The Redmi K20 Pro is coming out in India July 17, and with its release date ever-approaching, users can start getting excited to have their hands on the best cameras the mid-range smartphone sector has to offer. With the best and most versatile cameras however, comes options that some of us may not be all too familiar with - one of those being the classic long exposure car shots. Here is what you can do to step up your photography game and have some fun on your K20 when the lights go down.

STEP 1: Understanding the Basics

Before diving head-first into taking amazing pictures with your K20 Pro, it is important to understand how long exposure shots work. Essentially, as photography life describes is, “A stop is the doubling or halving of the light that makes up an exposure. We can add or subtract stops by changing the aperture, shutter speed, or ISO.”

These three tools (the aperture, shutter speed and IOS), are part of any camera system. The shutter speed is how fast the camera opens and closes when taking pictures, the aperture refers to how much light the lenses allow in, and the IOS controls the brightness of the photo. Achieving a perfect mix between the values of these three can be difficult, but once learned it can allow for an unrivaled level of flexibility in photo taking.

If you’re learning on learning more about the “Photography triangle”, there is a great article by fstoppers that covers all the essentials.

STEP 2: Getting the Tools for The Job

A big part of learning any new trick is to have the right tools for the job. Since long exposure relies on keeping a sharp focus on the object in question, stability is essential, and with that, you will want some sort of tripod to place your phone on. We’ve recommended the one we use at the bottom of this post, but you’re free to find one that fits your style and budget.

When shopping for a tripod however, make sure to find one that not only fits your phone, but one that can also be extended or even bent to any scenario you may find yourself taking pictures in. You will also want to make sure that the build quality of the tripod is semi-respectable, as otherwise you will find that the lack of perfect stability will come through in your photo shooting.

STEP 3: Adjusting Your Settings

Now that you’re geared up and ready to start, head to your camera app and scroll right until you find the “Pro mode”. This mode, unlike the standard “photo mode”, will allow you to completely control each and every part of your camera in order to fit your case-scenario.

If you find yourself thinking that this entire mode looks all too complicated, don’t worry, as you’ll only be modifying the phone’s shutter speed (indicated by a S) and the ISO (indicated as ISO). Here you’ll want to set the shutter speed to 1/2s (half a second), and the to ISO to 100. This can be modified depending on your lighting conditions, but for most urban street scenarios, this setting will do you just fine.

It is also worth noting that for best results, you will want to follow through with the stability by making use of the photo countdown feature on all Xiaomi phones. To do this, simply tap your volume switch as you plan to take the photo, and a 3 second countdown will appear, ensuring that you don’t shake the camera when pressing the shutter button.

STEP 4: Having Fun

With plenty of information to digest, it can be easy to forget that the entire point of learning new cameras trick is to gain a new - and hopefully fun - perspective to every day life. We hope that with everything we’ve taught you today, that you can start to observe opportunities in previously unappealing places, and that above all, you appreciate your device for the capabilities you didn’t know it had.

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