How to: Create Multiple Exposure Photography Images in the Canon R6 mark ii
The Canon R6 mark ii
The settings
The Canon R6 mark ii has some great versatility in creating in camera multiple exposures and this means the menu looks a little confusing to begin with. However, once you get to grips with it, it is really fun and you can get some excellent results.
With this camera you can create image in camera with any amount of layers from 2 to 9. The camera will decide how to process these images together with the blend mode instructions you give it (and there are 4 of those to choose from - additive, average, dark and light) and produce a JPEG image that is a multiple exposure. You can choose to keep the raw files as well in case you want to reprocess using software such as Photoshop or Affinity. You do programme the camera to take a certain number of images but you do also have the flexibility to stop without taking all of those images…..more on that later for now, let’s start from the beginning.
Firstly you need to find the Multiple Exposure menu which is on tab 6 of the ‘camera’ menu, and click on it, then you will need to make some decisions…….
The Canon R6 mark ii menu for Multiple Exposure
The next decision is if you want On: Func/Ctl or On: ContShtng
So Func/Ctrl is best for shooting Multiple Exposures that are not moving, or at least not very fast and you are not wanting to capture the layers in fast succession. I pretty much always use this mode as there are some big drawbacks to ContShtng for me.
With Continuous Shooting mode (ContShtng) you can take images in fast succession but you first of all forego the compositional tool of being able to view the previous image(s) whilst you are composing your next layer, usually you can see all of your previous images through the viewfinder or on the back screen. It also doesn’t keep any of the raw files meaning you only have the JPEG at the end. If you wanted to capture the stages of a puffin landing this may be the right mode - maybe I will try that next year on my annual outing to Skomer!
Canon R6 mark ii Multiple Exposure menu
The next job is to choose a blend mode and this can be additive, average, dark or light. Additive adds together all of the exposures and this means that if you use this mode you will need to keep your exposure compensation low in order to counteract this effect. Average means the exposures are averaged and so you can expose as you would normally want to. Dark mode means the darkest tone from all the layers is the one that shows up in the combined image. Light mode means that the lightest tone form all of the layers is the one that shows up. If I were starting out I would advise using the average mode in getting used to all the settings and then play around with the modes when you are confident with compositions. Below is the image of the screen and then an image made in camera with (L-R) average, dark mode, light mode. For more information and images about the modes please do check out my blog on the Fujifilm X-T5.
The next part of the menu asks you how many layers you would like to use in your image. As I have mentioned previously there is a way to modify this later but as it involves more button pressing it is better to try to get it right first time! Once you have been taking multiple exposures for a while and you begin to automatically compose how you would like the image to look, this becomes easier. You can have up to 9 images - though when you get up to 9 the images can be quite soft and light, and will need some extra editing afterwards.
Canon R6 mark ii Multiple Exposure menu
The next decision is about saving your source images which is exactly what it says on the tin (well I certainly wouldn’t call my camera a tin but you get the idea!!) I always save both the source images and the result so I can go back and edit it separately later if I want to. You could also programme your camera to save the raw files to 1 SD card and the results top another by virtue of the fact raw images are, well, raw and the processed image is a JPEG. This can make it easier to review your images and retake if necessary.
Lastly, and I promise this is not as arduous to do out in the field as it sounds here!!
Do you want 1 multiple exposure only or do you want to keep going with the technique for many shots? I always have this on continuously as I do save my source images so if I think one is better as a single I have it saved to my SD card anyway.
Advanced Use
There is a bit more to the Canon R6 mark ii and that’s the ability to retake, remove or exit from the process as you go through the process of making multiple exposures. If, after a couple of shots you take something you don’t want or the exposures seem too much then you can change that unless it is your last image. The below screen was shown after I had taken 2 images of a 3 exposure multiple exposure. I pressed the playback button (bottom right of the screen) followed by the delete button (to the right of that) which bring up this screen.
Goring from left to right
This takes you back to where you were (as if you had pressed this in error)
Next will allow you to retake the last exposure you shot - after pressing this the number showing you the amount of images you have left (in the top right of the screen) will increase and you can recompose and retake this image.
The next button will allow you to save what you have done so far and exit without taking that last shot(s).
The last button basically means ‘this is rubbish I want out’ and will exit without saving the images.
All of this means if you keep your number of exposures high then you can exit pretty much whenever you like and it reduces the need to continually reset the number of exposures you need.
Canon R6 mark ii multiple exposure menu
Anyway, that is quite enough technicality for now, so I will finish on a few in camera multiple exposures for inspiration! If you would like more help as to where to start then do consider joining an in camera workshop by clicking the link here! As always please do enter a comment if you have found this useful.
