The Art Of Long Exposure Photography

It's been a while since I've posted about this and I've had some ask me so I'm reposting with some more information.

Long Exposure Photography is my favorite form of photography.  Before getting into professional photography, I would find myself wondering and amused at how photographers captured the movement of water, especially in waterfalls.  There was such a calming peace to look at those types of images.  Today, I still love to look at all long exposure photography and even more, I love to take them.  Here are a few tips.

Long Exposure is the art of slowing down the shutter speed to capture movement, or to let more light into the camera sensor.  It's how you can capture the motion of water giving it a ghostly look, movement of clouds, streaks of lightning, fireworks, night scenes, moving cars, and more endless possibilities.

Must have items for long exposure photography include: camera with manual mode settings, a sturdy tripod, remote click or you can use the camera delay timer, and if it's during the day you need a neutral density (nd) filter.  There are various types of ND Filters and the darkness of the filter depends on how long you plan to keep the shutter open and how bright the day is.  My favorite is the 9 stop Hoya ND filter.  Imagine it as putting on a pair of sunglasses over your camera lens (similar to polarizer filter only darker).  It darkens the light so therefore, you are able to have longer shutter speeds without over exposing the image.

The sturdy tripod is a must to avoid any movement of the camera.  You want to make sure your images are sharp, only allowing the moving objects to blur and keeping everything else in focus.  You want to avoid any camera shake, so that's why you want a remote click or use your camera's delay timer of a minimum of 2 seconds depending on how gentle you are when you take the shot.

Capturing the movement of waterfall's or the movement of ocean waves, and night exposures are my favorite long exposures.  I love the silky movement of the water and capturing the beautiful city lights at night.

If you'd like to check out some of my long exposures, here is a link to some of them: Timeless Moments Photography - Long Exposures

Thank you for reading and feel free to follow me, comment, or ask any questions. You may also check out my blog at: Word Press Blog

Jennifer White - Timeless Moments Photography - Website

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