Look at the following photos.
You like them? Have you ever looked at them with desire? Have you ever wondered how they are made? Have you ever wondered if the rest of us mortals who also have a digital SLR camera could one day get photos like this?
Do not let yourself be confused by so many questions. Today I am going to explain the technique used to get photos of this type. I will guide you through very simple and easy to understand steps, with hardly any technicalities or photographic jargon. Clever?
How long exposure photography works
The first thing you have to understand is how this technique works. If you are a regular reader of the blog, you will already know by now that the camera records (records, catches, captures…) the photo in a fraction of a second. At the moment we press the shutter there is a device in the camera, known as a “shutter” that opens and closes in a small fraction of a second and allows light to penetrate the sensor and thus record the image inside. .
What would happen if that shutter could be kept open for a long time, for example 2 or 3 seconds? Well, you would simply get a photo made up of everything that happened in those 2-3 seconds. Everything would be captured and reflected in the photo, everything, one thing on top of another.
Long exposure tutorial: step by step
Whether you understood the previous paragraph (hopefully so) or not, let’s get down to business. Don’t worry, we will get the photo even if we haven’t fully understood how it works. Simply stick to the steps.
Step 1: Camera in S/Tv mode and high value in seconds:
Set the dial on your SLR camera to semi-manual shutter speed mode. How is this achieved? If you have Nikon put yourself in “S” mode and if you are from Canon put yourself in “Tv” mode.
Now move the thumbwheel on your camera. You will see that there is a value that is altered. That value has a format similar to 1/2000 or something like that (it can be 1/5000; or also 1/23; etc.). Well, we will lower that value little by little, little by little, until we reach 1″ (which would mean 1 second), and then we will continue turning the wheel until we reach 3″ seconds, 20″ seconds, or the number of seconds that we want
In short, this step consists of simply placing ourselves in S (or Tv) mode and starting to turn the control wheel until we can display a value such as 8″ (seconds) or the number of seconds that we want.
The number of seconds of time does not matter. The important thing is to learn the technique. Once we master it, it is about experimenting and testing until we find the number of seconds that gives us the best result.
Step 2: Look for stability
It is important that the camera does not move while you are taking the photos. Here it is a long photo in time, which is going to be taken over many seconds, and therefore it is ESSENTIAL that the camera does not move so that the image is not moved. The best thing to do would be to get a well-anchored tripod, but if you can’t, any stable surface that doesn’t have any vibration or movement could also work.
Step 3: Stealth Shooting
We are interested in the fact that the camera does not move in the slightest, not even that slight movement when we press the shutter. For this we are going to use a remote release (with cable, with infrared) or, for those who do not have a remote release, it can also serve as a solution to use the camera’s timer, 2 seconds for example. In this way, it will give us time to press the shutter and move away so that when the camera begins to record the photo, we do not influence it with any vibration, no matter how small.
Step 4: Experiment
It is impossible to get good long exposure photos without experimenting. No one has ever achieved a splendid long exposure photo without having experienced and tested several times before. Go experimenting. First get the technique. Once achieved, you will see that the result comes out but not in the perfect way (blurred photo, too bright, too dark) so at that moment it will be time to refine, improve, correct errors.
6 Tips for Getting Beautiful Long Exposure Photos
- Don’t waste time trying to get long exposure daytime photos. You need a little darkness. Experiment at night. They can be done during the day, but for a beginner it is better to practice with night photos.
- The best long-exposure photos usually contain moving objects with light: cars driving on a road, a merry-go-round in operation, etc.
- Get inspired by others’ work on Flickr or other online networks and galleries. search for the word “long exposure photos”.
- In addition to the light that “moves” in the photo, try to make the frame contain prominent elements: buildings, banners, drawings, screens, or even people, etc.
- Before starting a long exposure photo session, make sure you have a well-charged battery. This technique consumes a lot of battery and you should be prepared.
- Most cameras allow a maximum of 30″ exposure time. However, you can go beyond that time, reaching several minutes if you wish, for which you will have to put your camera in Manual «M» mode.
You dare?
What I like most about learning is practice. Everything you have read so far is not going to help you at all if you don’t put it into practice. Do you dare to practice? If you get any “presentable” results, do not hesitate to share it with us in the comments below 😉
Are you finding these tips and tutorials useful? Do you find them easy to understand? Do you think they can be useful to more people?