Long Exposure Photos

[timeman]

Here is a page that shows 45 examples of Long Exposure Photos.

http://luketechtips.com/a-neat-blog...ng-examples-of-long-exposure-photography.html

The reason I am posting this here is because there are three different photos from Disney included. You can click on the titles of the photos and be taken to their pages on Flicker. There is one from Epcot,Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom and one of the Tea Cup ride at Disneyland.

 

[Rob562]

I like to use the long-term exposure setting on my digital camera in the parks, but mostly to get low-light photos. Though I've also gotten a few good ones, like the whirling teacups in the Magic Kingdom.

My two personal favorites:

I also happened to have my camera taking an extended exposure at the Haunted Mansion when the lightning effect's strobes went off, making the Mansion appear as bright as day:

-Rob

 

[WDWFigment]

Almost all of the night photos I take are long exposure, but here are some of the typical "motion blur" ones people associate with the term:


King Arthur Carrousel by Tom Bricker (WDWFigment), on Flickr


Disneyland's Tomorrowland by Tom Bricker (WDWFigment), on Flickr


Disneyland's Summer Nightastic Fireworks - "Magical" (78 second exposure) by Tom Bricker (WDWFigment), on Flickr


A Million Streams of Musical Light (Explored) by Tom Bricker (WDWFigment), on Flickr


Fishy Fountain of Nations by Tom Bricker (WDWFigment), on Flickr


The Perfect Conclusion to Her First Full Day as Mrs. Bricker by Tom Bricker (WDWFigment), on Flickr

Click on any of the photos to go to that photo's flickr page to learn more about the shot.

 

[bgraham34]

WDWFigment, what kind of camera do you use and what are the settings.

Thanks.

 

[SMRT-1]

always incredible shots wdwfigment.

 

[MissM]

Mine aren't anywhere near as exciting as WDWFigment's but then...I'm just using a straight point-and-shoot digital! :lol: While I would LOVE a DSLR, it's not in the budget, so I made due with figuring out how to push my camera to do things it doesn't necessarily want to do.


Cosmic Rays, Waterfall, Magic Kingdom Time Lapse by PhoenixFireDesigns, on Flickr


WDW Tomorrowland Time Lapse by PhoenixFireDesigns, on Flickr


WDW Time Lapse View of Main Street with Cinderella Castle by PhoenixFireDesigns, on Flickr

I only very, very recently (as in like two months ago!) figured out how to make my camera do this so it's still a work in progress. Oh and I keep forgetting to bring my tripod which makes it pretty impossible without finding a stable, flat surface!

 

[bjlc57]

outstanding shots.. I have tried long exposure with poor results..

and I too.. would like to know your camera, settings, and shutter length.. not counting the lens..

 

[WDWFigment]

With long exposure shots, it's not so much about the camera as it is knowing how to use it. A point and shoot camera capable of full manual settings (look at the Canon models) in the right hands will be capable of most of those shots. I'm not suggesting the camera doesn't make some difference (if that were the case, pros would use P&S cameras), but knowledge is 95% of the battle (which is why most photographers cringe at the 'what kind of camera took that photo' questions).

Google, "great iPhone photos" and you will see tons of evidence of this.

 

[bgraham34]

With long exposure shots, it's not so much about the camera as it is knowing how to use it. A point and shoot camera capable of full manual settings (look at the Canon models) in the right hands will be capable of most of those shots. I'm not suggesting the camera doesn't make some difference (if that were the case, pros would use P&S cameras), but knowledge is 95% of the battle (which is why most photographers cringe at the 'what kind of camera took that photo' questions).

Google, "great iPhone photos" and you will see tons of evidence of this.

My thing is I am trying to figure out what the right settings are on my Canon Rebel.

 

[bjlc57]

my real question..

is how long of an exposure.. are you on Blub? or do you use a time setting.. and then a 2.8 shutter opening or more?

I don't believe my digital opens that much..

30 seconds? 60 seconds.. for the star shot I assume much longer..

and again are you manually holding open the shutter with a plunger.. ?

I really liked the "light bar " effect on some of those 45 photos..

I have tried that but my light doesn't stay concentrated.. it just gives a warm glow.. and I did not use a snoot..

