Long Exposure photography

Ever wondered how do photographers click those beautiful images with light trails created from moving cars on a highway or airplane lights? Long exposure photography is the trick!

I took this image capturing the beautiful golden light trails on one way and the smooth red lines on the other side, few years back, which used long exposure photography technique.

Light Trail Effect using the lights from vehicles on a highway in Sydney

Long exposure photography is the technique which helps us create a blurry effect using objects in motion. Technically speaking, if we keep the camera sensor exposed to light for a longer period of time, it captures the motion of the objects to form a smooth, blurry effect.

Long exposure photography will create different kind of effect in different situations. For e.g. you must have seen images of a waterfall which looks like a smooth and dreamy stream instead of water droplets flowing incoherently. In low light conditions, leaving the shutter open for longer duration will make the objects looks much more bright.

Below are some of the images I have captured over the years which use this technique to create some scintillating images. Will write more about these specific situations and how I captured it in a separate post.

  • Beautiful New York City Skyline
  • New York Skyline with One World Trade Centre in the view
  • Fairmont La Chateau Frontenac Hotel in Quebec City. This picture was taken at 1 am at night and the hotel was hardly visible with naked eye.
  • Jacques Cartier Bridge, Montreal, Canada
  • Buckingham Fountain with the Chicago Skyline in backdrop
  • Penobscot Narrows Bridge, Maine, US
  • Long exposure shot of the Sydney Opera House with the Sydney Harbor Bridge in the background taken from Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair

Long exposure photography, specially at night, is one of my favorites. They do require lot of time(sometimes hours) as well as planning so that you are at the right place at the right time. But, the outcome is more than worth the pain!

I would love to hear about your thoughts on these images or in case you use long exposure photography, please share your pictures!