What is bulb in a camera. Bulb Mode: How to get professional quality in low light. Use remote trigger

Amateurs, seeing this shot, shout with one voice - "PHOTOSHOP!", "They rolled up the car wash with asphalt!" and other heresy. In total, this was filmed at a shutter speed of 10 minutes. As evidenced by the matte surface of the water and the absence of people on the street. Programmatically, there are no such shutter speeds in the camera, but there are bulb mode(pictogram on wheel "B") - manual control of the shutter. In simple words, the button was pressed - the mirror went up, shooting began, the button was released - the shooting was completed. A cable release is required to use this mode, Holding down the shutter button for 10 minutes and not moving at the same time is simply unrealistic. Cables are different, original Canon or Nikon, for example, or their Chinese counterparts. Prices are four times different. I have been using the Chinese counterpart for over a year now and have no complaints. The only negative is that there is no “Off” button, the display is constantly on, so the batteries can run out at the most unexpected moment. To be treated by removing the battery after use, and a spare unit in the backpack. With this accessory, you can also shoot time-lapse, set manual exposure time and burst shooting. As another undoubted plus, you will touch the camera less during shooting, thereby significantly reducing the likelihood of a blurry frame.

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's sensor out of the 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 shoot. 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.

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

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.

"Rotation of the starry sky" is a popular subject for shooting. To learn how to photograph it, you need to master the skills of shooting in the "Bulb" mode, which allows you to get a very long exposure - a classic trick for night photography. We will tell you how to open the shutter of your camera for an arbitrarily long time.

Patrick Campbell/Getty Images

In Bulb shooting mode, you can keep the shutter open for as long as you like, from a few minutes to several hours.

In terms of photography, to capture the trails of stars, you need to shoot with a shutter speed of more than 30 minutes.

The simplest technique for photographing a "rotating starry sky" is to hold the shutter open for so long that the movement of the stars is imprinted in the picture in the form of many arcs.

Ambient light sources - lighting on built-up areas of the earth and, most often, the moon - are the main obstacle when shooting "moving stars".

Therefore, find a place for shooting free from "light noise". Choose a night when the moon is still young or will be below the horizon for the duration of the exposure. Use the internet to find the right place and time.

Learn more: Night photography - how to set up your camera and take pictures of anything.

A photo of a "moving starry sky" is possible if your camera is equipped with the "Bulb" mode. In order for the arcs to turn out bright and be clearly visible in the final picture, you need to photograph at an open aperture - f / 2.8 or f / 4. Then most of the light will reach the light sensor.

As with landscape photography, wide-angle lenses are best.

Step-by-step guide for shooting in Bulb mode

Step 1. Using Bulb mode

To shoot in Bulb mode, use the remote shutter release. In this case, by releasing the shutter, you can keep it open for as long as you need.

Set the shooting mode on the camera to "Bulb" … , 0.5``, … , 5``, … The last mode will be “Bulb”).

Press the button on the remote control to open the shutter. Keep the button pressed as long as you want the shutter to remain open.

Learn more: Learn how to take professional-quality photos in low light.

Step #2. Training

To create a good photo of the "spinning starry sky" choose a clear moonless night in a place far from any light noise. Before it gets dark, set up your camera on a tripod. Build the composition of the frame. Include interesting surroundings in the frame, such as a tree or a dark building.

Step #3 Shooting

Use a fully charged battery as while shooting in the "Bulb" mode, it quickly discharges. Set the aperture to open and the sensitivity to between 800 and 1600 ISO. Now wait until it gets dark or return to the shooting location a little later.

In Bulb mode, press the shutter button. To make star trails look spectacular, expose the frame for 30-180 minutes.