 

[MissM]

With long exposure shots, it's not so much about the camera as it is knowing how to use it. A point and shoot camera capable of full manual settings (look at the Canon models) in the right hands will be capable of most of those shots. I'm not suggesting the camera doesn't make some difference (if that were the case, pros would use P&S cameras), but knowledge is 95% of the battle (which is why most photographers cringe at the 'what kind of camera took that photo' questions).

Oh certainly. I take some pretty great shots with a point-and-shoot (in my humble opinion) and having an "eye" for a shot counts for a lot. I just found the "long shutter" setting on mine (after only like 4 years of owning it! :lol: ) which is why I'm just starting to play with this kind of shot.

A DSLR helps for the fine-tuning of the settings but it's still fun seeing how I can push my camera into doing things it doesn't necessarily want to do to new effect.

Oh but a tripod or flat surface is a MUST!

 

[pumpkin7]

i would love to take these kinds of photos at disney, however i first would not want to take my dslr with me, and i also would not want to lug around a tripod all day (suppose i could rent a locker). meh, maybe next time.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

To say you can take that type of shot with any camera is misleading. especially when the accompanying images are heavily photoshopped.

You need to have some control over exposure, either via ISO/aperture or shutterspeed. Also with digital cameras noise is an issue with longer exposures.

 

[loveofamouse]

With long exposure shots, it's not so much about the camera as it is knowing how to use it. A point and shoot camera capable of full manual settings (look at the Canon models) in the right hands will be capable of most of those shots. I'm not suggesting the camera doesn't make some difference (if that were the case, pros would use P&S cameras), but knowledge is 95% of the battle (which is why most photographers cringe at the 'what kind of camera took that photo' questions).

Google, "great iPhone photos" and you will see tons of evidence of this.

Some of us would love to learn. I fiddle with my camera settings often, but, admittedly, I don't know what some do so I don't touch them. Admittedly, I've never messed with my ISO. I didn't know what it was:shrug:. Sometimes, you have to be in the right setting to see the biggest "change" when making changes to setting. Honestly, I enjoy the photo talk threads. I learn best through convo and reading. :wave: and viewing your Flickr makes me drool :ROFLOL:

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=13477&pq-locale=en_GB&_requestid=12320

Basic stuff.

 

[Timekeeper]

is how long of an exposure.. are you on Blub? or do you use a time setting.. and then a 2.8 shutter opening or more?

There's no minimum duration of time for a shot to constitute a "long exposure." In my opinion, a long exposure is simply one that is either required in order to capture a shot in extremely low light (often requiring some form of stabilization beyond hand-held), or one that is intentionally set to be longer than normal to capture motion such as light trails. Long exposures can run from 2 seconds to a number of hours.

Many digital cameras have a limited time setting of 30 seconds, and a bulb exposure option. Most long exposure shots can be accomplished in under 30 seconds, especially at theme parks where there is sufficient lighting in even low lighting conditions. Also, you exposure time will always be proportionate to your aperture. So the illumination created in a 10 second shot versus 20 second shot could look exactly the same if your aperture had the equivalent variation in those shots. It depends on the desired depth of field.

You asked about a 2.8 aperture, probably because your instinct when shooting in low light is to open up your aperture. But for most photographers, the opposite is desired. That is, a small aperture (for sharp depth of field on stationary objects). Also, a smaller aperture means a longer exposure, and if you are shooting fireworks for example, that means more fireworks in the shot :sohappy: And when it comes to long exposures, the longer the better, right? Yes.

You don't have to bring a tripod to the parks to get long exposures. There are plenty of other small/compact stabilizing devices out there that you can use in conjunction with existing items in your environment (bench, table, trash can, steps, etc). A small bean bag, for example, is often sufficient.

The trick is to avoid overexposing your images. A lot of beginners want to make the lighted objects look nice and bright. But when it comes to long exposure photos (which are usually taken at night or in dark environments), less is more, and the darker your blacks are, the less noisy your final image will look.

Also, when shooting bright elements in a dark environment, such as fireworks, it's easy for those elements to become overexposed in a medium to long exposure. You can use neutral density filters to help reduce the light coming into your lens without affecting color so that you can keep that shutter open longer.

 

[janoimagine]

is how long of an exposure.. are you on Blub? or do you use a time setting.. and then a 2.8 shutter opening or more?

I don't believe my digital opens that much..

