Photography People: Ghosting?

[Igor]

http://i50.tinypic.com/rkudxi.jpg

 

How would you do the effect described in the picture? I googled, but ended up with nothing.

 

//EDIT:

Forgot to mention, i want to do it without photoshop, if possible.

[black00ws6]

photoshop and opacity

 

 

make a duplicate layer.. turn the opacity down and erase all that is needed on the top layer

[Igor]

photoshop and opacity

 

I can do it in photoshop. I want to know how to do with a SLR.

[sol740]

The only way I could think of is to set a pretty long exposure time, and walk into the frame, sit in the spot you want yourself to appear for several seconds and then quickly walk out.

 

Though I'm sure it would look better just shooped.

[Aaron]

The only way I could think of is to set a pretty long exposure time, and walk into the frame, sit in the spot you want yourself to appear for several seconds and then quickly walk out.

 

Though I'm sure it would look better just shooped.

 

That appears to be what the guy in the picture did. You can see him walking off to the right of the picture.

 

I agree though, pshop will yield a much better result.

[BloodRed]

The only way I could think of is to set a pretty long exposure time, and walk into the frame, sit in the spot you want yourself to appear for several seconds and then quickly walk out.

 

Exactly this if you are not going to use Photoshop. I know my DSLR allows up to about a 30 second exposure. You can do quite a lot in that time. I use it for some cool effects in some of my photos.

[dakotart]

I've seen a similar effect done using a long exposure and a strobe light.

The picture showed a guy 4 or 5 times in the frame. He just stopped for 2-3 stobes in each spot.

[bicranium]

You could try killing yourself and come back as a ghost and have a friend take the picture?

[ansonivan]

I've seen a similar effect done using a long exposure and a strobe light.

The picture showed a guy 4 or 5 times in the frame. He just stopped for 2-3 stobes in each spot.

 

 

This is the way I've seen it done also, camera on tripod, long exposure, handheld flash unit or second camera with built in flash to highlight a chunk of time.

[jeffro]

photoshop. that looks like paul ^.^

[Akula]

Looks like either a double exposure, or a long exposure with multiple flashes.

[paktinat]

do you have access to the original? you could look at the exif info and see exactly what they did.

[Main3s]

You could try killing yourself and come back as a ghost and have a friend take the picture?

 

[BloodRed]

You could try killing yourself and come back as a ghost and have a friend take the picture?

 

I have heard of people trying this, but it never worked out in the end.

[Xyster101]

You can do it with a long exposure, but like this image has, some ghosting. Here are two ways to do it with an SLR:

1. Set the camera on a tripod with a long exposure or better yet the "bulb" setting on your SLR. You need a portable flash, one that mounts on the top of your camera is ok and a friend. Open the shutter with the bulb setting, flash the flash manually in your hand. Walk in front of the car or object and have your friend flash the flash again from the same spot it was fired the first time (above the camera is ok). Then close the shutter. You can also flash the flash on the object, walk in front and hold the flash in your hand, flash just your face or waist up and you will have no legs.

 

2. This one is a bit harder and you have to have a film camera. Set it up on a tripod. Take your light measurements and divide them in half. For example if the light meter says to use a 1/30 shutter, use a 1/60. If your camera says to use a 2.8 f-stop use a 4. Take the picture, don't move the camera. Then wind the film canister side tight with the manual wind arm so there is no slack in the film canister inside the camera. On this image it is on the right side of the picture:

http://gearpatrol.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/vintage-canon-ae-1-program-slr-camera1.jpg

Then press the button that allows you to rewind the film. Hold the rewind handle (the knob in the right of that pic) while you advance the film with the normal lever (the black lever on the left side of the picture).

What you have just done is fool the camera into thinking you advanced to the next frame, when really it just stayed in place. Take the picture again with you in the image.

Since you took the same picture twice, that is why you have to half you light settings. Just half one, the shutter speed OR the aperture setting.

 

Again, the first one is the easiest and can be done with a SLR digital camera. You can have a blast flashing random things in the bulb setting. You will get some neat effects that can't be reproduced in photoshop. All the filters and techniques in photoshop came from film and the darkroom. I worked with black and white photo for about 5 years developing my own film and pictures. It is a lot of fun, but hard to do with the digital age.

[Tractor]

You can do it with a DSLR and to do it right you'll probably need an ND filter. The more light you got the heavier the filter will need to be.

The trick is to get the lens aperture stopped down so much that you can sit on the car very still, start the exposure, and then when you've been exposed to your liking you can walk off the scene and the camera will not record your movement.

 

You could do it in daylight with a 10stop ND filter. People use them all the time to make everyone disappear from city scenes.

 

Afterwards I'd follow it up with another correctly exposed shot of the car to remove any trace that you moved and to boost the area of the car directly behind the spot you were standing.

[Richard Cranium]

His shadow is 1/2 as dark as the cars shadow. Could be a double exposure. I can see distortion when he walks in or out from the right of the camera. Double exposure would not have the distortion. But you would need a camera that can open the shutter without advancing the film (preferable), or a camera that can rewind one frame.

 

An idea would be a shutter open for a long time. Put something in front of the lens to simulate the shutter closing. He walks into the shot, pull the cover away. Poor mans double exposure. I would try it using multiple lengths of time to make sure I got the shot I wanted.

[RangerTurbo]

I wonder how it would turn out setup as and HDR where you are only in one of the three shots taken. Of course you're still using photoshop to combine the three images, but you'd get the HDR effect and ghosting.

[TTQ B4U]

the photo you showed was done using a timed exposure. he simply set the camera on a long exposure time, then the subject walked into the scene for the remainder of the exposure. you can see the entrance blur if you look closely. photoshop isn't necessary.

 

there are better ways of doing it of course, but in this case, it was a pretty basic shot.

[thorne]

I like that picture.

[Tractor]

I wonder how it would turn out setup as and HDR where you are only in one of the three shots taken. Of course you're still using photoshop to combine the three images, but you'd get the HDR effect and ghosting.

 

That would be about the easiest and best way to do the shot. HDR always looks cool for car shots anway.

 

I like using my high power laser to paint things way out in my neighbors yard while my camera is exposing.