Bulb mode and long shutter speeds
When camera manufacturers talk about the shut-
ter speed of their cameras, they usually focus on
the fastest possible speed that the camera has
available. For example, the Nikon D700, which I
use a lot, has a top shutter speed of 1/8000 sec-
ond, which is really fast. The Canon EOS T3 has
a top shutter speed of 1/4000 second, which is
still plenty fast to freeze the action on even a very
fast-moving subject. However, when it comes to
shooting using very long shutter speeds, both of
these cameras — in fact, most cameras — can be
set to a speed of 30 seconds. While 30 seconds
might seem like an eternity when taking a photo-
graph, what do you do if you need a longer shut-
ter speed, such as 90 seconds? This is where the
bulb (often called B) setting on your camera
comes into play. The bulb setting keeps the shut-
ter open as long as the shutter release button is
pressed (either the one on the camera or the one
on a cable release or remote). Some cameras have
a two-press bulb mode where the first time you
press the shutter release the shutter opens, and
the second time you press it, the shutter closes.If I am photographing a concert and I
know the images are going to be
used on the Internet and might be printed at a small
size, then I am willing to use a much higher ISO than
if the images were meant to be printed in a higher reso-
lution or size.tipABOUT THIS PHOTO To get the photo of David Hinds, best
known as the lead singer of the band Steel Pulse, I needed to use a
high ISO of 3200. This was the only way to get the proper exposure
with the very low lighting on the stage. Taken at 1/160 second, f/2.8,
and ISO 3200.
3-2You need to check your camera’s
manual for any limitations on the
length of time the shutter can be kept open on your
camera. The usual limit is 30 seconds unless you use
the bulb mode.noteThe bulb setting is only available when shooting
in manual mode. Check your camera manual for
how to access the bulb mode.