How To Use Your IPhone For Long Exposure Photos
Want to take photos like a pro? But maybe you don’t want to spend the money on those expensive cameras or accessories. Or maybe you just don’t want to carry around a large camera while on vacation. It’s ok. In this article I am going to help show you how to use your iPhone for long exposure photos.
There are a couple of ways to achieve the long exposure goal. With a little practice you’ll be taking professional looking photos in no time. Let’s jump right in and talk about the first way to take long exposure photos on your iPhone.
Converting live photos to long exposure
The live photo option on your iPhone captures 3 seconds of movement. You don’t need to be able to understand technical terms to master this feature. All it takes is just a little swipe and tap. Let’s discuss how to take a live photo.
- Open your camera app
- Select the live photos icon (should be located at the top right of the screen) You will know you have selected the right feature because it should say “Live” on your screen.
- Frame your shot
- This step is very important. Hold phone steady and press the shutter.
- This step is more important. Hold your phone steady for another 2 seconds.
Once you have your shot we need to convert it to long exposure. This is where the swipe and tap comes in.
- Open your photos app
- Find your live photo
- Select the Live option in the top right of the photo. (This is step may differ from iPhone to iPhone. Some of you may have to swipe up for the effects settings and then swipe side-to-side to find the long exposure option)
- Tap Long Exposure & Wait
Hopefully this gets you a really neat photo. But keep in mind not every Live Photo will convert to an amazing long exposure shot. You need a moving element & a fixed background. Too much movement will result in a blurry image.
using a long exposure app
So converting Live Photos is neat but it will not capture that beautiful light trail. If that is your goal when taking a long exposure shot then you should try an app. There are several free apps to choose from. I suggest trying them our to see which one fits your needs and which one is the most comfortable for you to use.
That concludes this short tutorial on taking long exposure photos. I hope you enjoyed this post and take some great photos for your memory books.
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