How to Make Multiple Exposures with a Nikon D300

by Sherri on March 31, 2009

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Photo #1 - Double exposure of a man in silhouette and a cloudy sky at sunset.

After writing my post "D300 Double Exposure" a couple of weeks ago, I've had several D300 owners contact me wanting to know how to make them. I decided since there was so much interest in this subject, I should write an article on "How to make multiple exposures with a Nikon D300." Making multiple exposures with the Nikon D300 is really quite simple. But, if you are like me, it's a lot easier to be shown or guided by someone, than it is reading the camera manual. Choosing a subject First, choose a subject you want to practice on. Don't be too particular about the subject at first. Just practice and have fun. You will learn what works and what doesn't. Also, there really isn't really a right or wrong way to do it. If it pleases you in the end, that's all that really matters.
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Photo #2 - Double exposure of a couple.

I have found that people make great subjects for multiple exposures. There are a lot of different ways you can shoot multiple exposures of people.
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Photo #3 - Double exposure of a Daffodil Plant. In the 1st photo, I focused on the first flower. Then, the wind came up and I took the 2nd photo.

Flowers also work really well and have unlimited possibilities. You are really only limited by your imagination.
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Photo #4 - Triple exposure of a Narcissus Plant.

Setting your Nikon D300 for multiple exposures
  • On the back of your camera, press the menu button at the upper left.
  • Select the shooting menu. Press right arrow on the multi selector button, to access the shooting menu.
  • Press the down arrow, until multiple exposure is highlighted.
  • Press right arrow and highlight number of shots. I recommend starting with 2 (the default), which gives you a double exposure.
  • Press the right arrow again and the number of shots will be highlighted. To change the number of shots, press the up or down button until the number you want is selected. Then, press the OK button.
  • Highlight auto gain and press the right arrow. Highlight either ON or OFF and press OK. Normally, you will want to leave the auto gain set to ON. This will automatically adjust the gain for multiple exposures. However, if your subject has a dark background, or you want to adjust the exposure manually, then set the auto gain to OFF.
  • Highlight done and press OK.
You are now ready to take your first shot. After taking your first shot, look in the monitor to see what you got. Then, frame and take your next shot. Note: After the first exposure is taken, if no operations are performed for 30 seconds, the camera will end the multiple exposure mode. Now, when you want to take another photo with the same amount of exposures, all you have to do is to return to the shooting menu, press the right arrow 2 times and your ready to take another multiple exposure. Other Tips Keep in mind that simple backgrounds work best. Also, the use of a tripod would make creating multiple exposures easier in some cases. However, I did not use one for any of these photos. How you can participate There are so many different ways to create a multiple exposure. Do you have any ideas you would like to share with the readers of this Photo Blog? Awesome! Feel free to add them in the comments section below. Thank you for visiting. If you would like to leave a comment, simply click on the "comments" link (add your message in the box) at the bottom of this post. You can also sign up for a "free" subscription to this Blog. Just look in the upper right hand side of the Blog under "Subscribe to Sherri's Blog." Then, either click on the orange button, or enter your email address and click on "subscribe." Visit our Stock Photo Website for links to photo galleries.

Spring Has Sprung!

by Sherri on March 29, 2009

narcissus31 Narcissus blooming in my yard, Auburn, California. This photo of the Narcissus Plant was taken on the same day this Narcissus photo in my previous post was taken. How I got the shot These Narcissus were shot on a Nikon D300, with an 80-200 zoom lens attached. I choose 3:30 in the afternoon to photograph them, so I could take advantage of my favorite type of lighting, backlighting. The shutter speed, aperture and ISO used were: 1/2000 sec., f 4.0 and ISO 200. For post-processing in Lightroom 2.1, I set the Clarity to -100 to give it a soft look and pushed the Vibrance to +100 to add punch to the color. Coming Next - "How to make multiple exposures with a Nikon D300." Thank you for visiting. If you would like to leave a comment, simply click on the "comments" link (add your message in the box) at the bottom of this post. You can also sign up for a "free" subscription to this Blog. Just look in the upper right hand side of the Blog under "Subscribe to Sherri's Blog." Then, either click on the orange button, or enter your email address and click on "subscribe." Visit our Stock Photo Website for links to photo galleries.

Mystery Rider

by Sherri on March 23, 2009

horseback8 Man riding his Palomino, Cronan Ranch, Pilot Hill, California. Yes, I am definitely "hooked on horses" lately! I couldn't resist capturing this guy riding his horse through this little opening in the oaks. It already had a mysterious look to the scene. So, I decided to add to that look, by doing a little experimenting in Adobe Lightroom 2.1. To get this look, I used the "Direct Positive" preset, which gave it the color tone. Then, I set the "Clarity" to -100 in the Develop Module. That gave it the dreamy, mysterious look. Thank you for visiting. If you would like to leave a comment, simply click on the "comments" link (add your message in the box) at the bottom of this post. You can also sign up for a "free" subscription to this Blog. Just look in the upper right hand side of the Blog under "Subscribe to Sherri's Blog." Then, either click on the orange button, or enter your email address and click on "subscribe." Visit our Stock Photo Website for links to photo galleries.

D300 Double Exposure

by Sherri on March 4, 2009

narcissus Nikon D300 double exposure of a Narcissus plant in my yard. I've been trying a lot of new things with my Nikon D300 lately. The most recent thing I tried was a multiple exposure. The first sign of spring here in the Sierra Foothill's is usually the abundance of Narcissus "springing" up everywhere. I decided they would be a good subject to use for my multiple exposures. I can remember making them many years ago with my Canon A-1. With the older cameras, you had to do a lot of math to create them. Making them with the D300 was a "piece of cake!" All I had to do was decide how many exposures I wanted to make on a single frame and it did the rest. Enjoy! Thank you for visiting. If you would like to leave a comment, simply click on the "comments" link (add your message in the box) at the bottom of this post. You can also sign up for a "free" subscription to this Blog. Just look in the upper right hand side of the Blog under "Subscribe to Sherri's Blog." Then, either click on the orange button, or enter your email address and click on "subscribe." Visit our Stock Photo Website for links to photo galleries.

