This Tutorial requires a bit of advanced knowledge of your camera. Mine is a Fuji FP s5600 so the commands should practically be the same as the ones found at any other camera.

How long is a long exposure?
Well, that depends. On most cameras it is 15 seconds. On some semi-pro cameras it can go up to 30 seconds or even higher. The lowest exposure time is usually 1/2000 but the figures can vary. These figures mean the time the light has to get to the cameras sensor, thus lightening or darkening an image. 1/2000 or 1/50 mean a 50th or a 2000th of a second. To see some samples, check out the Long Exposure article.

How can I create a long exposure effect?
This effect can be created via the camera menu. Note that each camera has its own way of setting the values. Usually, the exposure time can be set by pushing the up/down arrows which are located near the LCD screen. This operation can only be done when the camera is in photo mode.

So, what is the purpose of this tutorial?
This tutorial aims to teach the mid-end user how to create stunning photographs using long exposure times.

Step I - The big red button
Mine's silver. But that doesn't matter. The important thing is to switch on your camera. At night. Yup, you heard me. Even though a sane person would avoid this as it leads to poor quality photos, this is what you must do in order to "play" with the light.

Step II - The source
As a source of light, everything can be used, from LED's to military spotlights. If you really can't find any light around, use the camera flash. You'll love it.

Step III - Capturing the light
You can start by setting the camera to Manual mode [the big M]. Then set the exposure time to 5 seconds or more. Once you've done that, grab a source of light or, if the source is immovable grab the camera. With a firm grip of the camera/light start taking the photo and at the same time start shaking the source of light/camera.
By the way, the longer the exposure time is, the brighter the final image will be, so I recommend using the 15" exposure only when you're in the middle of nowhere and there is no light whatsoever. Also, by using the 15" time you can see the stars :D Their light will appear on the night sky if you keep the camera still.

Step IV - The artistic touch
For a real handsome effect you can go for shaking patterns such as triangles, hearts and circles. The amount of compositions you can achieve by this technique is endless.

• Long Exposure