Long Exposure Portrait Photography: How to Take Great Photos

Long exposure portraits are a fun way to create beautiful, dreamy portraits. Using long exposure, you can create unique photos that look like paintings or moving art. They’re suitable for shooting people who are standing still. Shooting your subject with a long exposure time captures more natural, flowing movement. This article will show you how to create long exposure portraits with a DSLR camera and share some of our favorite examples.

What Are Long Exposure Portraits?

Long exposure portraits are photographs that are taken with a long shutter speed. It creates a soft or fuzzy effect, making people and objects in the photo look dreamlike.

Shooting with a long exposure is also a great way to experiment with light painting. You use an external light source to paint patterns on your subject.

Get the Right Equipment

The best possible results come from using the right equipment.

Camera

A DSLR camera is the best option, but you can also use a mirrorless camera. Your camera must have manual settings to control the settings yourself. A crop sensor camera is fine for this type of photography. But if you have a full-frame camera, it will take better pictures and work better in low light.

Lens

A fast lens (one with a large maximum aperture) is best. You will want to choose a lens with an aperture of f/4 or lower, and a focal length between 35mm and 85mm is the best choice. A wide aperture also allows you to shoot at lower ISOs, which reduces image noise in your photos.

Tripod

A tripod is an absolute must for long exposure photography. Since you’ll be using much longer shutter speeds than usual, even the slightest movement can cause your photo to be blurry. It will keep your camera still so that you can capture a sharp image.

Remote shutter release

A remote shutter release is an optional but recommended piece of equipment. This will help minimize camera shake when taking the photo.

ND filter

An ND filter is a tool that you can use to reduce the amount of light that enters your camera. This is useful when using a slow shutter speed but still getting good exposure. ND filters are available in varying grades of density. The higher the number, the more light they block out. 

Lighting

You can take the best photos with natural or artificial light. A wide variety of flashlights, LEDs, and studio lights are available. You’ll need to decide what lighting will work best for each situation.

Choose the Right Location

You can take long exposure portraits in many places, but the most common are outside at night and indoors. If you take photos outdoors, avoid taking pictures near cities with many street lights. Indoors are often better than outdoor ones because they have less ambient light. You may need to experiment with different types of lighting as well.

Setting Up Your Camera

Before you begin shooting, ensure you have the proper camera settings.

1. Choose the correct mode

The first thing you need to do is set your camera to manual mode. This will give you complete control over the settings.

2. Set your shutter speed

Your shutter speed will determine how long your exposure is. The longer the shutter speed, the more blur you will get in your photo. We recommend starting with a shutter speed of 1 second and adjusting from there.

3. Set your aperture

The wider your aperture, the more blurry your background will be. You can use the widest aperture if you don’t care about the scene.

4. Set your ISO

The higher your ISO, the more light you will get in your photo. This is especially important if you’re taking pictures indoors. The downside is that it can make your image grainy and noisy.

5. Adjust your white balance

The white balance is the color temperature of your photo. If your indoor images have a yellow or orange tint, try to adjust it. If you shoot in RAW format, you can make these adjustments in post-processing.

6. Focus your camera

The only way to get sharp photos is by focusing on your camera. If you’re taking a picture of someone, focus on their eyes. Use autofocus and set it to “single-point” mode so that it focuses on the center of your image. However, autofocus can be challenging to use indoors if the lighting is poor, try using manual focus instead.

Many digital cameras have a live view mode that lets you see what the camera sees on its LCD screen. This is useful when you are taking long exposures. You can ensure that everything is focused before taking the photo.

Before taking your final photo, taking some test shots is always a good idea. This will help you make sure that your settings are correct. If your long exposure image is too dark or too light, you’ll need to adjust your settings. We recommend starting with a slower shutter speed. If your long exposure photo is too dark, you can also try increasing the aperture or changing your ISO.

Examples of Long Exposure Portraits

When you want to get started with long exposure shot, here are some examples of how it can be used in portraits:

Be noticed in a crowd

Sometimes you want to make your subject stand out on a busy street. Using a longer shutter speed, you can make your subject appear to be the only thing in focus. This is great for taking candid shots of people or creating a compelling portrait of someone standing out in a busy environment. This is an excellent example of daytime long exposure. 

Capture the mood

If you’re at a wedding and want to capture the ambiance, try taking a photo of the bride during the reception. You can use long exposures for this type of shot to get some cool effects.

People in Motion

Try taking a photo of the dancers in action when you’re at a dance or other performance. You can use slow shutter speeds to capture the motion of the dancer’s body. This type of shot works well when you are using a wide aperture.

Play with light

You can use long exposures for creative portraits similar to multiple exposures. The flash will freeze the action while the shutter is open, and then the subject will appear as a ghostly figure.

Conclusion

As you can see, long exposure portrait photography is a great way to capture unique and stunning images. With the right equipment and settings, you can create beautiful photos full of detail and emotion. So go out and experiment.