Long-exposure photography

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A long-exposure photograph of a street in Carson, California, 1986. The trails along the street are from headlights and taillights, while the circles in the sky are from a police helicopter. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Helicopter - 01.jpg
A long-exposure photograph of a street in Carson, California, 1986. The trails along the street are from headlights and taillights, while the circles in the sky are from a police helicopter.
The central square of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany, during blue hour. Notice how a long exposure blurs moving vehicles and pedestrians while buildings retain sharp focus. Rothenburg Market panorama.jpg
The central square of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany, during blue hour. Notice how a long exposure blurs moving vehicles and pedestrians while buildings retain sharp focus.
In this 45-minute exposure taken on a dark clear night at Paranal Observatory, the stars leave trails as they appear to revolve around the south celestial pole (left), due to Earth's rotation. Paranal Starry Night.jpg
In this 45-minute exposure taken on a dark clear night at Paranal Observatory, the stars leave trails as they appear to revolve around the south celestial pole (left), due to Earth's rotation.
Long-exposure photograph of a break in pool 8 ball break time lapse.jpg
Long-exposure photograph of a break in pool

Long-exposure, time-exposure, or slow-shutter photography involves using a long-duration shutter speed to sharply capture the stationary elements of images while blurring, smearing, or obscuring the moving elements. Long-exposure photography captures one element that conventional photography does not: an extended period of time.

Contents

The paths of bright moving objects become clearly visible—clouds form broad bands, vehicle lights draw bright streaks, stars leave trails in the sky, and water waves appear smooth. Only bright objects leave visible trails, whereas dark objects usually disappear. Boats in long exposures disappear during the daytime, but draw bright trails from their lights at night.

Technique

Freight train passing through Gore, New Zealand. The 'BULB' mode on a DSLR camera was used for this photo. Note the "flashing" of the locomotive ditch lights. Long exposure train night shot.jpg
Freight train passing through Gore, New Zealand. The 'BULB' mode on a DSLR camera was used for this photo. Note the "flashing" of the locomotive ditch lights.

While there is no fixed definition of what constitutes "long", the intent is to create a photo that somehow shows the effect of passing time, be it smoother waters or light trails. A 30-minute photo of a static object and surrounding cannot be distinguished from a short exposure; hence, the inclusion of motion is the main factor to add intrigue to long exposure photos. Images with exposure times of several minutes also tend to make moving people or dark objects disappear (because they are in any one spot for only a fraction of the exposure time), often adding a serene and otherworldly appearance to long exposure photos.

A 30-second exposure showing candlelight trails in a Romanian cathedral Easter in Romania.jpg
A 30-second exposure showing candlelight trails in a Romanian cathedral

When a scene includes both stationary and moving subjects (for example, a fixed street and moving cars or a camera within a car showing a fixed dashboard and moving scenery), a slow shutter speed can cause interesting effects, such as light trails.

Long exposures are easiest to accomplish in low-light conditions but can be done in brighter light using neutral density filters or specially designed cameras. When using a dense neutral density filter, a camera's auto focus will not be able to function. It is best to compose and focus without the filter. Then once one is happy with the composition, they can switch to manual focus and put the neutral density filter back on. [1]

Applications

Star-trail photography

A star-trail photograph uses long exposure times to capture the apparent motion of stars in the night sky due to Earth's rotation. A star-trail photograph shows individual stars as streaks across the image, with longer exposures yielding longer arcs.

Night photography

30-second long-exposure shot of nocturnal insects flying in front of a spotlight Insect flights in the night in front of a spotlight HP L7869.jpg
30-second long-exposure shot of nocturnal insects flying in front of a spotlight

Long-exposure photography is often used in a night-time setting, where the lack of light forces longer exposures, if maximum quality is to be retained. Increasing ISO sensitivity allows for shorter exposures, but substantially decreases image quality through reduced dynamic range and higher noise. By leaving the camera's shutter open for an extended period of time, more light is absorbed, creating an exposure that captures the entire dynamic range of the digital camera sensor or film. If the camera is stationary for the entire period of time that the shutter is open, a very vibrant and clear photograph can be produced. [4]

Light painting

Example of light painting using long-exposure shot LightPaintingExample.jpg
Example of light painting using long-exposure shot

In this technique, a scene is kept very dark and the photographer or an assistant takes a light source—it can be small penlight—and moves it about in patterns. The light source can be turned off between strokes. Often, stationary objects in the scene are illuminated by briefly turning on studio lights, by one or more flashes from a strobe light, or by increasing the aperture. [5]

Water and long exposure

A 30-second-long exposure sharply captured the still elements of this image while blurring the waterfall into a mist-like appearance. Debris in the swirling water in the pool forms complete circles. Elakala Waterfalls Swirling Pool Mossy Rocks.jpg
A 30-second-long exposure sharply captured the still elements of this image while blurring the waterfall into a mist-like appearance. Debris in the swirling water in the pool forms complete circles.

