Long exposure

  • Thread starter Thread starter GrantMcscott
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GrantMcscott

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Hi
I went out last night for the first time to take some pictures at night. I have a Nikon D40 with kit lens 18 – 55 mm.

The camera kept stating that subject was to dark and would only let me select the bulb option for shutter. This would let me decide how long the shutter would be open for, for which I would have no clue to make sure the picture is properly exposed.

Is this normal and when people take there long exposures at night decide how long to keep the shutter open for or do they use a flash gun?

Thanks
 
What is the subject of your photographs? If it is something close-up (within 10 feet or so), then you are better off using the flash gun. The same is true if it is a moving subject.

Otherwise you will need to tripod-mount, use Bulb mode and open the shutter for 30 seconds or so. It is a case of trial-and-error to find out how long the shutter needs to stay open for and you will need a cable release (or the ML-L3 remote) to ensure that the camera doesn't shake when you press the shutter release button.
 
It is a bridge so i will give it ago again tonight if it is not to windy

thanks
 
It might be a good idea to put the camera in Manual with say 20-30sec exposure on f22, make sure your ISO is set to the lowest 100/200 and if focus is your problem just pick a lightened area that the AF will pick up, f22 will maximise your depth of field anyway :)
 
But F22 will make the shot soft,won,t it?.:shrug:
 
If you have not got a remote just cover the front of the lens when you push the shutter button - a hand will work but black card is better - and take it away once the shutter is open. You can do the same at the end of your exposure when you press the shutter button to stop the exposure. The timing for such long exposures does not have to be too precise, 18 secs will be about the same as 20 secs so don't worry too much about the time taken to cover and uncover the lens.
Don't forget to cover the eyepiece to stop light getting in that way, it will mean that you will have to manual focus - or autofocus and then switch to manual.
Have fun :)
 
jockwav said:
But F22 will make the shot soft,won,t it?.:shrug:
Click to expand...

More to the point, it's largely pointless - unless you're looking for a specific flare pattern from point source lights in the scene. Hyperfocal at 50mm focal length on a D40 is about 11m at f/11. Shooting at night you don't need to close-up the aperture to force a long exposure.

Set the camera in matrix/evaluative (or whatever Nikon calls it) metering, set the ISO at its lowest (100 or 200), set the shutterspeed to 30 seconds. Now adjust the aperture until the camera will let you take an image. Check the LCD/histogram for the result -adjust to increase/decrease the exposure as required until it looks the way you want. If you run out of aperture, increase the ISO by 2 stops and repeat.

Ultimately bulb mode is the way to go, but that's easier with a remote (and much easier with a remote timer). The above will get you going for now. It will also give you a base exposure to work from. So if you find (for example) that ISO400, f/5.6 and 30 seconds gives you the result.. you also know that if you had a remote and were using bulb mode that ISO200 and f/11 would give the same result with 4 minutes.

One thing to remember, with bulb mode and long exposures you do not have to be all that accurate when it comes to shutter speed. With a one minute exposure, a few seconds longer or shorter will make a barely perceptible difference to the result. Long exposures at night are very forgiving and easier than most people think before they try it.
 
Hi
The aperture was as wide as it would go and iso was 200 but the camera only gave me the option of bulb mode.

Would it be better to set the camera to iso 400 or 800 so I can use say f11

thanks
 
GrantMcscott said:
Hi
The aperture was as wide as it would go and iso was 200 but the camera only gave me the option of bulb mode.

Would it be better to set the camera to iso 400 or 800 so I can use say f11

thanks
Click to expand...

Start by keeping the aperture wide open, and upping the ISO until you get a shot without going into bulb. If you're not getting a shot now, with the aperture wide open.. stopping it down is only going to mean you'll have to up the ISO even further.
  • MANUAL mode.
  • Open the aperture as wide as possible.
  • Set the shutter speed to 30 seconds.
  • Up the ISO until the meter in the viewfinder is giving you an exposure of about -1 1/3 stops from the middle (it is night after all, you want some darkness).

The alternative is Shutter Priority mode, set the shutter speed at 30 seconds, set the ISO to Auto.. see what happens (use a tripod and 2- or 10-second shutter delay timer). That will at least give you a base image (probably over-exposed) with exif data that when you put it on this thread alongside the image will give us enough information to help you further.
 
Alistair I will give it a go tonight and post the results and exif data

thanks for your help hopefully i will get there soon and a good understanding of what I am doing

thanks
Grant
 
GrantMcscott said:
Alistair I will give it a go tonight and post the results and exif data

thanks for your help hopefully i will get there soon and a good understanding of what I am doing

thanks
Grant
Click to expand...
Grant,

My trick to understanding all of this was a combination of tutorials on the internet, several of which were referred to me from this website. Long exposure, night-time photography and bulb mode tutorials will all be invaluable.
 
Hi
Astraeus i think you are right and just need to keep reading and practicing what i learn in the tutorials

DSC_0368.jpg

exif1.JPG
 
Last edited by a moderator:
GrantMcscott said:
Hi
Astraeus i think you are right and just need to keep reading and practicing what i learn in the tutorials

DSC_0368.jpg

exif1.JPG
Click to expand...

That is probably overexposed - some of the crispness is lost on account of the abundance of light and certainly the detail of the arch of the bridge has been diminished. For that, I would be tempted to stop down the aperture towards f/22 and see what type of result you end up with. If it is still a bit lacking in sharpness, I'd then shorten the shutter speed. This photo would be more dramatic if the sky was blacker and the lights slightly less illuminating.
 
thanks for that I will give it another go also there is a street light to the left hand side which probably does not help as it is casting light on to the bridge.

thanks for the advise and i will keep practacing until I get them right
 
That's not a bad first go Grant, as above it's perhaps a stop or so slightly over-exposed to my eye. But that's not far off by any standard.
 
Well it is the weekend again and I went back for another go but when I got there I relised i had left my ML-L3 remote on my desk but gaver it ago anyway.

F22 30 second exposure

6775195475_8d10ff8291.jpg


6775195233_feca25c3a5.jpg
 
That's much better Grant :thumbs:
 
What ISO was you using on your second go?, really like them. I couldn't get the aperture that high without losing to much light. I don't have a remote but simply put the camera on a 2 second timer. I had my first go to last night so been reading this thread with interest. :)
 
Grant, I suspect you can see for yourself that this represents a quite significant improvement - very well done. The second picture is an absolute gem!
 
Astraeus said:
That is probably overexposed - some of the crispness is lost on account of the abundance of light and certainly the detail of the arch of the bridge has been diminished. For that, I would be tempted to stop down the aperture towards f/22 and see what type of result you end up with. If it is still a bit lacking in sharpness, I'd then shorten the shutter speed.
Click to expand...

Why not try a shorter shutter speed first? That would avoid any possible diffraction problems. And DoF doesn't seem to be a problem.
 
hollis_f said:
Why not try a shorter shutter speed first? That would avoid any possible diffraction problems. And DoF doesn't seem to be a problem.
Click to expand...

Very true. Certainly the other option. :thumbs:

GrantMcscott said:
Thanks for the help and now it is practice practice
Click to expand...

Lot of fun to be had with long exposure shots so you should really enjoy your practice. Good luck Grant! :clap:
 
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