock is an Indiana based photographer working for a diverse base of editorial and advertising clients both in the United States and away. He is a contributing photographer to Sports Illustrated magazine and his photos accept appeared throughout the entire SI portfolio as well as in other premier magazines and websites. Visit his website www.andrewhancock.com and check out his administrator folio.