Wuntenn,
nice work, the slow exposure movement shots are cool. It is funny that we spend so much time making sure our shots are sharp with no camera movement or using faster shutter speed, but completely ignoring that rule and it can add so much. Like an abstract painting without the paint.
I have to try this.
Thanks. Aye its a great technique, but it teaches you a lot about exposure and light, by exploring when it can and cant work. Normally during the day there is too much light to be able to do it - you cant get a slow enough shutter speed, but at twilight (either am or pm) or on really grotty overcast or wet days it works beautifully. And (if you've not ever tried it) on dull/wet days you're in for a treat because the low contrast and soft light pumps up the colours to an astonishing degree. Other thing to do for most outdoor subjects as I've portrayed, is set the White Balance on your camera to 'Cloudy' rather than the AWB setting as the latter will give cooler colours (depends on camera brand though). You can change the WB in the computer of course but I like to get immediate feedback in the field as this is a good encouragement to keep going.
You can do it on static subjects and move the camera, or on moving ones and keep the camera still, or with moving subjects and either keep the camera still or move it - all give different resuts and the outcome is unpredictable and can be beautiful. More fun that sitting inside playing with Photosheep and following what everyone else does.....
Wolf running through woodland (controlled subject) slow shutter speed, moving camera with wolf:
Moving camera horizontal during very long exposure then stopping and allowing some detail to record:
Long exposure - bracken blowing in wind goes blurry, tree stays sharp:
60 second shot of foam on water - creates a 'spiral galaxy' of foam as it sloooooooowwwlllly swirls on a languid river - love these shots as they show stuff invisible to the eye - such as the hydrographic 'fingerprint' of a river, revealing the currents and back eddies:
Panning camera with running deer, on a tipping it down day of endless rain and dark skies....but this give great long exposures!
And finally - same grim wet day as previously, but lobbing leaves into the frame and firing the flash to 'freeze' them as they fall:
