Ultimate Guide to Long Exposure Photography: Tips, Techniques, and 4 Steps to Set Up Your Camera for Long Exposure Photography

Long exposure photography is also known as slow-shutter photography or time-exposure photography. The technique has its roots in the early days of photography, when rudimentary technology made it necessary for photographers had to keep an image exposed for several hours to get any result on film.

Modern-day long exposure photography uses the same technique, which relies on keeping the shutter open for an extended period of time. Thanks to advances in camera technologies, the resulting images feature stationary subjects in clear focus while moving subjects appear blurred.

Shutter speed is a fundamental concept of photography, and the most crucial element of the exposure triangle (shutter speed, ISO, and aperture) for long exposure photography. Shutter speed is the amount of time the camera shutter is open and the digital sensor or film is exposed to light.

While standard photography uses shutter speeds of 1/125th to 1/500th of a second, long exposure photographers leave their shutter open for 30 seconds or longer. This allows more light into the camera, which makes it possible to capture amazing low-light images of subjects like the night sky. At the same time, the long exposure time of a slow shutter speed also means that you’ll pick up any camera shake resulting from movement or vibrations, which can result in a blurry final image.

There are a number of essential items required take great long exposure photos.

1. 1. A DSLR Camera. Long exposure photography isn’t exactly point-and-shoot: to get a great long exposure images, you’ll need to configure multiple settings on your camera. With that in mind, consider investing in a DSLR digital camera that offers manual camera modes and slow shutter settings. For shutter speeds in excess of 30 seconds, you’ll also want a DSLR that includes bulb mode, which allows you to keep your shutter open for as long as you can hold down your camera button. If you can’t afford a DSLR camera or want to experiment without one, high-end smartphones, including iPhones, do support mobile apps that add manual camera mode functionality. The Adobe Lightroom app, for example, has a built-in camera with PRO mode that produces RAW files, allowing greater control over long exposures.
2. 2. Tripod. It’s not humanly possible to hold a camera completely steady by hand, especially for longer than a few seconds. While many lenses and cameras offer image stabilization features, these tools are not very effective for long exposure times, when even a subtle shake or movement will distort the intended effect of the image. A tripod holds your camera steady so that you can expose an image for as long as you’d like—hands off. Don’t forget to carry some bags of sand or dried rice with you: these are useful in weighing down your tripod in windy conditions.
3. 3. A remote shutter release. Even the subtle movement of pressing the shutter button on your camera can introduce unwanted movements to your long exposure images. A remote shutter release or cable release allows you to press the camera button down remotely without having to stand over the camera and hold your finger in place. This helps reduce fatigue and eliminate movement, helping you capture better long exposure shots. (If you don’t have access to a remote shutter release, you can also use a delay timer in combination with your camera’s self-time function to ensure long, steady shots.)
4. 4. Neutral Density Filter (ND Filter). While low-light scenarios are ideal for long exposures, you may also want to take long exposure shots in a sunlit environment. To avoid overexposing photos in bright light scenarios, add a neutral-density filter, or ND filter, to your lens. An ND filter reduces the amount of light that passes through the lens. ND filters come in varying strengths depending on how much light is present and how long your exposure will be.

In long exposure photography, location is everything. Most long exposure photography is landscape photography that uses the additional light to reveal unique details, like star trails, cloud swirls, blurred waves, and soft waterfalls.

Try exploring different environments, from forests and deserts to urban cityscapes, to find stunning vistas to shoot. Look for sources of light that will turn into light trails, like an endless flow of vehicles during rush hour, or other interesting sources of motion.

Once you’ve arrived at the scene of a long exposure photo, your first step is to compose your photograph. Set up your tripod and camera and, using your viewfinder, fill the frame to your liking. After this point, you will take a series of steps to ensure your photograph is properly exposed.

1. 1. Focus. Lock focus on your chosen subject. We recommend using manual focus to ensure that nothing changes during your exposure. However, if you’re using autofocus, press halfway down on the camera button to automatically adjust your focus, then all the way down to lock.
   
2. 2. Expose. In manual mode, take test shots experimenting with shutter speed and aperture. If you’re using an ND filter, you can adjust your shutter speed down without sacrificing other qualities. (For instance, a 10 stop ND filter (the strongest available) lets you use a shutter speed that is 1,000x slower.) Standard aperture for long exposure images is between 7 and 13, while ISO should stay low, hovering around 100. Check your test shots to ensure that the static shot is exposed to your liking and log your settings before you proceed to the next step.
3. 3. Bulb mode. Once your exposure is set, switch the camera into bulb mode, which will extend your shutter speed past 30 seconds. Bulb mode is a setting available while in manual mode.
4. 4. Take your shot! After you’ve set up your camera and camera settings, you’re ready to take your shot. Click down on your remote shutter release or cable release button, which will lock open the camera’s shutter. When you are ready to shut the shutter, simply click the button again. Here’s the slightly tricky part: the length of time that the shutter is open depends on a few things. There are helpful apps that automate the calculation for you based on the numbers you got from your test shot, like NDCalc.

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