by shahir puliyappattaThe longest auto setting on digital cameras is 30 seconds, which is enough to photograph most interesting subjects. However, there are situations when the photographer needs to take longer exposures. For example, after dark, for or star tracks. But you never know what other artistic idea may require a slow shutter speed in the exposure of the picture!
For such cases, the camera has a mode Bulb Mode(B)- arbitrary exposure setting. This convenient setting allows you to keep the camera shutter open for as long as you need, even minutes, even hours! 
by Stefan Thaler
A great effect with the Bulb Mode setting can be obtained by shooting a sequence of fireworks and reflecting them in one image. You can use your hand to shield the lens between shots, or use a gray card as a natural resource to keep the camera's sensor out of the light. Via long exposure you can have several images of fireworks in one picture, which will give the photo an elegant and more festive look.
by Takk B
Bulb Mode available on most cameras. It can be selected on the dial on the top of the body (usually displayed as the letter "B"), or through manual exposure mode by scrolling. Turn the wheel until the word Bulb appears on the display.
In Bulb Mode, the shutter will remain open for as long as the button is held down, allowing the photographer to choose the exposure time needed. Of course, such an action can be performed by simply pressing the shutter button with your finger, but this is not very practical. Instead, it's better to use the remote shutter release to open and close the shutter.
How to set up and use Bulb mode
- Avoid camera shake
Needless to say, the best solution to avoid camera shake is to use a tripod or any solid and stable support for it. guarantees no camera movement during long exposures. Make sure the tripod is stable on the ground, protected from wind vibrations. Lower the tripod one level down if necessary for greater reliability.
- Use remote trigger
A remote shutter release will allow the photographer to keep the shutter open for as long as necessary and avoid camera shake, which is sure to degrade image quality. With a simple press of a button on the remote control, the shutter will open and close when the photographer needs it. Some remotes have a built-in timer to set the exposure time.
- Set the settings manually
Bulb Mode works in manual mode. The photographer must determine the parameters of the exposure pair before starting the photo session. To get started, set your aperture to f/8 and experiment with . If your picture is too dark, increase the time; if it is too bright, shorten the exposure time of the light to the sensing element. Don't use high ISO settings. You have all the controls to get the right exposure. Use low values and you will completely eliminate unnecessary noise from your photo.
- Keep a spare battery nearby
Taking pictures in Bulb mode is energy-intensive. You may need an additional . Before shooting, fully charge the working power supply and bring an additional one with you.
- Shoot in RAW
This will help you get the highest quality images, and give your file more flexibility during the editing phase. Even if you manage to create a perfect exposure, you may need to make some changes in post-processing that may not be squeezed out of a JPEG image. Select Raw or Raw+JPEG from the Quality menu or from the Quick control screen.
The slowest shutter speed that can be set in automatic shooting mode on digital cameras is 30 seconds. This is sufficient for most plots. However, in some situations you may need longer exposures, such as after dark. This is where the Bulb mode comes in handy. You can expose the frame for as long as you need: minutes or hours.
The "Bulb" shooting mode has worked well for photographing a "rotating" star-studded night sky, moonlit nightscapes, night traffic, fireworks, light shows, and in scenes where long shutter speeds are used in combination with dense neutral (ND) filters .
The picture looks very impressive if you photograph several volleys of fireworks in one frame. Use some kind of light-tight barrier (such as a palm or a sheet of cardboard) to cover the front lens of the objective during the lull between salvos. The baffle will act as a shutter, preventing light from reaching the photosensitive sensor.
The “Bulb” mode is activated on the camera or when the appropriate shooting mode is set: the letter “B” on the shooting mode selection wheel. Or, in manual mode (“M”), rotate the control wheel until the shutter speeds become longer: 1 ’’, …, 10 ’’, …, 30 ’’. The "longest shutter speed" is the "Bulb" mode. The word “BULB” will appear on the screen instead of the shutter speed number.
