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Ready to discover the secrets hidden in slower shutter speeds?
The Long Exposure Photography Field Guide can help ⏱️
- Plan, shoot, and edit like a pro
- Master settings, filters, and creative techniques
- Take every image from capture to final edit
AS FEATURED ON:
Make Time Visible in Your Photographs
You’ve seen the photos.
Water flowing like silk over rocks. Clouds sweeping above a still landscape. Headlights painting bright trails through a city at night.
Then you try a long exposure yourself…
…and the water turns into a featureless blur. The sky is overexposed. Or you spend so long calculating settings that the light disappears before you’re ready.
The secret isn’t simply leaving the shutter open longer.
It’s knowing how long to leave it open—and why.
That’s exactly why the Long Exposure Photography Guide was created.
From Your First Setup to the Finished Photograph
This guide walks you through the complete process: choosing gear, planning the shot, setting your exposure, solving problems in the field, and editing the final image.
You’ll go from:
- Guessing which shutter speed will create the effect you want
- Feeling unsure about ND filters and exposure calculations
- Coming home with blurry, overexposed, or oddly colored images
…to making deliberate long exposures that look the way you envisioned.
- Choose shutter speeds that give water, clouds, and light the right amount of movement
- Use ND filters to make long exposures in daylight
- Set up a stable camera and avoid unwanted blur
- Photograph waterfalls, rivers, ocean waves, and smooth reflections
- Create movement in landscapes, architecture, and busy public spaces
- Capture blue hour scenes, city lights, light trails, star trails, and fireworks
- Try creative effects such as intentional camera movement, ghosting, and ultra-long exposures
- Troubleshoot exposure, color casts, hot pixels, wind, spray, and condensation
- Edit long exposures while keeping water, skies, and colors natural
Included Bonuses Today
Camera Setting Cheat Sheets
Quick references for choosing shutter speed, aperture, and ISO for waterfalls, ocean waves, moving clouds, light trails, and night scenes. Keep them handy when you’re setting up a shot.
ND Filter Strength Charts
See how many stops of light each ND filter blocks and what that means for your shutter speed. Exposure conversion charts help you calculate the right starting point before you shoot.
Photo Editing Workflows
Step-by-step guidance for correcting ND filter color casts, recovering detail, reducing noise, and sharpening your long exposure photos while keeping the final result natural.
Long Exposure Table of Contents
Introduction
- The Art of Long Exposure Photography
- What Long Exposure Can Do That Your Eyes Can’t See
- How to Use This Field Guide
Part I — Long Exposure Fundamentals
- Understanding Long Exposure Photography
- Shutter Speed and the Passage of Time
- The Exposure Triangle for Long Exposures
- How Long Should Your Exposure Be?
- Reading the Histogram in the Field
- RAW vs. JPEG for Long Exposure Photography
Part II — Essential Gear
- Choosing the Right Camera
- Lenses for Long Exposure Photography
- Tripods: Stability Matters
- Neutral Density Filters Explained
- Choosing the Right ND Filter Strength
- Graduated ND Filters
- Polarizing Filters and Long Exposures
- Remote Shutters, Intervalometers & Self-Timers
- Essential Accessories for the Field
Part III — The Long Exposure Workflow
- The Step-by-Step Long Exposure Setup
- Composition Before the Filter Goes On
- Focusing with Dark ND Filters
- Calculating Exposure Time
- Using Bulb Mode
- Preventing Camera Shake
- Avoiding Light Leaks
- Long Exposure Noise Reduction
- Checking Sharpness Before You Leave
Part IV — Photographing Water
- Silky Waterfalls
- Rivers & Streams
- Smooth Lakes & Reflections
- Ocean Waves & Seascapes
- Creating Misty, Ethereal Water
- Choosing Shutter Speed for Different Water Effects
Part V — Clouds, Landscapes & Architecture
- Creating Movement in Clouds
- Long Exposure Landscapes
- Minimalist Long Exposures
- Architectural Long Exposures
- Removing People from Busy Scenes
- Long Exposures in Bright Daylight
Part VI — Night Long Exposures
- Blue Hour Photography
- City Lights at Night
- Light Trails
- Star Trails
- Fireworks
- Light Painting
- Long Exposures in Extremely Low Light
Part VII — Creative Techniques
- Intentional Camera Movement
- Zoom Effects
- Combining Moving and Stationary Subjects
- Ghosting & Motion Effects
- Ultra-Long Exposures
- Exposure Blending
- Creating a Long Exposure “Look” Without Going Too Far
Part VIII — Troubleshooting
- Why Your Long Exposures Aren’t Sharp
- Overexposed Images
- Underexposed Images
- Color Casts from ND Filters
- Vignetting and Filter Problems
- Hot Pixels & Long Exposure Noise
- Wind, Tripod Vibration & Unwanted Movement
- Condensation, Spray & Weather Problems
Part IX — Editing Long Exposure Photos
- The Long Exposure Editing Workflow
- Recovering Highlights & Shadows
- Correcting ND Filter Color Casts
- Enhancing Water & Cloud Movement
- Noise Reduction
- Sharpening Long Exposure Images
- Removing Hot Pixels & Distractions
- Creating Natural-Looking Final Images
Bonuses & Field References
- Long Exposure Camera Settings Cheat Sheet
- Shutter Speed → Visual Effect Guide
- Water Shutter Speed Reference
- Cloud Movement Reference
- ND Filter Strength Guide
- ND Filter Exposure Conversion Chart
- Long Exposure Calculator Reference
- Daytime Long Exposure Settings
- Night Long Exposure Settings
- Long Exposure Troubleshooting Chart
- Before-the-Shot Checklist
- Before-You-Leave Checklist
A publisher you can trust
When choosing photography resources, trust matters. You want to know you’re learning from a source that has consistently delivered value, supported its customers, and built a real community over time—not something that just appeared overnight.
