Handheld

Long Exposure Photography Without a Tripod

Long exposure photography — those silky waterfalls, light trails, and dreamy motion blurs — typically requires a tripod. But what if you don’t have one with you? You can still get surprisingly good results with some technique and creative problem-solving. How Slow Can You Go Handheld? The traditional rule of thumb: your shutter speed should be at least 1/(focal length) to avoid camera shake. At 50mm, that means 1/50 second minimum.