By, Maruta Sipols 

2 Types of Long Exposure Photography

Painting with Light

Materials:

• whisk

• string/rope

• plain steel wool

• lighter

• tripod

• subject

Pre-photo Tips:

• Have subjects wear clothing that can be damaged.

• Set up equipment etc. in a spacious, dark place outdoors.

Steps:

• Cut a piece of rope/string that is to your desired length. Then loop the rope through the whisk and tie tightly.

• Fill the whisk with some steel wool.

• Have your subject stand where you would like.

• Set up your tripod with your camera and take test photos with flash to test where your subject should stand.

• Once subject is in place and camera is focused properly, switch to manual focus and shutter priority mode.

• Make sure your subject does not move from their position.

• When in shutter priority, adjust shutter speed to 10 sec. and adjust exposure as desired. (I underexposed a couple of stops)

• Light the steel wool and have the subject swing the string in a circular motion.

• Take the photo and have the subject keep a continuous motion until the photo is complete.

• Review your photo and adjust exposure, the position of your subject, and anything else to improve your photo.

WARNING: There is a chance that you can burn yourself or light something on fire. Therefore, make sure you are in an open place without flammable things nearby, and where clothing you do not mind damaging. The steel wool burns really quickly so it is not likely that something will ignite but err on the side of caution.

Long Exposure: Sunlight/Sunset

Materials:

• tripod

• neutral density filter

• subject (optional)

Steps:

• Find a sunset or scene that you would like to shoot.

• Set up tripod and apply a neutral density filter to your camera.

  • The neutral density filter is used to filter out unneeded light, sort of like sunglasses for your camera

• If using a subject, place them in your desired position.

• Use shutter priority and adjust your camera to a longer shutter speed. (I used 5 seconds)

• I also recommend underexposing by a couple of stop to really accent the color of your sunset.

• Take photo and review it and adjust your settings if you want to change something.