In this video Scott Kelby demonstrates how to take long exposure photos – during the day. The image he takes is exposed for a whole 2 minutes at ISO 200 and at f/11.
Thanks to the team at WeeklyPhotoTips and Scott Kelby for shooting the video.
Check out more of Scott’s great teaching in his wildly popular Digital Photography Books.
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73 Responses to “How to Take Long Exposure Shots in Daylight” - Add Yours
August 25th, 2011 at 6:40 am
Oh. My. Gosh.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I had been wanting to do some long exposures in day but had no clue how to get a picture that wasn’t an overexposed mess.
Is there any way to do shots like this in color? Obviously not using the filter though, correct?
August 25th, 2011 at 6:52 am
Why is he saying “the lowest ISO you can get away with on a Nikon is 200 ISO”?
Why not 100 ISO like the Canon?
Thanks!
August 25th, 2011 at 7:04 am
ND filters work just fine with color photos. I use them for mountain stream photography all the time, though my default filter is a 6 stop ND rather than the 10 stop ND used in the video.
Some Nikon cameras have extended low ISO that goes to 100 but a normal low end of ISO 200 (D5000, for instance). Others have normal ISO that goes to 100 (D7000, for instance). There may be Nikon DSLRs that have a minimum ISO of 200.
August 25th, 2011 at 7:07 am
Thank you very much!! I enjoyed a lot reading one of your books and now I’m learning a lot with your videos.
August 25th, 2011 at 7:17 am
Aaah! This is awesome! I had been wondering how to take long exposure shots in daylight! Tried a few times, but it always turned out a blurry, overexposed mess.
Is there any way to take long exposure shots in the day-in color?
August 25th, 2011 at 7:20 am
Any chance we can see the photo?
I’ve tried this too with very high f-stops. I’ve seen success (in test shots, never anything cool) shooting in the shade, in the afternoon, but I’ve never been able to do it in full on sunlight.
I also don’t have any ND filters so that may be the problem.
August 25th, 2011 at 7:23 am
Great photo tip, can’t wait to try some out..
August 25th, 2011 at 7:53 am
Funny that I was *just* thinking about getting the B+W 110…even had it sitting in a shopping cart. I think I’m supposed to get it
August 25th, 2011 at 8:38 am
Scott, (#1) Why do you have to present the video while holding onto a camera? It’s like all those photographers who think it’s essential to have a camera in their profile shots. Such a cliché!
August 25th, 2011 at 8:46 am
I have some color long exposures
http://vipmediastar.com/vipblog/?p=803
August 25th, 2011 at 8:51 am
These are mine, B+W 10 stop.
August 25th, 2011 at 8:54 am
These are with B+W 10 stop ND, broad day light.
August 25th, 2011 at 8:56 am
My Photos with B+W, 10 stop ND. Both ISO 100 on a clear and hot summer day.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/e-one/5816201952/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/e-one/5834716314/
August 25th, 2011 at 9:29 am
@wozza: why do you have to criticize the way the video is presented? Talk about cliches….
August 25th, 2011 at 9:37 am
how do you determine how long should the shutters need to be open in bulb mode?
August 25th, 2011 at 10:18 am
Hi
I have been experimenting with a Singh-Ray variable ND for a while now and generally like the outcome. Just a word of caution, if you are planning to use this with a Wideangle, Full Frame, you may get some strange banding. It did not have this problem for this shot but when it wnt on a 10-20mm, poor results!
http://kerstenbeckphotoart.wordpress.com/2011/08/19/the-cabrillo-formation/
August 25th, 2011 at 11:34 am
Very nice intro to the 10 stop filter. I too have the B/W filter and have enjoyed every opportunity to use it. A few words of caution/advice. Once proper exposure has been determined without the filter, you can either calculate your new shutter speed mathematically or using a chart found online.