30 seconds? 60 seconds.. for the star shot I assume much longer..

and again are you manually holding open the shutter with a plunger.. ?

I really liked the "light bar " effect on some of those 45 photos..

I have tried that but my light doesn't stay concentrated.. it just gives a warm glow.. and I did not use a snoot..

2.8 is to wide open for night photography ... for your best results you need to stop down to about 11 or higher, otherwise your letting too much light in to fast, also lower your iso to around 100. Bulb works best, and if your really good put some ND on the lens, it allows for longer exposures ... most of mine start at 1 minute and increase in time. A shutter release is a must as well.


Illuminations by janoimagine, on Flickr


Sleeping Beauty by janoimagine, on Flickr


Wonderful Opportunity by janoimagine, on Flickr


The Mess by janoimagine, on Flick


Untitled by janoimagine, on Flickr


Imagination by janoimagine, on Flickr

 

[Cosmic Commando]

To say you can take that type of shot with any camera is misleading. especially when the accompanying images are heavily photoshopped.

You need to have some control over exposure, either via ISO/aperture or shutterspeed. Also with digital cameras noise is an issue with longer exposures.

Very true... many P&S cameras will let you fiddle with the settings, but not all. My wife's camera is a decent enough camera, but it won't even let you force the flash to fire! If you can adjust shutter, ISO, etc., then a P&S can give you some pretty cool images. I had never tried long exposure photography because I didn't want to lug a tripod around; on my last trip in Oct./Nov. '10, I stumbled upon the trashcan tripod. I used the zoom and my KTTW wedged under the body of the camera to frame my shots, but I still managed pretty well I think (I don't believe in Photoshop).

My first attempt was with the camera on those stone barriers around World Showcase lagoon right after Illuminations:

After that, it was fences, trashcans, steps, benches, the ground or whatever I could find.

This yo-yo shot is my favorite. The camera was balanced very precariously on my open clamshell phone in order to get the yo-yo in the shot from the ground (no trashcans around). In a happy accident, the grass was so close to the camera (I probably thought it was out of the shot) that it seems to be in scale with the yo-yo.

In two days, I will be headed back to the World with a Gorillapod.

 

[WDWFigment]

To say you can take that type of shot with any camera is misleading. especially when the accompanying images are heavily photoshopped.

You need to have some control over exposure, either via ISO/aperture or shutterspeed. Also with digital cameras noise is an issue with longer exposures.

How is Photoshop relevant? You can edit any image in photoshop, so it doesn't matter if it's taken with a DSLR or point and shoot.

Three of the images I posted were, with the exception of cropping, straightening, and white balance adjustments, pretty much straight out of the camera.

Very true... many P&S cameras will let you fiddle with the settings, but not all. My wife's camera is a decent enough camera, but it won't even let you force the flash to fire! If you can adjust shutter, ISO, etc., then a P&S can give you some pretty cool images. I had never tried long exposure photography because I didn't want to lug a tripod around; on my last trip in Oct./Nov. '10, I stumbled upon the trashcan tripod. I used the zoom and my KTTW wedged under the body of the camera to frame my shots, but I still managed pretty well I think (I don't believe in Photoshop).

Let me assure you, it does exist.

Joking aside, I don't understand comments like these. I think they are based more on fear of the unknown (Photoshop is a complex and often difficult to use program for the beginner) than anything else. Photoshop is another tool at the photographer's disposal. Why not use it? Back in the film era, photographers edited their photos in the dark room. Photoshop is the digital equivalent of the dark room. To not believe in its use is to handicap yourself, in my opinion.

Now, it's another story entirely if you just don't want to mess with using it. That I can understand, as PS can take a lot of time to use.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

How is Photoshop relevant? You can edit any image in photoshop, so it doesn't matter if it's taken with a DSLR or point and shoot.

Three of the images I posted were, with the exception of cropping, straightening, and white balance adjustments, pretty much straight out of the camera.

.

Id have thought that it was very relevant in a post that says you can take similar shots with a compact. Purely from an expectations level. :shrug:

I just assumed that most of the images the hue and saturation had been influenced by more than a change of white balance and for that you need basic editing software. I agree its nothing to be frightened of but you need to capture the image to edit it and I think you were a little blasé about the ease of doing that with a compact. But composition is not down to make and model of camera on that I agree.