Have you ever seen those dreamy photos of silky smooth waterfalls, streaky clouds painting the sky, or urban streets transformed into rivers of light? That’s the magic of long exposure photography! It allows you to capture the passage of time and motion in a single frame, creating ethereal and dynamic images that are impossible to see with the naked eye.

While it might seem intimidating at first glance, long exposure photography is totally achievable for anyone with a camera that allows for manual settings. This guide will break it down, making it easy for you to start creating your own stunning long exposure shots.

What Exactly is Long Exposure?

At its core, long exposure photography simply means using a slow shutter speed. Your camera’s shutter is like a curtain that opens and closes to let light hit the sensor (or film). Shutter speed determines how long that curtain stays open.

• Fast Shutter Speed (like 1/1000th of a second): Freezes motion. Great for sports or fast action.
• Normal Shutter Speed (like 1/125th of a second): Standard for everyday shots, handheld.
• Slow Shutter Speed / Long Exposure (anything from fractions of a second up to several minutes): Blurs motion while keeping stationary objects sharp.

By leaving the shutter open for an extended period, anything moving in the frame becomes blurred along its path, while anything still remains sharp.

Why Try Long Exposure Photography?

The creative possibilities are endless! Long exposure allows you to:

• Transform choppy water into smooth, misty surfaces (waterfalls, oceans, rivers).
• Turn fast-moving clouds into dramatic streaks across the sky.
• Capture the trails of car headlights and taillights in cityscapes.
• Make crowds of people disappear or appear as ghostly figures in busy scenes.
• Create a sense of speed, motion, or tranquility.

Essential Gear (Don’t Skip This!)

While the concept is simple, there are a few key pieces of equipment that are crucial for successful long exposure shots.

1. A Sturdy Tripod: This is non-negotiable. Even the slightest camera shake during a long exposure will ruin your shot. Your tripod needs to hold your camera perfectly still for the entire duration of the exposure.
2. Remote Shutter Release (or Camera Timer): Pressing the shutter button with your finger can cause tiny vibrations that lead to blur. A remote release (wired or wireless) lets you trigger the shutter without touching the camera. If you don’t have one, use your camera’s built-in 2 or 10-second timer. This gives the camera time to stabilize after you press the button.
3. Neutral Density (ND) Filters: These are like sunglasses for your camera lens. They reduce the amount of light entering the camera, allowing you to use much slower shutter speeds, even in bright conditions like daylight. ND filters come in different strengths (e.g., ND8, ND64, ND1000), with higher numbers blocking more light and enabling longer exposures. You’ll likely need these for most daylight long exposures (like silky water or streaky clouds during the day).
4. Camera with Manual Mode: You need a camera that allows you to manually control the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. This includes most DSLRs, mirrorless cameras, and even some advanced compact cameras and smartphone apps with manual controls.

Understanding Your Camera Settings

Manual mode (M) is your best friend here. You’ll be controlling three key settings:

• Shutter Speed: This is the star of the show. You’ll choose how long the shutter stays open. For exposures longer than 30 seconds (the usual maximum on most cameras), you’ll use “Bulb” mode (often indicated by ‘B’), which keeps the shutter open for as long as you hold down the shutter button (or the button on your remote release).

• Aperture (f-number): Controls how much light enters the lens and also affects depth of field (how much of the image is in focus). For long exposures, you’ll often use a smaller aperture (higher f-number like f/8, f/11, f/16, or even f/22). A smaller aperture lets in less light, which helps you achieve a longer shutter speed, especially without strong ND filters. It also generally increases sharpness across the scene (useful for landscapes where you want everything sharp).
• ISO: Determines your camera’s sensitivity to light. For long exposures, you almost always want to set your ISO as low as possible (usually ISO 100, sometimes ISO 50 if available). This minimizes digital noise (which becomes more apparent in long exposures) and also helps in achieving those long shutter speeds by making the sensor less sensitive to the incoming light, requiring it to be open longer to get a correct exposure.