This filter is an extremely valuable tool for any landscape shots involving moving water, and cityscapes when you want to eliminate passersby in the photo. You have to be mindful, however, of everything in your composition. A simple breeze causing a branch or blade of grass to move may have an undesirable effect on your shot. Which is the case with a shot I took this summer, I achieved the desired look with the water and kept the canoe stationary by sitting on it, but the movement of the water also caused some of the shoreline weeds to move which created an undesirable blur.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rjweyer/5732446066/in/photostream
And don’t forget to leave yourself plenty of time to take your shots…it takes at least 10 times as long with the filter.
August 25th, 2011 at 12:07 pm
I just got mine today. Will head out this weekend for some fun
August 25th, 2011 at 12:35 pm
Love this! thanks so much for posting this!
August 25th, 2011 at 1:33 pm
Thanks! Great tutorial on something I have been working on. Appreciate it guys!
Bob
August 25th, 2011 at 3:11 pm
When I look to order a ND filter… I see specs such as .9, or 1.8 (8x or 64x) – how does one know how to convert this to “10 stop” ???
August 25th, 2011 at 7:26 pm
Good intro video, I recently purchased a Hoya ND400 filter. These pics are my 1st attempt taken mid afternoon.
ISO 100
F22
30s
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xstreme2009/6038352408/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xstreme2009/6038352494/in/photostream
August 25th, 2011 at 7:50 pm
Short but nice and simple video. Thanks!
August 25th, 2011 at 10:07 pm
I’m still getting used to mine, only had a few outings with it
http://www.flickr.com/photos/almostacrayon/5980602223/in/photostream
August 25th, 2011 at 11:16 pm
Here is one of my long exp shots from PR…
This first one is a short exp mainly so you can see what it looked like before the long exp.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Ate6N4zHhNE/Sh9SSGjSWgI/AAAAAAAAEPE/n2InBd2fN9k/s400/JMK2169.jpg
And here is the long exp.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-c51TEcRYqwU/Sh9SQnl_lZI/AAAAAAAAEPA/5K6xOZ_k8KA/s400/JMK2165.jpg
August 25th, 2011 at 11:19 pm
sorry for the smallness of the last post…
Short Exp.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-TdzPsmEH-TQ/Sh9STieD1oI/AAAAAAAAEPI/VL23vlKf-zY/s800/JMK2179.jpg
Long Exp.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-c51TEcRYqwU/Sh9SQnl_lZI/AAAAAAAAEPA/5K6xOZ_k8KA/s800/JMK2165.jpg
August 25th, 2011 at 11:36 pm
I’m wondering why you cannot use aperture priority mode or some other automatic exposure mode to let the camera set the exposure? I’ve done late evening photography in AP mode and have gotten excellent long exposures with my Canon.
August 26th, 2011 at 2:08 am
I HATE videos. Why can’t you just give it to us in text. Ugh.
August 26th, 2011 at 2:56 am
Thanks for a great video! I really have to try this out.
August 26th, 2011 at 3:01 am
Larry, I’m assuming that unless you are using a super long exposure to get the silky smooth moving water pictures or city shots with cars/ppl not visible.. (automatic would never choose a long enough exposure during the daylight to accomplish that)
I’ve been so frustrated by not being able to get nice waterfall / river shots – this was the reason. Thanks so much…I ordered my B&W ND filter just now…should be here in a couple of days!
August 26th, 2011 at 3:18 am
thank you! That was really neat to watch. I think I need to go exploring for a place to try this.
August 26th, 2011 at 3:39 am
@richard, actually you can get to 100 ISO on most Nikon DSLR bodies buy setting the ISO to Low-1. On the other end of the scale you can use Hi-1 ISO 6400 equivalent. I’m not sure why Nikon has chosen not to mark the ISO chart as 100 but that’s the deal as far as I know.
August 26th, 2011 at 3:57 am
Something I picked up on that I didn’t know about is that Nikon’s min ISO is 200. I’m a Canon user (no particular reason except that I’ve used ‘em for years and am too invested to change brands) and while I was helping a friend understand his new Nikon, and he must’ve thought I didn’t know what I was doing when I couldn’t change the ISO 100. Aha! Can’t wait to tell him. Maybe he’ll think I know what I’m doing after all.
