How to take long exposures

1 Steady as you go

Spectre makes much of its ability to shoot long exposures handheld, but take it from us: step one is a tripod or suitable mount (as iPhones don’t weigh much). Without one you’re definitely not going to get the best results.

3 How steady are you?

The stability indicator is very useful, although it doesn’t negate our earlier advice about using a tripod. If Spectre thinks you’re holding your phone steady enough to shoot a sharp exposure, it displays a ‘stable’ message.

5 A trick of the light

If you turn on Light Trails (top-left icon), objects in motion will streak across the frame – think car lights on a motorway. Turn it off and Spectre averages frames together – anything that moves between frames will simply vanish.

2 Get the duration right

The dial on the right lets you choose a duration of three, five or nine seconds for how long the sensor is exposed to light. Use a longer time to exaggerate movement, or for slower-moving subjects, and vice versa.

4 In combination

Poor results don’t just happen when the top-centre icon is like above. It’s possible to see the stable indication and still get blurry pics. If shooting handheld, set a shorter duration by swiping through the options in step two.

6 Live preview

Spectre shows you the progression of your image while it shoots. If you think your frame looks finished before the timed exposure finishes, simply tap the shutter button again to stop the exposure and save the image how it is.

Using a tripod doesn’t need loads of extra kit – the GorillaPod GripTight One costs under £20, holds your iPhone securely and can be mounted to virtually anything.

Genius tip!