In Bulb mode, the shutter stays open as long as you hold down the shutter button. This allows you to expose the frame for an arbitrarily long time. You can hold the button with your finger, but this is not practical. Use the remote remote control shutter.
Shooting in Bulb mode
Step 1: Eliminate camera shake
Take a tripod with you or find a sturdy stand to make sure your camera is stable during long exposures. Make sure the tripod is secured with extra weight or other means so that the wind cannot shake it. For stability, if necessary, place the camera lower to the ground. Disable any stabilization features built into the camera or lens.
Step 2. Connect the remote control
The remote control, equipped with a shutter button lock, will allow you to open the shutter for any period of time. Release the lock when you need to close the shutter to complete the exposure. Some remotes have a built-in timer that helps you set the exposure time accurately.
Step 3: Adjust your exposure settings
Bulb mode requires you to manually adjust the exposure settings. Before shooting, determine the aperture value and other parameters that affect exposure. Set your aperture to f/8 and experiment with your shutter speed. If the picture is too dark, slow down the shutter speed, if too light, shorten it. Shoot at a low sensitivity to minimize the appearance of digital noise in your photos.
- Note. translator– And also to keep the smoothness of tonal transitions due to the maximum width of the dynamic (tone) range of the photosensitive sensor. If necessary, you can make the image flat, graphic at the processing stage, but to give it naturalness, plasticity - alas ...
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Bulb mode allows you to keep the camera shutter open for as long as you want. It could be a few seconds or a few hours.
Patrick Campbell/Getty Images
In order for the camera to capture star trails in the night sky, the shutter must be open for at least 30 minutes. The easiest way to take a picture is with tracks of moving stars. They look like arcs in the sky. The principle of photography is simple. You just need to open the camera shutter for a long time. Interference for the photographer is created by terrestrial light sources and the moon. Compared to stars, they are very bright and can create overexposure.
It is best to shoot outside the city during the young moon. In order for the brightness of the star tracks to be sufficient, you need to shoot with an open aperture (f2.8 or f4). It is better to use a wide-angle lens for shooting.
Instructions for shooting in "Bulb" mode
1. Bulb Mode
Shutter release is best done remotely. This will make it easier to keep the shutter open and eliminate camera shake. Switch to "Bulb" mode. Some cameras have hidden the mode we need at the very end of the shutter speed range. You need to switch to the "M" mode and increase the shutter speed until the "Bulb" mode is enabled.
Many remote shutter releases have a latch. This allows the button to be held down without any effort on the part of the photographer.
2. Preparatory work
For shooting, you should choose cloudless weather and find a place away from extraneous light sources. You can capture not only the sky in the frame, but also ground objects, such as trees, mountains, houses, monuments...
3. Shooting
Taking pictures in Bulb mode drains the battery very quickly, so you should think about it in advance. The aperture needs to be opened, and the sensitivity of the sensor should be increased to a value of 800 - 1600 ISO units. To create a spectacular shot, it is worth continuing to expose the frame from 30 to 180 minutes.
Almost all DSLRs have a special mode that allows the photographer to go beyond the longest auto exposure setting of 30 seconds.
In fact, this special mode allows you to get an exposure of almost infinite duration.
This bulb modeor long exposure mode.
The shutter speed range on DSLR cameras ends at 30 seconds. The next click on the program dial is Bulb mode, which allows the photographer to manually hold the camera shutter open for as long as the shutter button is pressed. Setting the exposure to Bulb is only available in manual mode.
Bulb mode is basically a creative function. It allows you to take pictures with, the duration of which is calculated in tens of minutes. A typical use case for this feature is shooting star trails when the night sky is clear of clouds. Simply point your camera at the north or south celestial pole, depending on your hemisphere.
Another common type of photography that can be taken in this mode is photographs of car navigation light trails at night. These moving lights will create patterns of stripes of white and red light emitted by the main and side lights of the moving traffic. If you are on the track near a road junction, you will be able to capture the orange patterns from the turning lights of the cars.
