Any Pro Photographers on DU have any advice for a student?

[DS1]

Right now I'm working with 200 speed Scala film with a Canon EOS Rebel for a motion project. Basically capturing time, and capturing time in a blur with a slower shutter speed.

I'm wondering if the vast information resource that is DU has any suggestions about taking pictures with a single light source at night (a street light) of cars moving by, and stationary cars. I'm also going to be taking pictures of a local waterfall.

I'm also contemplating setting up a mirror close to traffic to get a real close effect of headlights and/or tail-lights without endangering myself physically.

At my disposal I have a sturdy tripod, said camera in full manual mode, a 28-80 mm zoom lens (f-stop from 4.0 to 27), a 75-300 mm zoom, and a double-zoom adapter.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

1. distance you want?

makes a difference on the focal length...

Sounds like you need about a 2 second exposure... also depending on the speed of the cars.

the mirror is an interesting idea

waterfalls are great in low light... in darkness I have "painted" waterfalls with colored plastic over a flash shot at various places in the scene... very nice effect.

[LearnedHand]

2. Don't have all the info right at hand,

but you need to read up on reciprocity failure. This happens when you're taking night photos and you need to leave the shutter open for long periods of time. Basically, you adjust for it by leaving the shutter open even longer, based on the reciprocity failure chart for your film. The 4.0 f-stop isn't terribly fast, so you're going to be leaving that shutter open a considerable time.

Also, you might consider using the shorter end of your zoom lens, not the longer end. The wide-angle (shorter) end will allow you to capture much more of what you're photographing for the motion photo. And I might leave out the single light source and simply photograph the cars moving by instead. You might want to consider an even slower film (ASA 100 or ASA 50) for the night shot.

I can't picture what you're imagining with the mirror, but it sounds dangerous -- for you AND for the drivers. If you set it up, be sure the drivers don't blind themselves with their own headlights.

RECAP: Main point is to learn about reciprocity failure for long bulb shots.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

3. And the older the photography book you can find

will have more on this subject, most likely.

something from the 30's to the 50's should do.

[Hogarth]

4. The next time I come across a waterfall ...

... I'm going to use a very slow film and quarter-second shutter speed.

A classic--if not trite--composition is one shot from a freeway overpass of traffic on an S-curve, framed diagonally. Shoot at f/8 and use plenty of film as you bracket the exposures.

Traffic/pedestrians? I'd set up the tripod, use a wide-angle lens and expose at an eighth of a second.