ФОТО: digitalrev.com

When you think of long exposures you probably think of setting up a camera on a tripod, as this is how the majority of these are captured. There will be times, however, when it won’t be possible to use this method.

Perhaps you’re travelling and don’t have a tripod to hand, or maybe its just not practical to use one wherever it is you’re shooting. Whatever the reason, it may still be possible to capture the shot you want with an alternative method.

First, let’s look at the various options for supports, together with their pros and cons, before running through technique.

No support (ie the ground)

In some cases, the floor could actually be your ideal support. One example is when capturing ground-level lines disappearing into the distance, for example, such as road markings or trains tracks, both of which should obviously be captured only when it is completely safe to do so.

Of course, composition here is much easier if your camera is equipped with a tilting screen, although live view, grid lines and electronic levels mean you can sometimes do without this and still get level, successful results.

In many situations you can be reasonably sure that a camera placed on a floor will be stable enough for exposures lasting a few seconds or so, although this very much depends on the surroundings.

Probably the main downside here is fine control over positioning, as you may want the camera angled slightly upwards. Or, perhaps you'll be using a lens whose width naturally raises it this way when you don't want it to. So, while convenient, this approach won't be ideal in every situation.

Wall

This presents a number of advantages over the above, such as its height and, potentially, the smaller chance of it being disturbed by vibrations.

You are, however, limited by the height of the wall, and its depth will dictate how well you can support the specific kit you have.

For these reasons it may be a good idea to use this with a further support such as a Gorillapod, though you should watch out this doesn’t create too unstable a result.

Monopod

Not ideal for long exposure on account of it… well… only having one leg, but don’t write it off just yet.

These are smaller, lighter and typically cheaper than a tripod, and so they will naturally be more practical, particularly when travelling. Some models also have small legs at their base that can be splayed out for extra support.

For exposures lasting only a second or so they may well suffice, particularly if used in conjunction with effective image stabilisation.

Some monopod have legs at their base that can be splayed for added stability

Gorillapod

The flexible legs of Gorillapod's models are designed to be mounted around posts, railings and other structures, although they can be used with their legs straight on a surface, essentially to act like a mini tripod.

Gorillapods are light and flexible enough to be wrapped around a range of otherwise-unsuitable surfaces

These are great for travel as they weigh very little and can squeeze into even hand luggage, although you may need to add a ball head for flexibility with regards to positioning.

This is perhaps the best overall option with regards to size, weight and where it can be used, although along with monopods it also costs the most.

This 30-second exposure was captured using a Gorillapod

There are many other ways to support a camera without a tripod although these are perhaps less practical.

Beanbags, for example, are often used by wildlife photographers for support, although their weight potentially makes them just as impractical for a situation in which you can't use a tripod.

Tabletop tripods are also another option, but these are only really suitable for the smallest and lightest cameras in. Don't be tempted to do this:

Really not a good idea

If you don't have an ideal support, it pays to make sure your technique is as good as it can be. The main thing you need to ensure is that the camera doesn’t move in any way for the duration of the exposure – and there are three main ways in which this can happen:

Vibrations/wind

Shooting on the street where there may be traffic can easily cause vibrations, as can any particularly loud music. This is an issue even when using full-sized tripods, so it's definitely something to bear in mind when using a less ideal support.

Windy conditions can hamper your chances of success here too. With heavier setups this may not be too great an issue, but otherwise it pays to time your shots well to avoid this from affecting your images.

Instability of the setup

Even in perfectly still conditions, it’s possible the camera might move during the exposure.

One thing to watch out for is the creeping that can occur when using zoom lenses. This tends to be an issue with heavier lenses, and is particularly problematic when they are pointing upwards or downwards.

Here, the weight of the optic in the glass may cause the inner barrel to shift slightly. Some lenses have zoom lock features to prevent this from happening.

Some lenses, particularly heavy, wide-aperture types, have a zoom lock feature that can keep the lens locked in position

Here, there are two things to consider. The first is that you yourself don’t in any way cause the camera to move during the exposure. The second is that the camera doesn't move because of how it captures the image.

Using a remote release, be it a wireless one or one that’s physically connected to the camera, is an ideal way of triggering the exposure without touching the camera. Depending on the working range or length of the cord, these will often let you be a safe distance away from the area during the exposure so that you don’t stand to introduce any vibrations by your own movements.

Wireless remote releases are an affordable and practical way to trigger an exposure

If you don’t have one a remote release, a self-timer option can be a good alternative. Check to see whether you can alter the duration between pressing the shutter-release button and the exposure actually taking place, as you may want to lengthen this.

You may also be able to take a number of exposures at once when using this feature, which you may want to do once you're sure you have the composition and focus spot on.

Check what self-timer options your camera offers, as you may want to adjust these

The action of the mirror moving up (in a DSLR) and a mechanical shutter opening and closing is enough to introduce vibration that would visibly compromise details. If you're using a DSLR, see if you can program it to raise the mirror in one action and take the image in another, as this should help.

Obviously mirrorless cameras have an advantage here in that they do not have a mirror. They may also let you call upon an electronic shutter which presents a theoretical advantage over using the mechanical shutter one, although these can lead to moving subjects being recorded with a skew and may also restrict the range of available shutter speeds, so this might not be ideal.

Remember that you may also need to turn off your image stabilisation system for best results, as you can otherwise stand to compromise sharpness. In some cases, a lens may sense it's being used on a tripod and automatically disable the image stabilisation feature, and it's possible this could happen on a similar support. On some cameras, these systems automatically disable themselves when remote releases or self-timer options are used.

2017-4-11 03:00