August 26th, 2011 at 5:18 am
can you tell me what filter and setting to use on a nikon d5100 thanks
August 26th, 2011 at 5:51 am
@Wayne, thanks for your answer. I have the D60 and it has the 100 ISO setting. It also has the Low-1 and High-1. Did the 100 ISO disappear on newer models? Seems like a bizarre move from Nikon. Maybe I’m missing something…? Cheers.
August 26th, 2011 at 5:54 am
@Wayne, thanks for your answer. I have the D60 and it has the 100 ISO setting. It also has the Low-1 and High-1. Did the 100 ISO disappear on newer models? Seems like a bizarre move from Nikon. Maybe I’m missing something…? Cheers.
August 26th, 2011 at 6:01 am
@Wayne, thanks for your answer. I have the D60 and it has the 100 ISO setting. It also has the Low-1 and High-1. Did the 100 ISO disappear on newer models? Seems like a bizarre move from Nikon. Maybe I’m missing something…? Cheers.
August 26th, 2011 at 6:04 am
@Wayne, thanks for your answer. I have the D60 and it has the 100 ISO setting. It also has the Low-1 and High-1. Did the 100 ISO disappear on newer models? Seems like a bizarre move from Nikon. Maybe I’m missing something…? Cheers.
August 26th, 2011 at 6:25 am
@Wayne, thanks for your answer. I have the D60 and it has the 100 ISO setting. It also has the Low-1 and High-1. Did the 100 ISO disappear on newer models? Seems like a bizarre move from Nikon. Maybe I’m missing something…? Cheers.
August 26th, 2011 at 6:29 am
@Wayne, thanks for your answer. I have the D60 and it has the 100 ISO setting. It also has the Low-1 and High-1. Did the 100 ISO disappear on newer models? Seems like a bizarre move from Nikon. Maybe I’m missing something…? Cheers.
August 26th, 2011 at 9:13 am
I’ve been shooting Long Exposure for some time now with a B+W -10 filter and love the effect that it provides. Here are few of my images.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/moztoo/5587894360/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/moztoo/5482279227/in/photostream
August 26th, 2011 at 10:55 am
Thanks for that guys, I just purchased some old filters and found a variable ND, and some fixed, any tips on using the variable one?
August 26th, 2011 at 1:09 pm
My previous comment included a link to some color photos that I tried a while back.
I followed this tutorial’s settings and I believe that I got better results.
Nikon Camera set at iso 100 f/11 at 5 seconds. Some where at 15-20 seconds and f11.
I tried f16 but it seems that f11 was the sweet spot.
here are my results following this tutorials settings.
http://vipmediastar.com/vipblog/?p=2423
August 26th, 2011 at 2:22 pm
Yes, for those Nikon users that have it, keep selecting ISO past the 200 mark and you will get to Low -1, which equals 100. Nice video. Always wondered about those daylight shots. I’ve got the night long exposure fun happening but now to enjoy the daylight the same way.
August 26th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
Word to the wise regarding the B+W 10-stop (3.0): Better get your white balance on, ‘cuz that thing let’s in a lot of reddish/maroonish color cast. Easily fixable in Lightroom, but just be aware that it’s there.
August 26th, 2011 at 8:27 pm
@Bekah, you can shoot in colour using the ND filter. Colour is not affected because the filter is neutral density.
August 26th, 2011 at 10:23 pm
I did my own 10 or 12 stops ND filter for 5 euros (7,5 US$) with a welding glass. I know it’s not the best one but it costs 5 euros. I could make a 120 secs shot at 17 pm with daylight, and it was quite nice.
In this link you can see how to make it (it is a hand-made filter), it is in spanish language but I hope it would be usefull to you.
http://www.xatakafoto.com/trucos-y-consejos/como-conseguir-un-filtro-de-densidad-neutra-por-5-euros-truco-express
I love this site.
August 27th, 2011 at 12:14 am
Not just for water… City streets look fantastic as well. the flow of cars and people make an interesting image.
