The iPhone is a versatile device with many different features that can enhance the life of any amateur photographer. One of the great features is that it can adjust the shutter time to increase the exposure time for the camera on the iPhone. There are some things you should know before attempting this to achieve your potential as a photographer.
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Long exposure photography is a technique that captures the movement of elements within a scene, creating a dreamy and surreal effect. It’s often used to capture flowing water, moving clouds, or bustling city streets. With the iPhone’s advanced camera features, you can create stunning long exposure shots without needing a professional camera.
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How to Take Long Exposure Photos on iPhone
Long exposure photography on the iPhone is not just for professionals; it’s a creative outlet for anyone with a passion for capturing the world in a unique way. With these tips and a bit of practice, you’ll be on your way to creating breathtaking long exposure images that tell a story all their own.
- Open the Camera app on your iPhone.
- Tap the Live Photos icon in the top right corner of the viewfinder. (This is an icon with three concentric circles.)
- Set up your iPhone to take long exposure photos.
- Tap the Shutter button to capture the image.
- Wait a few moments after tapping the shutter button, keeping your iPhone as still as possible.
- After the image is finished being captured, open the Photos app on your iPhone.
- Locate the picture that you just took.
- Click the Live button in the top left corner.
- From the drop-down menu, select Long Exposure.
It’s rather unfortunate that Apple still hasn’t provided manual camera controls on the iPhone, at least in a way that’s similar to what is available on the best Android phones. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t take truly unique pictures without having a full-sized DSLR camera.
Tips For Taking Long Exposure Photos on iPhone
Use a Tripod or Stable Surface: Long exposure photography requires a steady hand – or better yet, no hand at all. Investing in a smartphone tripod can make a world of difference. If you don’t have one, find a stable surface to rest your iPhone on. The key is to eliminate any movement that could blur the image.
Pick the Right Time and Place: Timing and location are everything in long exposure photography. Shooting during the golden hour or in low light conditions can create magical effects. Look for scenes with moving elements like flowing water, drifting clouds, or bustling streets. Experiment with different settings to find what works best for you.
Compose with Care: Composition is the foundation of a great photograph. Use the iPhone’s grid lines to help you align your shot, applying the rule of thirds. Think about where the moving elements will be and how they’ll interact with the rest of the scene. A well-composed shot can turn a good photo into a great one.
Edit Thoughtfully: Post-processing is where you can truly make your long exposure shot shine. The iPhone offers robust editing tools that allow you to adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, and more. Experiment with different adjustments to find the perfect balance. Remember, less is often more; keep your edits natural and true to the scene.
Avoid Overexposure: Bright areas in a long exposure shot can become overexposed and lose detail. If shooting in bright conditions, consider using an ND filter attachment for your iPhone or find a shaded area. Experimenting with exposure settings in third-party apps can also help you achieve the perfect exposure.
Practice Patience and Experimentation: Long exposure photography is a game of patience and experimentation. Don’t be afraid to take multiple shots, try different angles, and spend time perfecting your image. Each shot is a learning opportunity, and with time and practice, you’ll master the art of long exposure photography.
Share and Learn: Join photography communities online, share your work, and seek feedback. Engaging with other photographers can provide new insights and inspiration. Plus, it’s a great way to showcase your creativity and connect with like-minded individuals.
Take Long Exposure Photos on iPhone with Third-Party Apps
Halide Mark II – Pro Camera
Halide is the most powerful camera for iPhone with the most elegant, simple design — A pro camera for everyone. This is a groundbreaking app for deliberate and thoughtful photography. With high-end tools, and a beautiful interface designed from scratch for the latest iPhones and inspired by the controls of professional cameras, Halide is your go-to camera when you want to really take a photo rather than a quick snapshot.
Use gestures in Halide to change exposure and manual focus with a swipe, or switch from its powerful automatic mode to manual shooting. Halide’s professional tools are the most powerful in the App Store, with XDR (Extended Dynamic Range) 14-bit RAW streaming waveform views, color zebras, focus assists like focus peaking and loupe, histograms, an adaptive level grid, and manual depth capture. Customize controls to adapt the app to your needs.
Slow Shutter Cam
Slow Shutter Cam brings new life into your device’s photo toolbox by letting you capture a variety of amazing slow shutter speed effects that you only thought you could get with a DSLR. How many times have you tried to capture artful images with your iPhone camera but were left wishing you had more features to work with? Slow Shutter Cam puts an end to mere snapshots and gives you some of the most powerful features of a DSLR camera. All this, in a package that fits in your pocket.
Slow Shutter Cam offers three capture modes to capture unique images including Motion Blur, which is equivalent to the shutter priority mode on a DSLR, the Motion Blur mode is perfect for creating ghost images, waterfall effects or suggesting movement in your photographs by adding a blur. The Light Trail mode allows you to ‘paint’ with light, show car light trails and fireworks or capture any other moving light in a unique way.
In low light conditions, this capture mode allows the camera to accumulate every photon of light hitting the sensor. The longer the shutter speed, the more light it will accumulate. You can even fine-tune the result using the exposure compensation slider to achieve the exact effect you want!
Spectre Camera
Spectre uses AI to help you make amazing long exposure photographs. Spectre can remove crowds, turn city streets into rivers of light, make waterfalls look like paintings, and much more. Until now, it was difficult to take long exposures: from keeping the camera steady to guessing the amount of light you need. Spectre takes care of all of that!
Spectre helps take photos of crowded, touristy places. Simply set a medium or long duration and take a shot to erase the crowd from a location. Capture the those special moments like you remember them. Spectre’s intelligent computational shutter takes hundreds of shots over the span of a few seconds, and saves them in an accompanying live photo. That means you can pick a different frame as your photo, apply live-photo effects, and even use the long exposure as a live-wallpaper!
ProCam 8
From full manual control to shooting RAW, ProCam offers unparalleled quality with DSLR-like camera functionality and full-featured photo/video editing. ProCam 8 includes a total of seven different shooting modes, ranging from “Photo” to “3D Photo” and Time Lapse. It’s also capable of recording 4K video at 60fps, 1080p video at 240fps, and 4K Max with a resolution of 4032 x 2268. There are even a wide variety of photo editing options, which include 60 different “expertly crafted filters”, 19 “comprehensive adjustment tools”, 17 different lenses, and many more.
Conclusion
Long exposure photography on the iPhone is a fun and creative way to capture unique images. By following these detailed steps, you can create mesmerizing photos that showcase movement in a whole new light. So grab your iPhone, find a captivating scene, and start experimenting with long exposure photography today!
Careful research on your own behalf would go a long way to help, but the great joy of photography is all about seeing what works and what doesn’t. By devoting yourself wholeheartedly to this hobby, you’ll see a remarkable improvement in the quality of your photographs within a short space of time.
Hopefully, you can explore these options and make yourself a better photographer. This will allow you to shoot photographs, and it will draw you into the world of photography as a hobby that is worth pursuing. Who knows, maybe you’ll be the next big hit on Instagram?
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