How is long exposure photography done?

Long exposure photography has gained a lot of popularity in last few years. At one point it was the most talked about subject that got a lot of coverage in landscape photography magazines and other photography communities where it was one of the most discussed topic area. It may though look easy to take pictures at a long exposure. However, it is very difficult to get a clear, crisp and a sharp shot. Even professional photographers find it hard to get a desired long exposure shot in one go. They too face failures in taking that perfect long exposure photography shot. Learning the long exposure photography can be a frustrating experience for beginners. However, if you have some knowledge as to what it is and how it is done can give a sigh of relief in your learning process. In one of the previous posts we discussed about what long exposure photography is and in this section we will be discussing how it is done. Long exposure photography or the time-exposure photography is a technique where your camera's sensors are exposed to light for a considerably longer period of time. Long exposures are easiest to accomplish in low-light conditions, but can be done in brighter light using neutral density filters or specially designed cameras. The most important thing to remember while creating a long-exposure image is to use a tripod. Mainly because of one reason and that is to keep your camera still for a longer time period. In long exposure photography you can not completely rely on image stabilizers because your camera needs to be still for a very long time. So, using a tripod would be an intelligent decision. The length of exposure to choose entirely depends on what kind of effect you want. If you are looking for big light trails go for a longer exposure time or else use a smaller one. Shooting in manual mode allows you to control and adjust exposure settings as per your needs. In your manual controls, there's also a setting called Bulb (or "B") which lets you keep the shutter open for as long as you want. You'll want to use a remote to control the shutter, since physically pressing it down will add shake to your image.