Hello everyone, my name is illustrator and today i'm going to give you guys a pretty detailed guide on shooting long exposure shots.
Shooting Long Exposure is pretty simple but, can also be very complex depending on what you are shooting. There are many different opportunities that shooting Long Exposure can bring to the table. There is a wide range of locations and subjects you can shoot with long exposure and these are my favorite.
Required Items
Understanding Aperture
The iris of the lens that controls the size (diameter) of the aperture is called “diaphragm” in optics. The sole purpose of the diaphragm is to block or stop all light, with the exception of the light that goes through the aperture. In photography, aperture is expressed in f-numbers (for example f/5.6). These f-numbers that are known as “f-stops” are a way of describing the size of the aperture, or how open or closed the aperture is. A smaller f-stop means a larger aperture, while a larger f-stop means a smaller aperture. Most people find this awkward, since we are used to having larger numbers represent larger values, but not in this case. For example, f/1.4 is larger than f/2.0 and much larger than f/8.0.
![[Image: LJNm1Qv.png]](https://i.imgur.com/LJNm1Qv.png)
The circles above represent the opening of the iris of the camera. The bigger the circle, the more light that the camera absorbs. This is very important while shooting long exposure because if you allow too much light in, then the picture will be over exposed, meaning a very bright picture. The goal is to find the happy-medium when shooting a subject.
Understanding Shutter Speeds
In the most basic terms possible, shutter speed controls the ability to demonstrate or stop motion in a photograph. It is the MOMENT that light is exposed (recorded) on your digital sensor (or film) and the length of the exposure. Simply, the amount of time that light is being absorbed into the camera.
![[Image: GLPTcP1.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/GLPTcP1.jpg)
The chart above shots the amount of time the shutter is open in fractions of one second. 1/1000th of a second and so on. The faster the shot, the more of a "Freeze Frame" the shot will be.
https://imgur.com/ncfrpRL 1/500th I think.
The slower the shutter, the more of a dragged out "Blur" the shot will be.
https://imgur.com/fqqLqYz 20 Seconds or So.
Preparing for the shot
Depending on the shot you are looking to take, there are different factors you need to keep in mind. If you are taking a shot like the one above, (Fire) you are going to want to find a dark, open area that does not have much light pollution to prevent over exposure. For any situation, you do not want to forget your tripod, camera, sd card, extra batteries, filters if shooting during the day, and remote shutter. You are going to want to find a steady spot for your tripod to sit so its not rocking or shaking when you go to take the picture. I recommend turning off auto focus since, sometimes before you take the shot, it will set out of focus and ruin the picture. If you are shooting at night and cant focus on anything, I would have a friend light up the foreground and try focusing on that. If you are shooting along you can just set up a flashlight or your phone in the foreground and focus on that. Reminder!, If you are planning on shooting for an un-specific time I recommend using BULB mode. Most DSLR cameras have this and it allows you to keep the shutter open as long as you are holding the button. With my remote trigger, I am able to press the button and it will lock so I can run out with fire or a flashlight and light up the foreground. Its all about experimenting... If you are trying to get perfect shots the first time you are probably going to be disappointed. With practice comes improvement. I usually shoot in BULB when shooting star trails, fire shots, light-trails.
Taking the shot
When taking the shot without a remote shutter, make sure to keep your trigger finger as still as possible to reduce camera shake. Take A LOT of pictures. Taking 5-10 pictures may not be enough, take 25-50-100 pictures to increase your chances of getting an amazing shot.
https://imgur.com/lzUlsG8
Feel free to check out my shots on Behance, Instagram, and Imgur.
www.behance.com/scum
www.instagram.com/journalist
http://scumbaghf.imgur.com/
This is a very basic Long Exposure Guide. I will be doing more tutorials soon for shooting specific subjects. Feel free to request any tutorials/ guides.
~illustrator
Shooting Long Exposure is pretty simple but, can also be very complex depending on what you are shooting. There are many different opportunities that shooting Long Exposure can bring to the table. There is a wide range of locations and subjects you can shoot with long exposure and these are my favorite.
- Water
- Stars
- Clouds
- Cars
- Sparks/ Fire
Required Items
- DSLR with Bulb or Shutter Priority
- Tripod
- Remote Shutter (Recommended)
- Neutral Density Filters (If shooting in the day)
Understanding Aperture
The iris of the lens that controls the size (diameter) of the aperture is called “diaphragm” in optics. The sole purpose of the diaphragm is to block or stop all light, with the exception of the light that goes through the aperture. In photography, aperture is expressed in f-numbers (for example f/5.6). These f-numbers that are known as “f-stops” are a way of describing the size of the aperture, or how open or closed the aperture is. A smaller f-stop means a larger aperture, while a larger f-stop means a smaller aperture. Most people find this awkward, since we are used to having larger numbers represent larger values, but not in this case. For example, f/1.4 is larger than f/2.0 and much larger than f/8.0.
The circles above represent the opening of the iris of the camera. The bigger the circle, the more light that the camera absorbs. This is very important while shooting long exposure because if you allow too much light in, then the picture will be over exposed, meaning a very bright picture. The goal is to find the happy-medium when shooting a subject.
Understanding Shutter Speeds
In the most basic terms possible, shutter speed controls the ability to demonstrate or stop motion in a photograph. It is the MOMENT that light is exposed (recorded) on your digital sensor (or film) and the length of the exposure. Simply, the amount of time that light is being absorbed into the camera.
The chart above shots the amount of time the shutter is open in fractions of one second. 1/1000th of a second and so on. The faster the shot, the more of a "Freeze Frame" the shot will be.
https://imgur.com/ncfrpRL 1/500th I think.
The slower the shutter, the more of a dragged out "Blur" the shot will be.
https://imgur.com/fqqLqYz 20 Seconds or So.
Preparing for the shot
Depending on the shot you are looking to take, there are different factors you need to keep in mind. If you are taking a shot like the one above, (Fire) you are going to want to find a dark, open area that does not have much light pollution to prevent over exposure. For any situation, you do not want to forget your tripod, camera, sd card, extra batteries, filters if shooting during the day, and remote shutter. You are going to want to find a steady spot for your tripod to sit so its not rocking or shaking when you go to take the picture. I recommend turning off auto focus since, sometimes before you take the shot, it will set out of focus and ruin the picture. If you are shooting at night and cant focus on anything, I would have a friend light up the foreground and try focusing on that. If you are shooting along you can just set up a flashlight or your phone in the foreground and focus on that. Reminder!, If you are planning on shooting for an un-specific time I recommend using BULB mode. Most DSLR cameras have this and it allows you to keep the shutter open as long as you are holding the button. With my remote trigger, I am able to press the button and it will lock so I can run out with fire or a flashlight and light up the foreground. Its all about experimenting... If you are trying to get perfect shots the first time you are probably going to be disappointed. With practice comes improvement. I usually shoot in BULB when shooting star trails, fire shots, light-trails.
Taking the shot
When taking the shot without a remote shutter, make sure to keep your trigger finger as still as possible to reduce camera shake. Take A LOT of pictures. Taking 5-10 pictures may not be enough, take 25-50-100 pictures to increase your chances of getting an amazing shot.
https://imgur.com/lzUlsG8
Feel free to check out my shots on Behance, Instagram, and Imgur.
www.behance.com/scum
www.instagram.com/journalist
http://scumbaghf.imgur.com/
This is a very basic Long Exposure Guide. I will be doing more tutorials soon for shooting specific subjects. Feel free to request any tutorials/ guides.
~illustrator