Skip to main content
time exposure

time exposure

1 6.0
A photograph you make by leaving the camera open for a long time to show stars or moving light
  • noun
  • /taɪm ɪkˈspoʊʒər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : exposición prolongada
  • Using a time exposure technique, the artist depicted the flowing movement of the waterfall in sharp detail.
  • time exposure and snapshot

They work pretty much the same way, but we take long time exposures and we add up the data very carefully.

Examples

  • Telescopes must be made to track the stars with great accuracy during time exposures.

    Academic text (1991)
  • The photograph captured the city skyline beautifully during a long time exposure, revealing the movement of clouds and traffic lights.

  • This picture was taken with a time exposure.

  • They work pretty much the same way, but we take long time exposures and we add up the data very carefully.

  • Well, if you take a time exposure photograph of the stars, they seem to be moving in circles about the pole star, but all motion is relative.

  • All exposures were time exposures ranging from 15 to over 30 seconds at f/16 to f/22.

    Academic text (1995)
  • B) Set the lens aperture at f/16 and use a time exposure of five seconds when using ASA-64 or ASA-100 film.

    Academic text (1993)
  • For the archetypal time exposure, de Duve posits Julia Margaret Cameron's soft-focus portraiture.

    Academic text (2005)
  • With a time exposure setting, you can create stunning images of star trails in the night sky.

How Long

time exposure
  • Specialized
1 6.0
exposure
  • Specialized
42 4.4
snapshot
61 3.1

Surface Forms

time exposure singular

Morphology

time + exposure

The meaning is directly compositional: 'exposure' (allowing light onto film/sensor) qualified by 'time' indicates an exposure defined by its duration (a long exposure or the act of exposing for a period). This noun‑noun modification follows normal English patterns and is cross‑linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Time exposure comes from the simple idea of leaving the camera open to light for a long time so faint light and movement are recorded. That's why a time exposure means 'a photo made with a long exposure' or the act of taking such a photo to show star trails or light patterns.