Frozen Leaves

by Sherri on February 2, 2009

Frozen leaves, Auburn, California. These leaves were just too pretty to not get noticed. I found them lying in a ditch in my neighborhood, during my early morning walk. To get this color effect, I used the "Direct Positive" preset in Adobe Lightroom 2.1. I also set the "clarity" to +100 in the development module. This photo was also shot on my Nikon D300 at ISO 6400. This was a low-light situation and I didn't have a tripod with me. So, I decided it was another good opportunity to experiment with the higher ISO's on the Nikon D300. Thank you for visiting. If you would like to leave a comment, simply click on the "comments" link (add your message in the box) at the bottom of this post. You can also sign up for a "free" subscription to this Blog. Just look in the upper right hand side of the Blog under "Subscribe to Sherri's Blog." Then, either click on the link and choose your reader, or type in your email address. Visit our Website for links to photo galleries.

Finding a Balance

by Sherri on January 30, 2009

Portrait of Maya Bussinger #3, Cronan Ranch Regional Trails Park, Pilot Hill, California.

In my previous post, I had two examples of experimenting with "clarity" in the develop module of Adobe Lightroom 2.1. When working with clarity, you can choose to increase or decrease the amount of clarity in the original photo. In one of the photos in my previous post, I left the clarity set at normal. For the other one, I decreased the clarity to -100. You can also increase it the same way, or as in both cases, you can find a balance. Thanks to Gary Crabbe of Enlightened Images for suggesting that I play around with it a little more. For the photo above, I set the clarity at -50, which was right in the middle of my previous two examples. One of the really neat things about photography is that most of the time, there is no right or wrong. The final decision is a matter of personal choice. I'd love to hear what your personal choice is. Which of the 3 photos do you like best? Thank you for visiting. If you would like to leave a comment, simply click on the "comments" link (add your message in the box) at the bottom of this post. You can also sign up for a "free" subscription to this Blog. Just look in the upper right hand side of the Blog under "Subscribe to Sherri's Blog." Then, either click on the link and choose your reader, or type in your email address. Visit our Website for links to photo galleries.

More Lightroom Fun!

by Sherri on January 28, 2009

Portrait of Maya Bussinger #1, Cronan Ranch Regional Trails Park, Pilot Hill, California.

You can probably tell by now that I love Adobe Lightroom 2.1. I've been doing a lot of experimenting with it lately and here is something else I learned that might be of interest to you. The photo above was created from the original photo (photo #2), by simply adjusting the "clarity" in the development module of Lightroom 2.1. The original photo was a little bit harsh. By adjusting the "clarity" to -100, I gave this portrait of Maya a much softer look.

Portrait of Maya Bussinger #2, Cronan Ranch Regional Trails Park, Pilot Hill, California.

This is the original photo. Which one do you like best? Thank you for visiting. If you would like to leave a comment, simply click on the "comments" link (add your message in the box) at the bottom of this post. You can also sign up for a "free" subscription to this Blog. Just look in the upper right hand side of the Blog under "Subscribe to Sherri's Blog." Then, either click on the link and choose your reader, or type in your email address. Visit our Website for links to photo galleries.

Problem Solving Using Lightroom 2.1 & PhotoShop CS3

by Sherri on January 23, 2009

Three Amigos horseback riding at the Cronan Ranch Regional Trails Park, Pilot Hill, California. This photo needed a lot of help, before I could put it on the Blog. First of all, it was taken at the worst possible time of day; just a little past noon at the beginning of our hike. I went ahead and took this photo anyway, because I really liked the composition and the story telling image that it is. It tells a story of three amigos heading out for a trail ride at the Cronan Ranch. [click to continue…]

PhotoShop CS3 to the Rescue!

by Sherri on January 7, 2009

Donna & Maya Bussinger looking through the window of the cabin at Cronan Ranch Regional Trails Park, Pilot Hill, California Thanks to PhotoShop CS3, we were able to get one good photo from the two that I took of this scene. In most cases, I take at least 1 horizonal and 1 vertical of everything I photograph. It's always a good idea when you have a good scene in front of you to take more than 1 photo of it. You may never have a 2nd opportunity. This time it was absolutely vital that I did take the 2nd photo. This is what happened. The horizontal photo was really good of Maya (girl) and the vertical photo was better of Donna (Mom). Now, here is where PhotoShop CS3 came to our rescue. We were able to cut Donna's face from the vertical shot and replace her face in the horizontal with the good one. This is something we have never tried before until now. We are really pleased with the results. Thank you for visiting. If you would like to leave a comment, simply click on the "comments" link (add your message in the box) at the bottom of this post. Visit our Website for links to photo galleries.

Old Town Auburn Icons

by Sherri on December 21, 2008

Auburn Volunteer Fire Department with the Auburn Courthouse in the background, Old Town Auburn, California.

Two of the most famous icons in Old Town Auburn are no doubt the Auburn Volunteer Fire Department and the Auburn Courthouse. This photo was also captured during the same photo shoot as the photos in my last 2 posts. It was shot at ISO 6400. While developing this image, I decided to apply my favorite artistic filter in PhotoShop "Poster Edges." It works really well on old buildings. I hope you like it too! Thank you for visiting. If you would like to leave a comment, simply click on the "comments" link at the bottom of this post. Visit our Website for links to photo galleries.

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