Photography Guides: The Key To Long Exposure Shots.

In theory long exposure shots are relatively easy. Put your camera on your tripod, compose the shot, then set the timer, or use a remote to hold the shutter open, and your done. In reality its a bit more complicated. First off, what you’ll need.

- A camera you can manually set the shutter speed on, ideally one with bulb mode (meaning the shutter stays open for as long as you hold the button down for).

- A tripod, there are no rules as to what type you should get really, just make sure its a firmly built tripod that isnt too light. The last thing you want is the wind affecting your shots. Most tripods come with a hook built into the main support, that allows you to hang your camera bag, or whatever weight you can find, this helps with stabilizing.

- A remote shutter isnt necessarry but its highly reccomended. You are probably limited to 30 second exposures if you dont use bulb mode, and its practically impossible to hold the shutter down for that long without moving the camera and blurring your photo. They can be picked up pretty cheaply, and a cable one is all you will probably need. They make wireless ones with many different features but that will probably overkill for most peoples needs. Just make sure you get one that is compatable with your camera.

- Patience. Expect to wait anywhere from a couple seconds to a hour for some photos, although that is the extreme end of long exposure shots.

One thing you will learn about long exposure shots, is there is a lot of trial and error whilst learning. Try not to underexpose the photo, ideally you want a little over exposure, it makes editing the photo far easier when you get it onto your computer. It also plays a part in reducing the noise in the photo. The great thing about digital photography is the ability to check your mistakes on the fly. This means for instance, you can take the first shot at say f7 for 5 seconds, check how it comes out, and adjust accordingly, until you find the sweet spot between aperture and shutter speed.

The sweet spot depends on what you want to shoot. Lets use clouds as an example. In general, a wider aperture and shorter shutter speed will take in more light, resulting in cleaner looking lines and better looking clouds, but you dont get any sense of movement in the photo. The alternative, a narrower aperture with a longer shutter speed, means you will take in less light, there will be less detail and contrast, but you get a “silky” look to the clouds, with a sense of movement you couldnt acheive with the shorter shutter speed.

Focusing can be a pain when its dark, as the camera has a hard time auto-focusing since there isn’t much light, and its sometimes hard to judge if you have the focus right purely through the viewfinder when its so dark. If your lens can focus to infinity, set it to that. If not, try and find a light source thats at a similar range to the object of the photo your looking to take, and autofocus on that, then lock the focus to manual so it cant try and correct itself. But at the narrow apertures you will probably be working on, it doesnt matter so much, it wont make much of a difference, so try not to get too caught up in focusing. Good Luck.