Take your time with long exposure photography.

Get your gear together.

The perfect long exposure takes practice and understanding of your camera and equipment. For a successful image, you want to avoid any kind of camera shake. “Your tripod is the most important thing. If you don’t have a sturdy tripod and the wind blows and it shakes your camera, it’s going to cause things to get blurry,” says photographer and professor Adam Long. Camera shake can occur when you simply push the shutter button on your camera. Using a shutter release button allows you to set your time and start your exposure without touching the camera.

Using manual mode.

Every camera is different, but DSLR and digital cameras have a manual mode, which allows photographers to choose their own aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. For long exposures, some cameras offer up to a 30-second-long shutter speed. For longer shutter speeds, you’ll need to use the bulb setting (sometimes called bulb mode) to get the right exposure. Using the bulb setting in your camera allows you to keep the shutter open for as long as you hold down the shutter release button.

Understanding aperture and ISO.

Shutter speed, aperture, and ISO are all closely related, and all affect the exposure of your image. When one setting changes, the others need to adjust to counter it. Using a high f-stop number makes the aperture (opening) in your lens very small, limiting the amount of light the sensor of your camera receives. A small aperture means you’ll need a longer shutter speed and exposure time, and you may need to increase your ISO, or light sensitivity. But increasing ISO can increase the graininess of your images.

Most long exposure photos are taken with a high f-stop number to avoid overexposing the image. You can create long exposure photos with a low f-stop number as well, but it takes a few more steps.

Neutral density filters.

Neutral density filters, often called ND filters, or 10-stop filters, are placed in front of the camera lens to reduce the amount of light entering the camera. This allows you to keep your f-stop number and ISO low, while also using a long shutter speed. ND filters are helpful when shooting during the day, when the light is exceptionally bright. In short, an ND filter gives the photographer more control over depth of field and shutter speed.

Manual focus.

Be sure to use manual focus settings on your camera, instead of the autofocus settings. With manual focus, you can get very precise about where your depth of field falls and which objects will be in focus. You don’t want your camera to autofocus on the wrong object in your image and ruin a two-minute exposure.

Explore the possibilities of long exposure images.

Now that you understand the mechanics of long exposure photography, it’s time to see what’s possible. Just like other styles of photography, you can’t control everything. “When the wind moves the trees or a car drives through your shot, you have to anticipate those things. You have to visualize what the shot will look like,” says Long. By honing that visualization ability with practice, and learning what you can control — and how to control it — you can capture the best images possible in your given environment.

Long exposure landscape photography.

One of the best times to create long exposure photos is 15 minutes to an hour after sunset. “You get the nicest kind of light, and you still have some color in the sky. That’s a great time to do long exposures because you can get an even exposure between the deepening blue sky above with the vibrant city lights below,” explains Ulivieri. Long exposures give you the opportunity to highlight the ambience and atmosphere of a location. So, whether you’re shooting dreamy landscapes or vast seascapes, long exposures give you a chance to photograph something new every time.

Night photography.

“Anytime you’re photographing at night, that’s one of the most common uses of long exposure,” notes Long. Because there’s less ambient light, you’ll need a longer exposure to counterbalance it. Whether you’re capturing star trails over the course of hours or light trails from cars speeding down a road, night photography is a great opportunity to highlight the passage of time with long exposures. Plus, it often results in hauntingly pretty photos.

Lightning and storm photography.

Highlighting the unpredictable drama of lightning and storms is a great way to create unique long exposures. Because you can never know when lightning will strike, explains Ulivieri, “If I’m taking 12-second exposures — because that’s what sky conditions dictate — I just keep taking them over and over in quick succession with the hope that my shutter is already open by the time the lightning hits.” Capturing something so dynamic in a single photo takes practice and patience. But by understanding the mechanics of a long exposure photo, you’re one step closer to capturing stunning storm photography.

Whatever subject matter you choose, long exposure photography gives the artist control over time in a new way. Through trial and error, you learn what settings and gear work best for every situation. Now, the only thing left to do is decide what to photograph first.