Using A Hat

[Annie]

I am wondering what innovative and creative solutions others have used when shooting long exposures with barrel lenses. I find that using a tight fitting lens cap has the potential for camera shake, a cap that can be removed with ease has the potential for light leaks. Is there a specific type of 'cap' that is used or does one actually use a hat or perhaps a 'petite barrel beret'.
Thanks Annie.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

If the exposure is very long and you are otherwise efficient about it, a hat or a small black box or a loose-fitting lenscap is quite manageable. The light leaks are not really that much of an issue.

I've even done portraits with open flash technique this way (pull darkslide, remove cap, fire strobes, replace cap, replace darkslide, lather, rinse, repeat).

Other possibilities are packard shutters, front-mounted shutters like the "Luc" shutter, and Weston used something called the "Worshing Counting Lens Cap" or something like that, which was designed for this purpose.

 

[Robert]

I just pull something out of the bag. Last time it was a box that holds a filter. I held it in front of the lens with one hand. Pulled the dark slide with the other. Waited a few seconds and removed the box.

On camera shake. For really long exposures does it really matter at all? There must be a point when the small shake of the camera is over come by the long exposure. No?

 

[garryl]

Well speaking historically (1800's), Photographers would have a hat with a hole cut in the top. They would hang the hat on the lens, open the shutter, pull the slide,wait till everything settled- then move the hole up to the lens to do the exposure. After the exposure, they would move the hat back down, put in the slide, close the shutter. Of course, many an Photo-artist was accused of have a hole in the hat as an insult.

 

[Poco]

"There must be a point when the small shake of the camera is over come by the long exposure. No?"

You would think so, but that's not the case. Highlights in the scene can leave a ghost in any "knocked" double exposure caused by a poorly covered/uncovered lens. I used to have the nasty habit of closing the lens by lowering my cupped hand in front of it, and would sometimes hit the top of the lens before the front was entirely covered. That resulted in double exposed highlights in the bottom of the frame even after exposures of a minute or more. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but I've got plenty of ruined negatives to prove it!

 

[Loose Gravel]

A friend taught me that when making long exposures in the wind, during movement you can put your darkslide in front of the lens. When the movement stop, move the darkslide from in front of the lens and continue counting.

 

[Annie]

I have had the same experience of highlight ghosting as Poco in the few shots I have tried.... So if there is nothing to be had off the rack I suppose I can fashion a soft cap from black velvet and foam. Thank you all for your thoughtful answers....Annie

Loose Gravel... Good advice on the darkslide and the wind!

 

[juan]

I've made a card from a scrap of mount board and put a layer of felt on it. It's lightweight so bumping the lens with it won't move much. So far, it seems fine.
juan

 

[jimgalli]

Annie, Here's how I do it. I like the tight fitting caps. I pull it off and "hover" in front of the lens billionths of a millimeter away but no longer touching, and when the camera quits shaking I move it out of the way for the exposure. Shake all you want when you put it back on. Never had a blur or a ghost or a problem doing it that way. And I do that a lot! G'luck. jg