How To Take Amazing Night Shots With Two Buttons
Dec 31, 2013
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With Star Trail photography, like this one, we usually don’t take a single long exposure to achieve a very long open shutter, but rather hundreds of shorter, 30 seconds, exposures.
One of the ways to do this is to use an Intervalometer, and another, more frugal way, is to set the camera on continuous shooting mode and hold the shutter release button. This can be quite painful for your index finger so here is how to make a shutter release from a button.
At the end of this, you would attach the “Shutter Release Band” as shown in the images. The buttons press the shutter release button nicely and firmly, and the rubber band holds it in place and apply the required pressure.
I myself have a wireless remote for my camera. But during a workshop that I conducted for participants with all different brands and models of cameras I wanted a universal and simple solution. This one costs about 12p (and hangout time with grandma is free)
Previously I tried placing a piece of folded paper or Polystyrene bellow the rubber band. It worked for some cameras (sometimes…) but for others it didn’t work at all. Sadly, every camera has a different shaped body and the curves near the shutter release button differ. But also the lace grip makes it easier to place & remove the buttons on the shutter release.
About The Author
Kedar Bhat is a freelance photographer from India. You can visit his website here and follow his facebook here.
Guest Author
We love it when our readers get in touch with us to share their stories. This article was contributed to DIYP by a member of our community. If you would like to contribute an article, please contact us here.
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10 responses to “How To Take Amazing Night Shots With Two Buttons”
Great idea, thanks for the share!
That is a really good idea! I use the intervalometer but often go out and shoot with friends that do not, so I will have to share this tip with them!
You could also get a wired remote control with a “bulb” switch for $5 or so. With the added benefit of then having, well, a wired remote shutter.
The trick in this article is really using long exposures with continuous shooting mode, which is nice and worth remembering.
This is nice hack if you are unable to use IR remote or wired remote with the bulb switch. At least on my 500D one putton press from IR remote starts and 2nd stops exposure when on bulb mode.
Great use-full tip, thank you.
I connect my smartphone to my dslr. An app has tge bulb option as well as timelapse and other functions. .. works great!
Nice shots!
You could also consider getting a simple wired remote (2$ on e*ay ;) ).
They use to have a mechanical hold position usable in bulb mode.
I’m pretty sure nikons have a shot limit when in burst mode, so after a while the camera would stop taking photos
what about the camera shake when you pull the rubber band to press and release the shutter?
acha hay = (it’s good) :)