Why Are My Long Exposure Photos Blurry?

Likely causes

• Camera shake during the exposure. even a stable-looking handheld or lightly-supported camera picks up enough movement over several seconds to blur the whole frame, not just the intended moving elements.
• Imprecise timing in Bulb mode. guessing when to close the shutter rather than tracking it precisely can produce an exposure longer or shorter than intended, changing how motion renders.
• Exposure duration mismatched to the subject's actual speed. an exposure that's too short for slow-moving clouds or too long for fast-moving water can produce a result that looks smeared rather than deliberately smooth.

The fix

1. Use a stable tripod and, ideally, a remote trigger or timer app rather than pressing the shutter by hand.
2. Track the exposure precisely in Bulb mode instead of estimating when to close the shutter.
3. Match the exposure duration to the subject's actual motion speed — longer for slow subjects like clouds, shorter for fast-moving water.