Long Exposure Tutorial | Photography Tips

I’ll use an entry-level DSLR and standard kit lens (18-55mm f/3.5 – 5.6) as an example.

• Strap your camera to a tripod.
• Set the focal length to 18mm.(Zoom out as far as possible)
• Switch your camera to manual mode
• Set the aperture as low as it can go, in this case, it will be f/3.5
• Set the ISO to 3200.
• Set the shutter speed to 30 seconds.
• Find the farthest light in the distance – allow your camera to focus on it – set your lens to manual (This will lock the focus – be careful not touch the aperture ring as this will adjust your focus again.)
• Place your camera and tripod on the ground and point it in the direction you want to capture the stars.
• Take your picture
• Wait 30 seconds
• And there you have your picture.

Editing Process

Editing will play a significant role to enhance your image. Using a free app like VSCO, Snapseed or Lightroom Mobile will get the job done.

I’ll use Snapseed for this tutorial. (Keep in mind our settings will differ)

I started by adjusting the color curves and creating the standard S-curve for all of the colors. (Including the RGB circle)

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Then I adjusted the basics;

• Brightness +55
• Contrast +25
• Saturation +50
• Ambiance +16
• Highlights +40
• Shadows -10
• I added a vignette with the outer brightness set to -25 and the inner brightness set to +50.
• I adjusted the white balance just slightly setting the temperature(it will give your photo either a cold or warm feel) to +7 and the tint(green or purple) to +16.

There you have it. Good luck and have fun!

Let me know how it goes. Feel free to tag me on Instagram!

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