August 27th, 2011 at 1:46 am
There is another way to do this with more flexibility, and one I employ on a regular basis – use two polarizing filters. One (or both) of the polarizing filters needs to be a circular polarizer. When you place one over the other with the circular polarizer being away from the camera, rotating it will begin to cancel the light out. You are polarizing light in one direction through one filter, then polarizing it the other way through the second filter.
The flexibility of this method allows you to determine how long you want the exposure to be while keeping your selected aperture and ISO. You may wish a two minute exposure of water, but you may wish to take pictures of crowds moving about and have the exposure last 15 seconds. I would imagine that pretty much everyone already has a circular polarizing filter, so purchasing a second one (and remember that it does not need to be a circular polarizing filter) is not expensive at all.
The only negative with this method is that if you are shooting wide open, are using a zoom lens, and the lens is set to the widest setting, there could be vignetting at the corners, depending upon the height of the two filters. Other than that, it is a flexible way of obtaining the same results.
Cheers -
george
August 27th, 2011 at 2:42 am
Be very careful when attaching the ND filter after focusing or you may move the lens, thus changing the focus point.
August 27th, 2011 at 3:39 am
Also He should have mentioned to lock the mirror so that there is no mirror movement on the camera!
August 27th, 2011 at 6:17 am
thanks guys for sharing this very useful knowledge with us!!! just beautiful!
August 28th, 2011 at 5:32 am
I read not much long ago that ISO 200 is the NATIVE sensibility for Nikon cameras (whereas it is 100 ISO for Canon). Native means that it is the setting where no sensor amplification (+ or -) is required => less noise. I guess then that ISO 200 is the best ISO setting for Nikon Cameras.
@Sam Levy
“Also He should have mentioned to lock the mirror so that there is no mirror movement on the camera!”
>> this is only necessary when exposure time is approx 1/15 to 2 sec. If longer, the influence becomes really negligible.
August 28th, 2011 at 7:37 am
I am under the impression that most modern cameras will not accept a manual cable release. I know my D90 won’t. Obviously you would use the wireless remote, but I was surprised that this was not mentioned.
August 28th, 2011 at 11:54 am
Could you possibly go: ISO 100, f/22 and EV -3? (and bulb mode for manually timed release) I mean, what would EV -3 do?
August 28th, 2011 at 3:31 pm
I try not to use circular filters anymore. Each lens has a different size. So you need to buy several of each filter. In the long run it costs more that buying a multi filter system. Sliding up to three square filters into position you can do more effects.
In the long run, this actually is cheaper, thats how we do do it at http://www.bestexposures.com
CHeck out this link, its what we are investing in: http://www.leefilters.com/camera/products/finder/ref:C4756775B6C7AE/
and the filters:
http://www.leefilters.com/camera/products/range/ref:I46C9C1B6AA3DD/
August 28th, 2011 at 8:04 pm
Unfortunately,but very important, he did not explain how he arrived at the 2 minutes exposure shutter speed? I presume he could have added 10 stops to what the meter was showing for a proper exposure before putting on the filter but I read somewhere else that these filters can vary the exposure from 10 stops to 11 or even more so it seems to be a bit of trial and error. Perhaps someone who is conversant and experiienced with using them could explain further.
Thanks.
August 28th, 2011 at 10:01 pm
I agree with Dok. Not having ISO 100 for Nikon cameras isn’t as much a ‘lost’ feature than what the camera is actually capable of. An example would be the D40 and D60. Same sensor size but the D60 has 10 megapixels compared to the D40′s 6, resulting in smaller sensors, and hence, lesser sensitivity. Something like saying the sensors on the D60 are only half as big as on the D40. Of course as technology progressed Nikon is now able to make higher-resolution sensors with as much (or better) native ISO ratings as the D40.
Ah, & the D60 also doesn’t have a mirror lock-up feature you can use to actually use to shoot with, so I guess that’s why it wasn’t mentioned in the vid. I believe that feature isn’t available for Nikon’s entry-level dslr’s. But yep, mirror shake does become negligible when you’re shooting really long exposure shots.