And if you're lucky, you might even be able to capture the blue stripe from the emergency vehicle's flasher.
Here are the three main conditions that you must meet in order to be able to shoot in Bulb mode, or in other words, in the camera's bulb mode.
- Use .
Mount the camera on a tripod to prevent any camera movement that could spoil the picture. A tripod is only unnecessary if the camera is placed on a stable and solid base, such as a low brick fence. Turn off any anti-vibration devices you may have on your camera or lens.
- Use the remote shutter
The remote shutter release will prevent vibration that could ruin a photo when you press the shutter button. No matter how careful your movements are, you will always make a slight movement of the camera when you press the shutter button. It doesn't matter at fast shutter speeds, but in Bulb mode, camera movement (however small) will be reflected in the final image. If you don't have a remote control, use the camera's built-in self-timer delay, which is just as effective. A delay of two seconds will be quite adequate.
- Switch to manual mode
Since automatic metering is completely irrelevant when working in Bulb mode, switch the camera to manual mode.
- Next, select the appropriate
photo by shahir puliyappatta
The longest auto exposure setting on digital cameras is 30 seconds, which is long enough to photograph most interesting subjects. However, there are situations when the photographer needs to take longer exposures. For example, after dark, for photographing fireworks or star tracks. But you never know what other artistic idea may require a slow shutter speed in the exposure of the picture!
For such cases, the camera has a mode Bulb Mode (B)- arbitrary exposure setting. This convenient setting allows you to keep the camera shutter open for as long as you need, even minutes, even hours!
by Stefan Thaler
A great effect with the Bulb Mode setting can be obtained by shooting a sequence of fireworks and reflecting them in one image. You can use your palm to shield the lens between shots, or use a gray card as a natural handy material to keep the camera sensor from getting too much light. With slow shutter speeds, you can have several images of fireworks in one shot, which will give the photo a festive and festive look.
Bulb Mode available on most cameras. It can be selected on the dial on the top of the body (usually displayed as the letter "B"), or through the manual exposure mode by scrolling. Turn the wheel until the word Bulb appears on the display.
In Bulb Mode, the shutter will remain open for as long as the button is held down, allowing the photographer to choose the exposure time needed. Of course, such an action can be performed by simply pressing the shutter button with your finger, but this is not very practical. Instead, it's better to use the remote shutter release to open and close the shutter.
How to set up and use Bulb mode
1. Avoid camera shake
Needless to say, the best solution to avoid camera shake is to use a tripod or any solid and stable support for it. Tripod guarantees no camera movement during long exposures. Make sure the tripod is stable on the ground, protected from wind vibrations. Lower the tripod one level down if necessary for greater reliability.
2. Use remote trigger
A remote shutter release will allow the photographer to keep the shutter open for as long as necessary and avoid camera shake, which is sure to degrade image quality. With a simple press of a button on the remote control, the shutter will open and close when the photographer needs it. Some remotes have a built-in timer to set the exposure time.
3. Set the settings manually
Bulb Mode works in manual mode. The photographer must determine the parameters of the exposure pair before starting the photo session. To get started, set your aperture to f/8 and experiment with exposure. If your picture is too dark, increase the time; if it is too bright, shorten the exposure time of the light to the sensing element. Don't use high ISO settings. You have all the controls to get the right exposure. Use low ISO values and you will completely eliminate unnecessary noise in your photo.
4. Keep a spare battery nearby.
Taking pictures in Bulb mode is energy-intensive. You may need an extra camera battery. Before shooting, fully charge the working power supply and bring an additional one with you.
This will help you get the highest quality images, and give your file more flexibility during the editing phase. Even if you manage to create a perfect exposure, you may need to make some changes in post-processing that may not be squeezed out of a JPEG image. Select Raw or Raw+JPEG from the Quality menu or the Quick control screen.
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