Making long exposure images is a fun and interesting project. As you might expect, there are several things you'll need to keep in mind before trying it. First, you'll need a tripod. Or, at least, a very stable surface. On one occasion I actually used a wall. The point is that it is pretty much impossible to hold a camera perfectly still for even a couple of seconds, and even a little camera shake can ruin your image. Next, I suggest using your camera's two second timer. By doing this, you once again reduce the risk of camera shake. Third, you'll need to decide if you want to shoot on Manual or Shutter Priority mode. Many find it easier to use Shutter Priority. That way, you can just set your exposure time to five seconds, for example, and let your camera figure out the rest. This usually works pretty well, but it has been my experience that sometimes parts of my image end up overexposed. Last, don't be afraid to experiment and have fun trying it out on your own! Please click on the next button to see some examples and learn the settings I used for each of the images.
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This image was made at the same location as the first at about the same time. So, I didn't need to change any of the settings. Another reason I like doing long exposure images is that they bring out more detail than most normal shots. In this shot, for example, you can really see a lot of the textures that make up this scene.
Aperture: f/32 Exposure Time: 4 sec. ISO: 100
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Here we have another water image using long exposure to smooth out the motion. Even though I made this one early in the morning and in a shaded area, I still had to go with as narrow an aperture as possible. This location as also a little tricky because too long an exposure actually smoothed out the motion too much.
Aperture: f/32 Exposure Time: 5 sec. ISO: 100
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For the next few, we'll look at long exposures at night. When shooting in dark situations, you can try a more mid-range aperture. This will give you much more flexibility. For example, in this shot at the county fair I also made another image with a narrower aperture and a longer exposure. By doing that, the motion smoothed out much more, but the colors blended together more than I wanted. So, I tried a couple more with wider apertures and faster shutter speeds.
Aperture: f/16 Exposure Time: 5 sec. ISO: 100
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One of the most common uses of long exposure photography is to capture light trails from traffic. With these I actually started with my shutter speed. I timed how long it took for vehicles to pass through my frame and set my shutter speed. Then, I adjusted my aperture to match.
Aperture: f/11 Exposure Time: 5 sec. ISO: 100
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Typically, I like to use a landmark to use as a background to the trails. I think this adds a little familiarity to an otherwise unique scene. Also, you might try setting up near a traffic light. By doing this, you can usually guarantee that the vehicles won't be moving through the frame too fast to be captured.
Aperture: f/11 Exposure Time: 5 sec. ISO: 100
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This last one is a little different, but the principles are the same. Pratt had a major power outage on the night of June 16th. So, I decided I'd try to do something that would be impossible if all the street lights had been on. I set my focal length to infinity and set my aperture as narrow as the lens would allow. Next, to get the long exposure time, I set my camera to the bulb setting. On some cameras, this comes after the 30 second setting. Others will have it on the Mode Dial. The bulb setting will expose the image as long as the shutter button is pressed down. There is no way to hold down the button for 20 minutes without camera shake, so I attached my remote shutter release. As an added bonus, I was facing north and the moon was in the south. This illuminated the church quite nicely.
Aperture: f/22 Exposure Time: 20 min. ISO: 100
