Remote Shutter Release Question!!

[RBennett]

Ok, so in my preparation for my vacation coming up in December, I have purchased a K100D, 3 lenses, tripod, and now a remote shutter release. My question is this: the cable states that the only way I can hold the shutter open is if I am in bulb mode. Does this sound normal?? Of course the only time I am looking at using the cable is with night shots, ie Wishes, or maybe an artistic shot of the carousel. Should I shoot in bulb mode and get to decide how long the shutter stays open, or should I set the shutter speed myself and not have to worry about it?? Thanks!!!!!

 

[SharonLowe]

Yes, to hold the shutter open indefinitely, you need to put the camera into bulb mode. But, many night shots at WDW (eg., the "artistic" carousel shot) don't need a shutter speed longer than what your camera can handle in other modes so you won't need bulb mode. Fireworks are best shot in bulb mode so that you can control how long you want the shutter to remain open since the camera will be fooled into thinking it needs to be open for more or less depending on many factors.

It sounds like you are very new to this so I suggest doing some testing at home before you get to WDW or you will likely be very disappointed with your results. Find a county fair, if it isn't too late, or just a local city/town (both in the evening) where you can maybe play with some light trails from cars and other things.

 

[Groucho]

Like Sharon said... bulb mode is mainly used for fireworks. Ideally, you open the shutter at the beginning of the firework's trail (depending on the firework, either as it's launched and traveling upwards, or as it explodes) and close it at the end. Otherwise, you only get part of the firework's trail.

For other night shots, you'd still use the remote shutter release, but just to keep the camera from shaking. IMHO, the best mode for those is Aperture Priority - set the aperture to somewhere around F8-F10 and let it pick the shutter speed. Review the photo and if you want it a little brighter or darker, use exposure compensation to adjust that. You can also plan ahead for doing an HDR photo by taking the photo at the default speed then go both up and down one, then two stops, for a total of 5 shots. (-2, -1, 0, 1, 2.)