Get Creative By Blending or Stacking Images

When I was on the California Coast recently, I decided to take numerous exposures of the exact same scene and then blend them in a software program. I also used these jpegs to produce a  time lapse video which can be viewed here http://wp.me/p1XNt4-1yi

But I wanted to see what you could produce if you blend 100 images of a moving scene, like moving waves and clouds. It’s similar to a longer exposure but I took an exposure every 20 seconds for about 35 minutes. Below you’ll also see the result and what the scene looked like with a single  normal exposure. I actually shot 2 different scenes and present them but I also show one image where I blend both scenes, which is the bottom image.

The sun sets over the Pacific Ocean at Cambria, California
First scene with 100 images blended

 

First scene with only one normal exposure. Not quite so dramatic.

 

The sun sets over the Pacific Ocean at Cambria, California
The second scene with about 50 images blended. Not quite as dramatic as the first because I used less exposures and the clouds were moving towards the camera.  In image one, the clouds were moving from left to right in the frame.

 

Cal Coast Sunset Original_0495
The second scene shot with one normal exposure

 

The sun sets over the Pacific Ocean at Cambria, California
Both scenes blended with about 150 exposures.

 

So, if you want to get creative, try taking multiple exposures and blending them in Lightroom, Photoshop or stack them with a stacking program like  StarStax

Remember to use a tripod, a shutter release or better, an intervalometer, which programs the length between exposures for your camera. You can just sit there and watch the waves crashing upon the beach.

 

 

 

11 responses to “Get Creative By Blending or Stacking Images”

  1. Laura Bloomsbury Avatar

    love the outcome of this idea so much have added your link to my photo help page to try out another time

    1. Michael Andrew Just Avatar

      Thanks Laura. I do the same thing when I see something interesting to try.

  2. darwinontherocks Avatar

    The result is quite interesting ! I bet it requires a lot of memory on your computer to do that.. I’m not sure mine will cooperate

    1. Michael Andrew Just Avatar

      Thanks, shooting in a lower size jpeg will reduce memory requirements but you can delete those files once you produce the final image.

      1. darwinontherocks Avatar

        Good to know !

  3. Eliza Waters Avatar

    The blends are quite dreamy. I like the idea of sitting back and letting the camera do its work!

    1. Michael Andrew Just Avatar

      Thanks Eliza. I just set up my campground chair next to the camera and relax!

  4. bearly Avatar

    Great post. Thanks for the StarStax link.

    1. Michael Andrew Just Avatar

      Thanks and you’re welcome!

  5. Amy Avatar

    Wow… You are raising the bar again, Michael. Awesome!!!

    1. Michael Andrew Just Avatar

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