Mar 27 2013 1:10 pm

_{^{Video by PhotoExtremist. Author of Photography Tricks and Special Effects. Article by SASHA GiTiN}}

Watch this photography tutorial video to learn a photography technique of creating multiple exposures.

Multiple exposure is a photography technique of combining two or numerous separate exposures into one. This technique has its implementations in fine art photography as well as highly advanced commercial photography. Evan, in the video above demonstrates really well how double exposures can be used to shoot fun and creative images. While the technique is ancient, only recently digital cameras re-introduced the function of shooting multiple exposures.

Understanding Multiple Exposure

To get better control of multiple exposure one should have an understanding of negative and positive values.

White in photography represents burned out data. Once you burn part of your image to the max that part is gone forever. You will not be able to bring it back nor overlay anything over (naturally) .

Black represents the exposure not taking place at all. Which is perfect for overlaying the second exposure. Black parts of the image are still virgin (unexposed) and the second exposure will fill those parts with substance. Obviously black and white are on the separate ends and there are all other values and colors in between.

I have had my Canon 5d Mk 3 for over a year and haven't had a chance to play around with the multiple exposure function. Today, after seeing Evans tutorial I gave it a try.

by Sasha Gitin, Self Portrait.  Multiple exposures using Canon 5dMk3 and 17-40mm f4.0 l Lens

I was very content with the result and especially the fact that it took me less then 5 minutes to produce this image. And it was straight out of the camera without Photoshop manipulation .  Here are the steps I took:

5 Simple steps:

1. I took a quick self portrait using black background while holding the camera at arm's length.
   
2. Then in the camera I selected that image for multiple exposure, set multi-exposure control to additive (there are also average, bright and dark settings for blending which sort of break the rule of black and white theory I stated above above and give photographer greater control in various situations.
3. Then I took the second exposure shot. The subject was the cactus which was sitting on my windowsill with city buildings in the background. I underexposed the cactus by about 2 stops as I wanted my lovely un-groomed face to occupy the negative space of the underexposed area.
   
4.  And bang! the final image reflects exactly how I feel this morning. (a little prickly)
   
5. I did very minimal basic tweaking in Lightroom (added contrast, filled in shadows, reduced saturation,added clarity and sharpened a notch)  

I really liked how Canon 5d mk3 handled the task  and the fact that the final image was in RAW not in jpeg as it does with the HDR feature.  I was also impressed how similar it looked to what I was accustomed seeing from actual double exposure done using good old film cameras.


by Sasha Gitin, Self Portrait.  Multiple exposures using Canon 5dMk3 and 17-40mm f4.0 l Lens

List of DSLR Cameras that have Multiple Exposure Function:

Canon:  EOS 6D,  EOS 1DX,  EOS 5D Mark 3

Nikon: D300S, D700, D800, D800E, D600, D4, D3X

Also some Olympus and Pentax Models.

Multiple Exposure in the Film Camera Days

Back in the day of film cameras the process of taking double or multiple exposures was very simple, which was taking the next exposure without rewinding the film. Another fun technique in the film age was to shoot over an entire existing roll. For example shoot a roll of creative portraits in the studio, then reload the same roll and shoot plants and flowers in the nature. (Usually one out of 30 shots would end up being a lucky one)


Multiple Exposure in Commercial Architectural Photography

Multiple exposure was widely used in high end architectural interior photography. For example the interior space could have multiple light sources which produced different color temperature and required a separate white balance for each light source. Instead of gelling every light a double or triple exposure was taken. For example when the room is beautifully illuminated by tungsten lighting but to create a good image fill light and accent light needed to be added using strobes. The easiest thing in that situation is to take exposure for tungsten lights only, then change the white balance setting to flash (if using digital) or place CTO filter (if using tungsten balanced film) over the lens and take the second exposure firing flash on the same frame. (while adjusting the shutter speed to the fast setting not to expose the ambient light) assuming the camera remains on a tripod and nothing has moved.

Conclusion

Recently camera manufacturers brought the multiple exposure functionality back. Since this happened only in 2011/ 2012 there is very little has been done and seen as of yet. Most of the multiple exposures we see in recent times came from digital manipulations by blending two layers of separate images into one. The best approach to multiple exposure is not to get caught up with the technical aspect of it but to experiment and gain understanding from experience and trial and error . If your camera does not allow for multiple exposure try this technique using Photoshop. Try utilizing masking, in combination of using gradient tool and changing the layer styles. Give it a shot and post your results here.

This video was brought to you by our contributor Evan Sharboneau the author of “Photography Tricks and Special Effects”

Related Tutorials:

• Long Exposures with Sparklers and Fireworks
• Long Exposures Using Steel Wool
  
• Introduction to Light Painting Technique

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This Article was produced by Sasha Gitin and Robert Grant: co-founders of LearnMyShot.com.  Sasha is a fabulous food Photographer shooting for advertising and editorial industries. Robert Grant is a very creative Commercial Photographer shooting advertising and editorial, based in Connecticut. Two humble guys trying to keep you educated and entertained.

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