Long Exposure Photography Tips
I think that almost every photographer at some point in time is intrigued by the ability to warp time and space with long exposure photography. The typical night shots, tail light beams that appear like lasers in the night air, the over blurred motion of a runner, and the concentric circles of the stars in the night sky are all amazing to behold and magical in their wonderment. People are drawn to things that have an edge of familiarity yet a bit of strangeness at the same time. It is almost like traveling outside of time and space.
If you have never tried long exposure photography, it can be a very rewarding process and you can learn quite a bit about the craft as well. Before beginning, you should realize that the regular rules apply as does the mantra about knowing when to break them.
What you will need
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Camera
The first thing that should be mentioned, even if it seems obvious to some, is that you will need a camera that will allow you to adjust the shutter speed down to very long exposures. With time frames in the minutes or longer. If you are not sure about whether your camera will do this, you should take a look at the owner’s manual and read about controlling the shutter speed. Most pro-sumer and above DSLR cameras will be able to do this easily.
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Tripod
Since we are talking about making a prolonged exposure that will dynamically display movement and stillness simultaneously, you will need to have a stable motionless object on which to place your camera. A good tripod will serve well in this capacity. If you don’t have one, then you might consider using a box, a board, sandbag, or almost anything that is stable and safe for your camera.
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Remote Cable or Trigger
In many cases, this type of photography needs to have the camera absolutely still at all times. This includes the beginning and end of the exposure. If you have to manually trigger the shutter release at the beginning and end of the exposure, you may jar the camera enough to cause blur to appear in unwanted areas of the shot. To avoid this, you should invest in a cable trigger or remote trigger for your camera. It is not a necessity if you are very very very careful, but be warned that some shots can be ruined by the slightest movement.
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Subject Matter
This is where you can start to be really creative. If you find a great spot for a picture with good lines, good scenery, and dynamic and static content, then you may have found the subject matter that will provide you with an awesome image. The next thing to do is to experiment with the length of exposure time.
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Shutter Priority
If your camera has the ability to allow you to control the shutter speed while the camera controls aperture, you might want to start there. Change the length of time at which you expose the scene. Take a look at the outcome of each exposure and then make changes accordingly. This is not to say that you cannot set your camera to full manual, in fact, this might be the best solution for you. However, if you are not sure what will take place with the combination of shutter speed and aperture in the lighting conditions you have, then you might want to start out with shutter priority mode and go from there.
Don’t Be Afraid
This kind of photography is fun and exciting. Go on the internet to get ideas, try to reproduce shots that you like, see if you can make some modifications, and above all have fun and be creative. Not only will you find some enjoyment out of this type of photography, but you will also learn some very valuable lessons and even learn a bit more about your camera’s capabilities that you could apply at another time. Above all, don’t take the sessions too seriously, make sure you have fun. When you enjoy what you are doing, then you will be more likely to produce images that last and affect others.
There is 1 comment on this post.
Trackback URL | Comments RSS FeedA beautiful photograph and an interesting article.