Long exposures can blur moving water so it has mist-like qualities while keeping stationary objects like land and structures sharp. [6] Varying the shutter speed can produce different effects, preserving some of the water's turbulence or smoothing it out entirely. [7]

Solarigraphy

A one-year exposure showing sun trails for the entire year of 2014, taken in Budapest, Hungary Solargraph from Sashegy - Budapest, 2014.01.01 - 2014.12.31 (1).jpg
A one-year exposure showing sun trails for the entire year of 2014, taken in Budapest, Hungary

Solarigraphy (or solargraphy) is a technique in which a fixed pinhole camera is used to expose photographic paper for a length of time that is typically 6-months, but can be as short as a few hours and last well over a year. Depending on the length of the exposure the resulting image shows the path of the Sun across the sky [8] both from dawn until dusk, but also from North to South (or vice versa) between the solstices. Each light streak in a solargraphic image represents one day. Where light streaks are broken or missing indicates obstruction of the sun, which is caused by cloud cover.

Frequently, cameras are made from upcycled aluminum or tin cans which can be made light-tight and are generally weatherproof for the time needed to make the exposure. Apertures usually range in fractions of a millimeter. An example is a single six-month exposure taken by photographer Justin Quinnell, showing sun-trails over Clifton Suspension Bridge between 19 December 2007 and 21 June 2008. Part of the Slow light: 6 months over Bristol exhibition, Quinnell describes the piece as capturing "a period of time beyond what we can perceive with our own vision." [8] This method of solargraphy uses a simple pinhole camera securely fixed in a position which won't be disturbed. [8] Quinnell's camera was made with an empty drink can and a sheet of photographic paper. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Photography</span> Art and practice of creating images by recording light

Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed in many fields of science, manufacturing, and business, as well as its more direct uses for art, film and video production, recreational purposes, hobby, and mass communication.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camera</span> Optical device for recording images

A camera is an instrument used to capture and store images and videos, either digitally via an electronic image sensor, or chemically via a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. As a pivotal technology in the fields of photography and videography, cameras have played a significant role in the progression of visual arts, media, entertainment, surveillance, and scientific research. The invention of the camera dates back to the 19th century and has since evolved with advancements in technology, leading to a vast array of types and models in the 21st century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinhole camera</span> Type of camera

A pinhole camera is a simple camera without a lens but with a tiny aperture —effectively a light-proof box with a small hole in one side. Light from a scene passes through the aperture and projects an inverted image on the opposite side of the box, which is known as the camera obscura effect. The size of the images depends on the distance between the object and the pinhole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Astrophotography</span> Imaging of astronomical objects

Astrophotography, also known as astronomical imaging, is the photography or imaging of astronomical objects, celestial events, or areas of the night sky. The first photograph of an astronomical object was taken in 1840, but it was not until the late 19th century that advances in technology allowed for detailed stellar photography. Besides being able to record the details of extended objects such as the Moon, Sun, and planets, modern astrophotography has the ability to image objects outside of the visible spectrum of the human eye such as dim stars, nebulae, and galaxies. This is accomplished through long time exposure as both film and digital cameras can accumulate and sum photons over long periods of time or using specialized optical filters which limit the photons to a certain wavelength.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shutter speed</span> Length of time when the film or digital sensor inside a camera is exposed to light

In photography, shutter speed or exposure time is the length of time that the film or digital sensor inside the camera is exposed to light when taking a photograph. The amount of light that reaches the film or image sensor is proportional to the exposure time. 1500 of a second will let half as much light in as 1250.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exposure (photography)</span> Amount of light captured by a camera

In photography, exposure is the amount of light per unit area reaching a frame of photographic film or the surface of an electronic image sensor. It is determined by shutter speed, lens F-number, and scene luminance. Exposure is measured in units of lux-seconds, and can be computed from exposure value (EV) and scene luminance in a specified region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motion blur</span> Photography artifact from moving objects

Motion blur is the apparent streaking of moving objects in a photograph or a sequence of frames, such as a film or animation. It results when the image being recorded changes during the recording of a single exposure, due to rapid movement or long exposure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camera lens</span> Optical lens or assembly of lenses used with a camera to create images

A camera lens is an optical lens or assembly of lenses used in conjunction with a camera body and mechanism to make images of objects either on photographic film or on other media capable of storing an image chemically or electronically.

Panoramic photography is a technique of photography, using specialized equipment or software, that captures images with horizontally elongated fields of view. It is sometimes known as wide format photography. The term has also been applied to a photograph that is cropped to a relatively wide aspect ratio, like the familiar letterbox format in wide-screen video.

