Long Exposure
Long exposure is the most ambitious shutter technique: exposures of tens of seconds to minutes that compress time into a single frame. Clouds stretch into streaks, water dissolves into mist, crowds of people vanish into ghosts, and stars arc across the sky.
Everything depends on a rock-solid setup — a sturdy tripod, or the camera wedged dead-still on a ledge or railing, plus a remote or timer — because the smallest movement over that much time ruins the shot.
In daylight there's far too much light for a multi-second exposure, so you'll need a strong ND filter to avoid a pure-white photo. At night (clouds, stars) it's much more forgiving. For exposures longer than 30 seconds, switch your camera to Bulb mode.
Start after dark — no filter needed: ISO 100, manual focus, 20–30s of moving clouds, with the camera on a tripod or wedged dead-still and a 2-second timer. Go further: stack many 30s frames or use Bulb for star trails. The daytime version is the advanced step — it needs a strong ND filter (e.g. ND1000) at 30s+.
Time is visibly smoothed — clouds become streaks, water becomes mist, or moving people fade away — while fixed elements stay sharp. It should look unmistakably like a long exposure.
The assignment
Use an extended exposure for dramatic time-smoothing — star trails, moving clouds, or a crowd dissolving into ghosts.
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