At Hogwarts, in the world of Harry Potter, still images come alive with movement. However, most of us are muggles and our photographs must seem dull and boring compared to those wizards. Lucky for us, there is another way to infuse motion (or at least the impression of it) into a still photograph. That secret magic is long exposure....
Long exposure is created by opening the shutter for long periods of time. Whether it's "short" long exposure, like one-sixth of a second (just long enough to give a pleasing blur to moving creeks or ocean waves), or long long exposure that can last for several minutes or more, this technique creates images that have that mystic and ethereal quality that I have come to love in photography.
Long exposure came to me at a time when I was reaching a stagnation point. I felt like I was going to the same locations and taking the same compositions over and over. Discovering long exposure, however, opened my mind to a whole realm of possibilities and I've been scurrying about to all the familiar locations with fresh ideas ever since. Here is a sample of images I have created since discovering a passion for long exposure. Which of these images are your favorites? What do you think of long exposure? I would love to hear your feedback and criticism in the comments.
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