Thanks to the exponential improvements in smartphone camera technology, it’s now easy to create beautiful photos using iPhone models. Are you yet to use your iPhone’s camera to its full potential? The long exposure techniques featured in today’s Mobile Mondays is one way to get started.
In the video above by iPhone Photography School, we learn two ways to create long exposures using the iPhone camera. First is the Live Photo option on the Camera app, which will only give you a three-second long exposure. While this option can give you some pretty good results, the image quality is best for social media posts only.
If you want to create something that also looks great in print, the second option is to use an app like Slow Shutter Cam. It comes with more controls for setting the shutter speed and blur strength to how you want it. You can even do bulb mode and light trails with this app, which will open your iPhone photography up to more creative opportunities.
What’s great about the advanced techniques is it includes some composition tips that you can easily try yourself. So, go ahead and pick up a tripod and head to some nice spots to give these iPhone long exposure tips a go!
Check out the rest of our Mobile Mondays posts for more iPhone photography tips and tricks like this. Make sure to join our group discussions as well if you’re already part of the Photofocus Community!
Instead of the remote release, can you use the 2 second timer?
You can, but the remote release minimizes the risk of shake from tapping on the screen. I think it’s a nice touch that you have this option with the iPhone, since you’d want to do the same with a shutter release when doing long exposures with an actual camera.
Emil’s technique is a great way to start long exposures with an iPhone but if you want to take it to the next level, with a photographic approach to the process, check out my post about using an ND filter to prevent that “braided” look that is present in all of Emil’s light trails.
https://medium.com/@gregmcmillan/filter-or-no-filter-feb7968c184c