"To get the most out of this tutorial you really need a camera that allows manual control over shutter speed. Ideally this should be either full manual or shutter priority exposure, although some snapshot cameras do have an option for longer shutter speeds. Check your camera manual if you’re not sure. A good solid tripod and some sort of remote shutter release will also be useful.
Most digital cameras will have a range of available settings from a few seconds to a few thousandths of a second. Some can go as high as 1/4000th of a second, some can time a shutter release as long as 30 seconds and many also have a feature called a ‘B’ setting, in which the shutter stays open for as long as you hold the shutter release down. (The 'B' is from bulb; very old cameras commonly used an air-bulb attachment as a remote shutter release.) It’s worth noting however that some older digital cameras suffer from increased image noise on very long exposures. If your camera has adjustable noise reduction, set it to maximum for long exposure shots.
