At some point my programmable shutter release disappeared from my camera bag – a very disappointing loss to say the least. Most camera’s exposure time is limited to 30 seconds unless you go into bulb mode. The problem with bulb-mode is that you have to manually keep the shutter depressed to get an exposure, which presents a real problem trying to do long exposures without the aid of a remote shutter release, even when the camera is locked down on a tripod.
On the shot below I got around this by reverting to a technique I mastered long before I bought my first remote shutter release. What you’ll need to pull this off is a rubber band and a small stick or pebble to hold the shutter down. I use rubber bands to hold my filter cases together in my bag so the filters are not coming loose and getting scratched. I’ve found the best rubber bands for this are the nice thick ones that come wrapped on fresh broccoli from the grocery.
DIY
Start by mounting the camera to your tripod then wrap the rubber-band vertically around the grip of the camera so the rubber band is sitting directly over the shutter release button. Find a small stick or smooth pebble (don’t use a rough rock because it will gnarl up your camera) and put it between the rubber-band and the shutter release. Compose your shot and when you’re ready to take the photo, depress the shutter release down with the stick/pebble. Once you hear the shutter fire you can let go of the contraption and the stick will hold the shutter button down with pressure from the rubber-band. When your exposure is complete, simply lift the stick/pebble lightly to close the shutter.
Another tip is to put the camera in the custom-function known as “mirror-lockup.” Mirror lockup is exactly that – it locks the mirror open before the shutter fires eliminating vibration from the mirror opening which can cause motion blur. Using mirror lockup allows you to get past the rough part of shaking the camera and mirror vibration when depressing the shutter for the exposure, just don’t forget that the shutter needs to be depressed a second time to open the shutter for the exposure.
TETON MOON II
This shot was an 8+ minute exposure taken using the DIY shutter release technique explained above.