LONG EXPOSURE C H E A T S H E E T

USE THELOWEST ISOYOU CAN

USE A NEUTRALDENSITY FILTER

USE A HIGHERF-STOPNUMBER

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YOUR IN-THE-FIELD CHEAT SHEET FOR MAKING LONGEXPOSURE PHOTOS

USING THE LOWEST ISO YOUR CAMERAWILL ALLOW, WILL GIVE YOU SLOWERSHUTTER SPEEDS, WITHOUT PUTTING ANYFILTERS ON. IT'S USUALLY 100 OR 200 ONMOST CAMERAS BUT SOME WILL GODOWN TO ISO 50 OR 64

IF YOU'VE TRIED 1 & 2 AND YOUSTILL NEED A LONGERSHUTTER SPEED, THEN IT'STIME FOR A NEUTRAL DENSITYFILTER.

2USING SMALLER APERTURES LIKE F/16 OR F/22 (HIGHERTHE F-STOP NUMBER THE LESS LIGHT THE CAMERA WILLLET IN), WILL ALSO MAKE YOUR SHUTTER SPEEDS LONGER

USE YOURPOLARIZER IFYOU HAVENOTHING ELSE

WHEN USING 6-

10 STOP NDFILTERS

WHEN USING 1-4 STOPFILTERS...

TIP

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YOUR POLARIZING FILTER CANSERVE AS A 1-STOP-ISH NDFILTER IF YOU PUT IT ON.

COMES IN HANDY IF YOU JUSTDON'T HAVE ANY OTHERFILTERS WITH YOU.

IF YOU'RE SHOOTING IN LOWLIGHT OR USING VERY DARK NDFILTERS (6 - 10 STOPS), YOURCAMERA MOST LIKELY WON'T BEABLE TO METER OR FOCUS.

FIRST, WITH NO FILTER ON, SETYOUR CAMERA TO APERTUREPRIORITY MODE.

5YOUR CAMERA SHOULD STILL BE ABLE TO FOCUSAND METER WTIH A 1-4 STOP FILTER ON IT. IN WHICHCASE, JUST PROCEED LIKE YOU NORMALLY WOULDFOR EVERY OTHER PHOTO. IN APERTURE PRIORITYMODE, JUST BY PUTTING THE FILTER ON, YOURCAMERA WILL AUTOMATICALLY ADJUST TO GIVE YOUA LONGER SHUTTER SPEED.

4QUICK GUIDE FORCHOOSING THERIGHT FILTER

MID-DAY (SUNNY DAY): 10-STOP FILTER OR MORE

MID-DAY (CLOUDY DAY) 6-10 STOP FILTER

SUNSET (BEFORE SUN GOES DOWN): 3-6-STOP FILTER

SUNSET (AFTER SUN GOES DOWN): 1-2 STOP FILTER (OR NONE)

SUNRISE (BEFORE SUN COMES UP): 1-2-STOP FILTER (OR NONE)

SUNRISE (AFTER SUN COMES UP): 3-6 STOP FILTER

SET YOURCAMERA TOMANUAL MODE

CALCULATEYOUR NEWSHUTTER SPEED

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NOW SET YOUR CAMERA TOMANUAL FOCUS. REMEMBERYOU'VE ALREADY LOCKED INTHE FOCUS IN THE PREVIOUSSTEP SO DON'T TRY TO RE-

FOCUS THE SHOT FROM THISPOINT ON.

NOW SET YOUR CAMERA TO MANUAL MODESO YOU CAN MANUALLY CHOOSE THEAPERTURE AND SHUTTER SPEEDS.

REMEMBER THE APERTURE YOU HAD IN THEPREVIOUS STEPS? SET THE APERTURE TOTHE SAME F-STOP NUMBER.

USING AN APP OR ND CALCULATOR,

ENTER THE SHUTTER SPEED YOUNOTED BACK IN STEP 7. THEN ENTERTHE TYPE OF NEUTRAL DENSITYFILTER YOU'RE USING AND THE APPWILL GIVE YOU A NEW SHUTTERSPEED.

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7SET YOUR CAMERATO APERTUREPRIORITY MODE

SET YOUR CAMERATO MANUAL FOCUS

SET YOUR CAMERA TO APERTURE PRIORITY MODE.

COMPOSE AND FOCUS YOUR PHOTO USING THEAPERTURE AND ISO YOU'D LIKE FOR THE SHOT. PRESS THESHUTTER HALF WAY DOWN AND NOTE THE SHUTTERSPEED THE CAMERA AUTOMATICALLY GIVES YOU.

HTTP://MATTYK.ME/LONGEXPOSUREAPP

12NOW THE MOMENT YOU'VE BEENWAITING FOR. ATTACH YOUR ND FILTERAND YOU'RE READY TO SHOOT.

MOST APPS EVEN HAVE A TIMER YOUCAN USE TO COUNT FOR YOU IF IT'S ALONGER SHUTTER SPEED AND YOU'REUSING A REMOTE RELEASE WITHOUT ATIMER.

TRY NOT TO OVERTHINK THIS STUFF TOOMUCH. IF YOUR PHOTO LOOKS BRIGHT, THENTHERE'S NO NEED TO REDO ALL OF THESTEPS ABOVE. JUST USE A SHUTTER SPEEDTHAT'S 10-20% FASTER THAN YOU DID.

IF YOUR PHOTO LOOKS TOO DARK, THEN USEA SHUTTER SPEED THAT'S 10-20% LONGERTHAN IT WAS BEFORE AND ADJUST FROMTHERE.

11SET THE NEW SHUTTER SPEED INTO YOUR CAMERA WHILE STILL INMANUAL MODE

ATTACH YOUR NDFILTER AND YOU'REREADY TO SHOOT

A QUICK WORD OF ADVICE

TIP: COVER YOURVIEW FINDER TOAVOID LIGHT LEAK

NOW THAT YOU'VE GOT A NEW SHUTTER SPEED BASEDON THE ND FILTER YOU'RE USING, PLUG IT IN TO THECAMERA WHILE STILL IN MANUAL MODE.

IF THE SHUTTER SPEED IS OVER 30 SECONDS, ON MOSTCAMERAS YOU'LL HAVE TO PUT THE SHUTTER SPEEDSETTING TO BULB MODE AND YOU'LL NEED A REMOTERELEASE TO TRIGGER THE SHOT.