The science of photography is the use of chemistry and physics in all aspects of photography. This applies to the camera, its lenses, physical operation of the camera, electronic camera internals, and the process of developing film in order to take and develop pictures properly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shutter (photography)</span> Component of a photographic camera

In photography, a shutter is a device that allows light to pass for a determined period, exposing photographic film or a photosensitive digital sensor to light in order to capture a permanent image of a scene. A shutter can also be used to allow pulses of light to pass outwards, as seen in a movie projector or a signal lamp. A shutter of variable speed is used to control exposure time of the film. The shutter is constructed so that it automatically closes after a certain required time interval. The speed of the shutter is controlled either automatically by the camera based on the overall settings of the camera, manually through digital settings, or manually by a ring outside the camera on which various timings are marked.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neutral-density filter</span> Device in optics that reduces light intensity

In photography and optics, a neutral-density filter, or ND filter, is a filter that reduces or modifies the intensity of all wavelengths, or colors, of light equally, giving no changes in hue of color rendition. It can be a colorless (clear) or grey filter, and is denoted by Wratten number 96. The purpose of a standard photographic neutral-density filter is to reduce the amount of light entering the lens. Doing so allows the photographer to select combinations of aperture, exposure time and sensor sensitivity that would otherwise produce overexposed pictures. This is done to achieve effects such as a shallower depth of field or motion blur of a subject in a wider range of situations and atmospheric conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-speed photography</span> Photography genre

High-speed photography is the science of taking pictures of very fast phenomena. In 1948, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) defined high-speed photography as any set of photographs captured by a camera capable of 69 frames per second or greater, and of at least three consecutive frames. High-speed photography can be considered to be the opposite of time-lapse photography.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports photography</span> Photography genre

Sports photography refers to the genre of photography that covers all types of sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital camera modes</span> User selectable camera configurations

Most digital cameras support the ability to choose among a number of configurations, or modes for use in various situations. Professional DSLR cameras provide several manual modes; consumer point-and-shoot cameras emphasize automatic modes; amateur prosumer cameras often have a wide variety of both manual and automatic modes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landscape photography</span> Photography genre

Landscape photography shows the spaces within the world, sometimes vast and unending, but other times microscopic. Landscape photographs typically capture the presence of nature but can also focus on human-made features or disturbances of landscapes. Landscape photography is done for a variety of reasons. Perhaps the most common is to recall a personal observation or experience while in the outdoors, especially when traveling. Others pursue it particularly as an outdoor lifestyle, to be involved with nature and the elements, some as an escape from the artificial world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intentional camera movement</span>

In intentional camera movement (ICM), a camera is moved during the exposure for a creative or artistic effect. This causes the image points to move across the recording medium, producing varied effects such as streaking, textures, and layers in the resulting image. The central idea in ICM photography is that motion serves as the primary compositional element. Strict technical or definitional arguments remain vague in this form of photography which has a long history and is connected with many other forms of photography, such as Impressionism and often blurs genres and styles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Star trail</span> Type of long exposure photograph

A star trail is a type of photograph that uses long exposure times to capture diurnal circles, the apparent motion of stars in the night sky due to Earth's rotation. A star-trail photograph shows individual stars as streaks across the image, with longer exposures yielding longer arcs. The term is used for similar photos captured elsewhere, such as on board the International Space Station and on Mars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strip photography</span> Type of photographic technique

Strip photography, or slit photography, is a photographic technique of capturing a two-dimensional image as a sequence of one-dimensional images over time, in contrast to a normal photo which is a single two-dimensional image at one point in time. A moving scene is recorded, over a period of time, using a camera that observes a narrow strip rather than the full field. If the subject is moving through this observed strip at constant speed, they will appear in the finished photo as a visible object. Stationary objects, like the background, will be the same the whole way across the photo and appear as stripes along the time axis; see examples on this page.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solarigraphy</span> Photographic technique

Solarigraphy is a concept and a photographic practice based on the observation of the sun path in the sky and its effect on the landscape, captured by a specific procedure that combines pinhole photography and digital processing. Invented around 2000, solarigraphy uses photographic paper without chemical processing, a pinhole camera and a scanner to create images that catch the daily journey of the sun along the sky with very long exposure times, from several hours to several years. The longest known solarigraph was captured over the course of eight years. Solarigraphy is an extreme case of long-exposure photography, and the non-conventional use of photosensitive materials is what makes it different to other methods of sun paths capture such as the Yamazaki´s "heliographys"

References

  1. Elliot Hook (25 September 2012). "8 Tips for long exposure photography". Digital Photography School. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  2. "Venus Transit Seen Reflected from the Moon". ESO Announcement. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
  3. "The constellation of Cassiopeia over a thunderstorm". www.eso.org. European Southern Observatory . Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  4. "School of Photography". Archived from the original on 1 September 2010. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  5. Greenspun, Philip (January 2007). "Studio Photography Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine ". Photo.net.
  6. Digital Photography Review
  7. photopigs
  8. 1 2 3 Lucy Dodwell (4 October 2008). "Watching the sun go by". New Scientist. 200 (2676). Reed Business Information.
  9. "Stunning photographs of landmark captured over six-month period". The Daily Telegraph. London. 21 November 2008. p. 1. Retrieved 9 September 2010.

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