Playing with Smartphone Camera Slow Shutter Speed

Hello, good people!

Today I want to share my photos that I took with slow shutter speed mode. I'm not an expert, but I like to do some experiments or play with shutter speed. Sometimes I did it spontaneously when I was walking on the street or waiting for the bus at night. Like the picture below, I took the photo on my way home from (former) work.

Slow Shutter Speed 01.jpg

Aperture: f/2
Exposure time: 1 sec
ISO : 100
Focal length : 5 mm


Actually it was a bit reckless. To make a good picture using slow shutter speed, the camera must be completely still. Even a slightest movement will make the picture becomes blurry or jaggy. So it's recommended to use a tripod, or at least our hand should be steady, be motionless for a few seconds.

But did I use a tripod at that time?

Nope. That photo was taken spontaneously from a sidewalk. I didn't bring my tripod. I just used my hands, tried to hold my smartphone as steady as I could when I took pictures. But still, you can see the buildings and lights in the background are a bit blurry, and the light trail looks shaky. Meaning, I couldn't be a living tripod. πŸ˜…

On another day, I tried to take light trail photos from inside the bus stop. At that time, the bus stop was less crowded, I felt more comfortable to stand still for quite a long time, so my hands were a little more stable. Emphasis on "a little bit". 😁

Slow Shutter Speed 03.jpeg

Aperture: f/2
Exposure time: 1 sec
ISO : 100
Focal length : 5 mm


Maybe it was also because I felt safer standing at the bus stop rather than standing on the sidewalk. So I could take photos calmly. Especially when it was raining. While waiting for the rain to stop, I took pictures of the surroundings and did a little experiment with slow shutter speed.

Slow Shutter Speed 04.jpeg

Aperture: f/2
Exposure time: 1/2 sec
ISO : 100
Focal length : 5 mm


Apart from the stability factor, sometimes technical factors are also a big problem too when we're using slow shutter speed. The manual settings on the camera phone are limited. The range options of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO are not as many as those on DSLRs (of course, doh!).

But then again, it could be me that didn't have enough patience and expertise to find a really optimal setting. So, I just did trial-and-error(s).

Slow Shutter Speed 02.jpeg

Aperture: f/2
Exposure time: 1 sec
ISO : 100
Focal length : 5 mm


Slow Shutter Speed 05.jpeg

Aperture: f/2
Exposure time: 1/2 sec
ISO : 100
Focal length : 5 mm


Slow Shutter Speed 08.jpeg

Aperture: f/2
Exposure time: 1 sec
ISO : 100
Focal length : 5 mm


Sometimes, It wasn't only about moving vehicles, but also people in motion. My next targets were people crossing the street. I was wondering what happened if I took their movement with a slow shutter speed?

Slow Shutter Speed 06.jpeg

Aperture: f/2
Exposure time: 1 sec
ISO : 100
Focal length : 5 mm


Slow Shutter Speed 07.jpeg

Aperture: f/2
Exposure time: 1 sec
ISO : 100
Focal length : 5 mm


Another time, there was a mini carnival held near my (former) office. One night after worked, I stopped by that place to take photos. Again, I tried to take pictures with slow shutter speed mode. I mean, lots of trials.

Slow Shutter Speed 09.jpeg

Aperture: f/2
Exposure time: 1 sec
ISO : 100
Focal length : 5 mm


Slow Shutter Speed 10.jpeg

Aperture: f/2
Exposure time: 1 sec
ISO : 100
Focal length : 5 mm


With all the limitations of a camera phone (and my lack of skill), I was quite satisfied to see the results. Maybe those aren't great light painting photos. But the important thing is, I had fun when I did it.

There’s still a lot to learn. Maybe someday I should take more slow shutter speed photos again, but with a good preparation, so I could take some better photos 😁

Hope you enjoy those pictures.

Thank you for stopping by and reading this post. See you again!


All images original photo by me @sigota
Camera: Xiaomi mi5s
Edit: Snapseed

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