August 29th, 2011 at 2:56 am
@paul
“..what would EV -3 do?”
The EV setting is just what you as the user want to make the camera think what the optimal exposure is based on what it sees through the viewfinder. For example, if you’re in the P, A, or S mode where you make the camera decide the exposure, and you set EV -1, then all your pictures would be 1 stop darker than normal. It does not make the sensor any less sensitive to light (that’s what ISO is for).
In manual (M) mode, you decide how much light goes into the sensor, so the EV settings do not matter. The only difference you would see is in the meter reading. If say, you’re at EV -3, the “0″ value on the meter is actually at 3 stops darker than you would be at EV +0. The camera thinks that is the correct exposure based on the current exposure compensation settings, but in the end it’s still going to be you who will set the ISO, shutter speed and aperture.
August 29th, 2011 at 5:40 pm
Could this tecnique be used to photograph storms under daylight? A few days ago I was driving my car and I was enjoing with the flashes of lighting in the sky, but it was about 3pm, maybe with this kind of filters we can shot storms all over the day.
August 30th, 2011 at 1:10 am
Thanks everyone for the answers! I believe it is time for me to upgrade my D60, is the D7000 a good step up? I know the D700 is better, but I’d rather put what little money I have for gear on lens. Cheers.
August 30th, 2011 at 4:25 pm
Looks like I have to buy an ND filter now. Any tips about which lenses work best for this sort of photography?
August 30th, 2011 at 10:23 pm
The D7000 is an excellent choice.
As for lenses I personally prefer wide angle lenses for landscape. I have a sigma 10-20mm. However any lens should work just fine. Start with what you have and move up when you are ready and sure that you really enjoy it.
September 5th, 2011 at 12:35 pm
If you are craving for a really low ISO, the Pentax K5 starts at 80!
September 5th, 2011 at 4:28 pm
Just curious wether or not I’m doing something terribly wrong. I;m using canon 60D with 18-200 lens and ND8 filter, iso 100 at f-16 using bulb mode and can’t get a shot longer than about 3secs without over exposing..
(
September 7th, 2011 at 7:35 am
I’m so confused! I set my Nikon exactly how Scott Kelby described he was using his own in the video but even on a 10 second exposure I’m getting over exposed shots that just look completely white. Yes I’ve set my ISO to 200 ( i could go to 100 of I needed too) and yes my f stop is at 11, ( I can go higher with that if need be as well), and yes, I have a tripod and a remote so I don’t move/touch the camera while it’s shooting. The only difference is that I’m using an ND 8 filter instead of an ND 10; is that going to make such a difference? Or am I just doing something wrong in general? Any suggestions?
September 7th, 2011 at 7:42 am
Check this link for more info on the filters. If it’s too exposed try it for less amount of time. If you want a longer time try a darker filter or stack a couple.
http://www.photofilter.com/neutral_density.htm
September 7th, 2011 at 4:40 pm
ND8 doesn’t mean 8 stops. In the video he says that uses a 10 stops filter. An ND8 provides 3 stops, so you can’t leave the shooter open for 10 seconds. With that filter, you should set the ISO to 100 and close to f22 (if possible) to get long exposure, but not for minutes.
September 7th, 2011 at 4:42 pm
By the way, here you can see a 120 secs picture that I did with daylight
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10813883@N03/6115209899/in/photostream
September 18th, 2011 at 8:34 pm
As always, Scott makes it all look easy, must try this out!
October 5th, 2011 at 12:16 am
Using my Nikon D90 and B+W ND 110 (like SK) I took this at local farm while the kids visited the petting zoo and corn maze. Hope you like. Great video tutorial and tips. This shot is only 30 sec. Joelle
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jneo/6196191341/in/photostream
November 9th, 2011 at 8:07 pm
Many thanks for the tips. Scott is a really great teacher. The video is extremely useful. Hopefully I can pu some of it into practice to make my photos much better. Many thanks
January 21st, 2012 at 8:23 am
wooooww…u could just say you need a ND filter, from B+W which costs no less that 200$ BRAVO…what a tutorial
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