Long Exposure
An exposure lasting long enough that moving elements record as blur or streaks while static ones stay sharp.
Measured in
seconds
In depth
Long exposure separates the scene into what moves and what does not, which is why it renders water as mist, crowds as ghosts and clouds as streaks. Reaching those durations in daylight requires neutral density filters, and stability becomes the limiting factor — a solid tripod, a remote release and often mirror lock-up.
Examples in practice
A 30-second exposure of a busy square empties it of people while the architecture stays perfectly sharp.