(Incorporated in 2007)
(all experience levels)
That track record isn’t accidental. It comes from a long-term focus on helping photographers improve with clear, practical guidance—and backing it up with responsive support and a straightforward guarantee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The techniques aren’t tied to one particular camera brand or model. Whether you use Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, another interchangeable-lens camera, or even a smartphone with manual exposure controls, you can apply the core principles taught in the guide.
Via instant download! You’ll be presented and emailed a download link for the guide immediately after purchase so you can start reading today or whenever you feel like it.
Our guides come in PDF format for easy reading and printing. They can be read on computers, phones and tablet computers. PDF is the most popular file format for hardcopy documents and therefore can be read on the most devices. With 10,000’s of happy customers we’ve had 0 compatibility issues so far.
Yes. You can print the entire guide or just the pages you want. The included field references, cheat sheets, settings guides, and charts are especially useful to print and keep in your camera bag.
You can quickly and easily print them at the standard print size 8.5” by 11” and they work great. However smaller can be more convenient as well. I recently printed them at 5.8” x 7.5” and I like that size a lot. Feel free to print them at the regular size as well as a smaller size and see which you like better.
PictureCorrect Inc was founded in 2003 to be an educational resource to photographers of all experience levels and has served Millions of visitors! Our goal is to serve some of the best information that is relevant to photographers everywhere.
No. You can begin experimenting with long exposures without buying expensive filters. The guide explains when ND filters are useful, how different strengths affect exposure, and how to choose the right filter for the conditions—so you don’t waste money on gear you don’t need.
Absolutely. The guide starts with the fundamentals and walks you through the entire process step by step—from choosing your settings and calculating exposure times to using ND filters, photographing different subjects, troubleshooting problems, and editing the final image.
Yes. Beyond the fundamentals, the guide covers more advanced techniques including ultra-long exposures, exposure blending, intentional camera movement, removing people from busy scenes, star trails, light painting, advanced ND filter use, troubleshooting, and specialized editing techniques. It’s designed to be both a learning guide and a practical field reference you can return to again and again.
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“A fantastic reference to remind yourself of the many techniques, settings, and concepts you might need to call upon when the moment strikes.”
- Steve Arnold
The current deal for the flash sale:
Our team of photographers, writers, graphic designers, and layout specialists have spent many months creating what we believe is one of the most comprehensive and practical guides we’ve ever produced on mastering long exposure photography.
Every chapter has been carefully researched, written, and professionally designed to help photographers understand exactly how shutter speed transforms an ordinary scene into something extraordinary — and more importantly, how to achieve those results consistently.
Materials cover the complete process, including camera settings, ND filters, exposure calculations, composition, troubleshooting, and professional editing workflows — giving photographers everything they need to confidently plan, capture, and perfect stunning long exposure images.
The Long Exposure Photography Guide, along with all included bonuses, normally retails for over $89. During this online flash sale, they are available for only $27.
Our products also come with a 90-day money back guarantee. If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, simply contact us within 90 days of your purchase and we will refund your money in full. No questions asked.
Flash sale: only hours left!
$ 89
NORMAL PRICE
$ 27
PRICE TODAY
70% OFF
90-Day Money-Back Guarantee:
You love the guide or you don’t pay for it. Simple as that.
It's decision time! You have two options.
Option 1: Keep experimenting with shutter speeds and filters, hoping the result on your camera matches the image you had in mind.
Option 2: Take the Long Exposure Photography Guide into the field with you.
Learn how to plan the effect, choose your settings, handle problems as they happen, and bring the final photograph to life in editing. Know what to try. Know why it works. And come home with long exposures you meant to create.
Love the Long Exposure Photography Guide—or Don’t Pay for It. It’s that simple.