Long Exposure Photography or slow shutter photography uses long shutter speeds to capture stationary, static objects while blurring out the moving elements.

What is Long Exposure Photography?

It is most commonly used for night photography, stars, and moving water. It is also used for fireworks and light painting. A bonus in high-traffic areas is if the exposure is long enough, pedestrians will completely disappear.

Long exposure photography is easiest in low light situations such as at night. But with ND filters, it can also be done successfully, even in bright sunshine. ND Filters (Neutral Density) are precisely that. They are neutral and should add no colour at all to your image. Instead, they reduce the light entering the lens. ND filters come in different strengths from .06ND and up, with the .06 giving you a two-stop reduction and the ND 3 (also referred to as an ND1000) a ten-stop reduction.

Essential

A tripod is essential for all long-exposure photography. This is because you are using speeds beyond what can be handheld with stability. Turn the image stabilisation off on the lens while it’s on a tripod and use either a remote switch to trigger the shutter or the timer function. It’s also a good idea to set a 2-second delay on the shutter. The slightest movement of depressing the shutter can blur the image. The same goes for bridges etc. Someone starts walking across if you are on a bridge trying to get a shot. Wait till they are gone.

Light Painting

Light painting is best accomplished in bulb mode. Set your ISO to 100 to limit the noise, and make sure noise reduction is turned off on the camera. If you are interested in Light Painting, I highly recommend the events run by Melbourne Light Painting.

Moving Water

One of my favourite long-exposure subjects is water. Waterfalls, streams, rivers, ocean tides, and waves are where the ND Filters come into their own to give you the milky fairy floss water or mist.   For early mornings or late afternoons, an ND2 or ND4 is sufficient. However, for bright sunshine, you’ll need to get out of the ND3. You can also stack the filters, but be aware if your filter gives off a slight colour cast, stacking them will magnify the result. I started with the round screw-in filters. However, I moved to the square ones as I wanted to add graduated filters to my pack. Variable filters are something you want to avoid at all costs. They leak light and give you terrible results. 

Settings

To do an extended water exposure, set your camera to Aperture Priority, ISO 100, and the F stop you prefer and take the shot. Note the shutter speed, and using an ND calculator app, calculate the shutter speed for the long exposure. Next, move to manual mode, and use the same F stop, Focal length, and ISO. For example, if using an ND ten stop, it will be so dark you need to focus on your subject before the filter is added. Once the filter is on, then switch the lens to MF. Once you have done your settings, add the filter and take the shot.

Note: if the water is moving fast, such as in the falls above, a shorter shutter will give you blurred water. If it’s slower-moving or just a trickle, a longer shutter is required, as the speed of the water affects the blur.

Night Lights

If you haven’t tried long exposure before, get out and give it a go… its a lot of fun!