Long exposure times permit the camera to gather enough light to take a quality photo, even in the darkest of environments. If you want to keep the noise levels low and use lower ISO levels in dark environments long exposure times can be very useful. Most people don't normally need to take very long exposure photos, but they can provide an amazing creative opportunity for those interested. For example you can take long exposure shots of the night sky to capture the movement of stars across the sky, capture nigh-time vistas, landscapes at dusk, turn water in to flowing clouds, and add blur to photos for effect.
Get Creative with Long Exposures
The following photos demonstrate how long exposure time can create photos that would otherwise be impossible.
Nighttime Landscape
This photo by
Amir K via flickr shows a great late night landscape. The longer exposure clips out and blends the lights and smooths the water and sky leaving the landscape in crisp detail. Shot on a
Canon XSi entry-level dSLR Flowing Water Effect
This photo by
Neils Photography illustrate a 4s long exposure of a waterfall via a
Canon EOS 400D a f/16 18mm. The long exposure turns the waterfall and water into pillowing clouds creating a wonderful calming interpretation.
Nighttime Snow
Paulo Brandao's great nighttime shot uses a super long 124 second exposure using a
Nikon D90, the effect is a wonderfully dark interpretation of the trees and snow at night with rays of light bursting through from the house beyond. Shot at 18mm f10 ISO 100.
Nighttime Highway Scene
This photo by
nrbelex via flickr shows a fantastic interpretation of a nighttime highway - using a long exposure to turn the taillights in to bands of light trailing up the photo to the horizon. Shot with a
Canon XTi.
Great Digicams with Long Exposures
Entry Level SLRs with Long Exposures
The following entry level DSLRs provide at least a 30s exposure
Discussion
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or nikon p510?