Step-by-Step: Taking Your First Long Exposure Shot

Let’s put it all together!

1. Find Your Scene: Look for moving elements you want to blur (water, clouds, traffic) alongside stationary elements you want to keep sharp (rocks, buildings, trees).
2. Set Up Your Tripod: Place it firmly on the ground. Extend the legs and center column carefully to ensure maximum stability.
3. Mount Your Camera: Securely attach your camera to the tripod head. Double-check that it’s stable.
4. Compose Your Shot: Look through the viewfinder or at the live view screen and frame your scene the way you want it. Get your composition perfect before the next steps.
5. Focus: This is critical before attaching a strong ND filter or starting a long exposure. Auto-focus on a point where you want sharpness (e.g., a rock in a stream, a building edge). Once focused, switch your lens to manual focus (MF). This prevents the camera from trying to refocus during the long exposure when light levels might drop significantly, especially with an ND filter. Alternatively, manually focus directly if you’re comfortable.
6. Attach ND Filter (If Needed): If it’s bright outside or you want a very long exposure (many seconds or minutes), screw on or attach your ND filter(s) to the front of your lens. Note: With strong ND filters, your viewfinder might go completely dark, making focusing afterwards impossible. This is why focusing BEFORE is essential.

7. Switch to Manual Mode (M): Set your camera’s mode dial to ‘M’.
8. Set ISO: Set your ISO to the lowest native setting (usually 100 or 50).
9. Set Aperture: Start with a mid-range aperture like f/8 or f/11. This often provides good overall sharpness (the “sweet spot” of many lenses) and helps control light. You can adjust this later based on the light and desired depth of field.
10. Set Shutter Speed: This is where you experiment. Start with a shorter long exposure to see the effect (e.g., 1 second for motion blur, 5-10 seconds for slightly blurred water). If using ND filters, you’ll need a much longer shutter speed. Use a light meter app or chart specifically for ND filters to help calculate the equivalent long exposure time needed after putting the filter on. For exposures longer than 30 seconds, switch to Bulb mode.
11. Take the Shot: Use your remote shutter release or the camera’s self-timer (set to at least 2 seconds). Press the button (or trigger the timer). If using Bulb mode, press the remote’s button once to open the shutter, and press it again to close it after the desired time has passed.
12. Take the Shot: Use your remote shutter release or the camera’s self-timer (set to at least 2 seconds). Press the button (or trigger the timer). If using Bulb mode, press the remote’s button once to open the shutter, and press it again to close it after the desired time has passed.

Tips for Even Better Results

• Shoot in RAW: This gives you the most flexibility when editing your photos later, especially for adjusting exposure, white balance, and recovering details in highlights or shadows.
• Manual Focus is Your Friend: Reiterate this! Auto-focus often struggles in low light or with strong ND filters. Focus manually on a sharp point and leave it there.
• Check Your Histogram: Don’t just rely on how the image looks on your camera’s small screen, especially in bright light. The histogram gives you accurate information about your exposure and helps you avoid irreversible clipping of highlights or shadows.
• Composition Still Matters: The Rule of Space, leading lines, Rule of Thirds – all these compositional principles still apply and are just as important in long exposure as in any other type of photography.
• Be Patient: Long exposure takes time, both for the exposure itself and for reviewing and adjusting your settings. Light changes, clouds move unpredictably. Don’t get discouraged if the first few shots aren’t perfect; keep experimenting.
• Protect Your Lens: If shooting near water (especially seascapes), be mindful of spray hitting your lens. Have a clean microfibre cloth ready to wipe it dry between shots.

Start Experimenting!

Long exposure photography might add a few extra steps and require some specific gear, but the creative rewards are immense. By understanding the relationship between shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, and using a stable tripod, you can unlock a whole new dimension in your photography and capture images that have a unique, captivating quality.

Grab your gear, find a scene with movement you want to transform, and give it a shot! You might be surprised at the magic you can create by simply letting time pass within your frame.