The weather has been moody here lately; I love that. It also has aligned with my free time so I’ve been able to get out and shoot a little bit. I had a foggy morning unexpectedly open up this week and my wife encouraged me to take advantage of it, so I did. For some reason I decided to go shoot double exposures with a splitzer (I think that’s what you call it anyway).
I started on this road on Hawk Ridge. It was a great day for a moody drive.My next stop was a beach near my house. I love how this one turned out… like a supernatural swing on the edge of the Earth… if you believe the Earth is flat. Ok, a swing on the edge of the abyss… better?There were quite a few feathers scattered along the rocks. The misty weather meant they were covered in water droplets.
It’s been quite a while since I’ve used a splitzer. The last time was with a Polaroid camera a couple of years ago. I forgot how fun it is! This time I was shooting digital, but it did get me fired up to try it again with Polaroid and maybe 35mm film as well.
The feather was the first exposure for this shot. I was swinging my camera around looking for what I would come next when this gull decided to take off. I lucked out.Now, thoroughly obsessed with feathers and gulls, I went looking for my next shot. This one makes me laugh for some reason. This particular gull was not amused by me, but also didn’t seem to care enough to leave. It seemed kind of moody and I thought this feather fit its curmudgeonly attitude.Last seagull. I promise.
If you aren’t familiar with what a splitzer is, it’s just a simple device that covers half of your lens. You can buy them, but if you have a spare step-up ring, or a UV filter, you can just cover half of it with some tape or black paper. I used some electrical tape on a step up ring for mine. Quick and easy.
Something about the silhouettes of these dead flowers looks alien to me.Road to the beach.This was my last shot at the beach. I was heading back to my car, feeling good about the morning and saw this web. I pulled the camera back out, fired off this frame and then started wandering around looking for the next piece. I thought the tree was a nice counterbalance.
After you take your first exposure, you rotate the splitzer and then take the next one. Depending on the splitzer you are using and the aperture, the blend between each side of the final image can be soft and gradual, or more abrupt. This can take some getting used to, but it can really change the feel of your image.
I ended up on some back roads I was not familiar with after the beach. This tree sticking out of a swamp made me do a double take and I whipped the car around.And finally, as I took one last turn in the mist, I came across this power pole surrounded by fog. It was perfect for a shot like this.
If you get the chance, give this method a try. It’s loads of fun and gets you looking at things in a different way. Thanks for taking a look.
-Dan
This shot was added after the original publish date. A building in my neighborhood in the middle of demolition.
