Long Exposure Photography Explained

Long exposure photography is a great way to lift your landscape images to another level. The effect of leaving the shutter open for a longer time than you would for most other types of photography means the camera can record movement in a totally unique way. This effect is especially noticeable in subject areas like skies which have a few clouds or areas of running water.

Understanding how to use the camera’s built in light meter is an important factor in being able to calculate exposure times accurately when adjusting the variables of ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed. However, when extending the shutter speeds in Long Exposure Photography, there’s a fourth variable that needs to be taken into account; Neutral Density Filters. ND Filters are basically panes of darkened glass that sit in front of the camera’s lens and reduce the amount of light that enters, thereby necessitating the use of longer (or slower) shutter speeds in order to get accurate exposures. Without the use of ND Filters, the long exposure times necessary to achieve the desired effect in this type of Photography would mean images would be way over exposed. Hopefully this short video will help explain how to use these filters in order to get the desired effect.

I run Long Exposure Workshops for small groups or as 1-2-1 sessions in London throughout the year.

Explanation of Long Exposure