Photo Tip of the Week: Three Things to Know About Long Exposure
A lot of photographers like the look of long exposures, but as one of the more technically challenging genres of photography, it can be extremely difficult to master. In this week’s Photo Tip of the Week, we take a look at three fundamental aspects of long exposure photography that will help set you up for success.
Use Bulb or Time Mode For Ultra Long Exposures
Long exposure shots can be as little as one second or last for several minutes. Most DSLR cameras have the option of up to 30-second exposures, but longer than that you’ll need to set your camera to the bulb setting or time mode.
In bulb, for example, the shutter remains open for as long as the button is held, which in most cases would be done with a remote release. Time mode achieves the same purpose, but it’s activated with the press of the shutter release and does not have to be held down. Instead, it’s deactivated with a second push of the release button, making it the best choice for extended long exposures. Both bulb and time modes can give you in the range of 30-minute exposure times, but check your camera manual to be sure what your specific camera is capable of doing.
A Tripod and Remote Release are Essential
It should go without saying that you need to do everything you can to minimize camera shake when taking long exposure photographs. A tripod and remote release are you best options for doing so.
There are a myriad of tripods available and really any of the better built, more stable models will do. Where you’ll need to invest some money is in your remote trigger. Cable releases tend to be less expensive than their wireless counterparts, but obviously have the disadvantage of tying you to your camera. What’s more, if you’re shooting in an especially windy location, the movement of the cable can be more than enough to introduce wobble into your shots.
Regardless of what kind of remote release you choose to buy, it will make your endeavor to take clean, sharp long exposure images vastly easier.
Don’t Forget Filters
Filters are a long exposure photographer’s best friend. Neutral density (ND) filters allow you to shoot long exposures in broad daylight, and polarizing filters give your images a little bit of a color boost while also limiting light.
Our focus is on ND filters, which, when used correctly, can help you capture stunning long exposure images, even on the brightest day of the year. As a refresher, a one-stop ND filter cuts the amount of light entering your camera by half while doubling the exposure time. Extend that out to 10 stops and you’ve halved the light entering the camera 10 times over while lengthening the amount of possible exposure by 1024 times.
Filters come in circular or rectangular format. Both are popular options, although some photographers prefer rectangular format because they simply slide into a mounting bracket on the end of the lens rather than screw onto the lens like circular filters do. Without having to screw the lens on each time, you avoid the potential of changing the focus of your camera.
Be sure you have plenty of filters so that you don’t have to adjust your camera’s aperture to compensate. For daytime shots, about 16 stops worth of filters are recommended, which is achieved by stacking filters one on top of the other. Doing so allows you to set your camera’s aperture to what you need for the photo in terms of depth of field (which will also produce sharp images without diffraction).
Final Thoughts
There are many other considerations to make when taking long exposure photos, but having a solid foundation of knowledge regarding the equipment and settings required for this type of photography will increase your chances of capturing gorgeous long exposure scenes. Whether you shoot landscapes, people, sporting events, architecture, or some other subject, long exposures can take the beauty of the scene to a whole other level.
Next time you decide to go out with your camera, take your tripod, shutter release, and filters along and experiment with long exposure photography. Once you get a feel for the camera settings and filter power you need for specific lighting situations, you’ll be able to capture long exposure images in no time!