When using strong ND filters and working against the light such as around sunrise and sunset you need a quick and easy way to determine the correct exposure with your ND filter(s) in place, so here just the thing for Long Exposure Quick Reference shows you the metered exposure and the adjusted exposure you need when you have a 3 stop, 6 stop, 10 stop or even a combination of these filters stacked together and even better you can download it for free just click download link below.
(Read previous article Understanding Neutral Density Filters)
The PDF is designed to be printed on a piece of 6×4 paper or card so is a nice handy size to keep in your camera bag or back pocket when out making those long exposures.
To use simply use your in camera as a starting point without any solid ND filters in place (if you are using graduated ND filters to balance a brighter sky leave these in place) and if you are shooting digital use the histogram to get the best possible exposure without clipping the highlights or shadows, then simply follow the row on the chart for the desired strength of ND filter. For example if your metered exposure was 1/4s without any ND filters in place, when you add a 10 stop filter you will require a 4 minute exposure to get the same result… quick and easy no more counting on fingers, I hope you find it useful.
Download Long Exposure Quick Reference
This Long Exposure Quick Reference taken from http://landscapephotographyblog.com