Long Exposure Question

[b0ng0]

Hi I was wondering - if I want to take a long exposure (say 6-10s) photo during daytime, how can I get a normal looking image from it. When I try with that length of exposure, the photo just looks totally white. Is some PP required?

Thanks.

[cdifoto]

You need to stop your aperture down and/or lower the ISO to obtain proper exposure.

[Mike]

You might want to get some neutral density filters too which reduce the amount of light that gets through and thus allowing longer exposures.

[akprice]

if you want to take long exposure during the day, the best way to achieve this is to do this on a cloudy day. the cloud cover will diffuse and spread the light evenly and make it much easier to take longer exposures. i take quite a few waterfall pictures and use long exposures to get that silky feel of the water. without a nd filter this is very hard if it's sunny out. so i usually wait until it's a cloudy day out. the use of nd, polarizing and nd grad filters help out tremendously as the others have said.

[Mark_Cohran]

To take a long exposure outside during the day you need to:

1. Reduce ISO to minimum
2. Stop down the aperture, but be aware that when shooting above about f/11 you start to get progressively more impact on sharpness due to diffraction.
3. Reduce the light entering the lens (using neutral density filters).

In most cases, your going to always do 1, and should probably use a combination of 2 & 3, though if you want a larger aperture, you're going to have to do 3.

[shannyD]

To take a long exposure you need outside during the day need to:

1. Reduce ISO to minimum
2. Stop down the aperture, but be aware that shooting aboveabout f/11 you start to get progressively more impact on sharpness due to diffraction.
3. Reduce the light entering the lens (using neutral density filters).

In most cases, your going to always do 1, and should probably use a combination of 2 & 3, though if you want a larger aperture, you're going to have to do 3.

awesome advice, and mark.. this is the first time that i havent seen women hanging on you in your Avitar.

[Mark_Cohran]

awesome advice, and mark.. this is the first time that i havent seen women hanging on you in your Avitar.

That's my granddaughter - doesn't she count? :)