SWEET SIXTEEN

James Paterson shows you how you can create stunning long exposures at any time of the day, with the help of a 16-stop ND filter and a little bit of patience

- James Paterson

1 HOUR

Famous locations like the Colosseum in Rome are both easy and difficult to photograph. Easy because well, look at it: it's incredible. But difficult because this site attracts people by the thousands every day, so it's hard to find an angle that isn't swarming with people.

This is where a strong neutral-density filter can be a huge asset. It allows us to take minutes-long exposures, which means that people moving through the frame don't register in the image. What's more, it can create a lovely motion blur in the clouds, which serves both as an eye-catching effect and a visual metaphor for how this grand structure has stood for millennia while activity buzzes all around.

But how strong is strong enough? Ten stops is a popular strength, but sometimes this just isn't enough. A 16stop filter, like the Formatt-Hitech ND we used, opens the door to super-long exposure times, even in the brightest of sunny conditions. With this monster on our lens, we can open the shutter for minutes under the midday sun.

THE SET-UP SHOOT SUPER-LONG EXPOSURES IN THE SUN

Get set up for shutter speeds that run to several minutes

1 STURDY TRIPOD

The camera needs to be perfectly still for several minutes, so a tripod is a must. We need to remain in place for a while, so set up in a spot that won't get in the way of passers-by or other photographers. If a tripod isn't practical (or permitted) in the location you're visiting, you could use a wall or your bag.

2 ND FILTER

A 16-stop ND filter like our FormattHitech Firecrest stretches your exposure times to minutes or even hours. In bright sunshine, a 1/500 sec shutter speed becomes two minutes 11 seconds (compared to just two seconds with a 10-stop ND): a good length for blurring clouds and removing passers-by.

3 PEOPLE & VEHICLES