Not everyone is keen on long exposure shots and it’s not hard to see their point of view. Several people have told me that they get sick of seeing the effect and feel that it’s a tawdry attempt at being artistic. However, I feel that in a lot of circumstances it’s effective and is the best way to render a scene. For me, it works especially well on the coast at this time of year in particular.
It’s all to do with texture; this image on the right is taken in high wind on the same evening as the image below. Using a tripod wasn’t going to be possible due to the wind so I hunkered down and took this handheld. I find it too complex, with each of the 3 elements of rock, sea and sky having texture and structure. The scene below, is a very different image made using a long exposure on the other side of the headland and out of the wind. With dramatic clouds, jagged rocks and a choppy sea, it was a texture heavy scene which can appear too ‘busy’ to be pleasing. If a painter was rendering this scene, I feel that in either the sea or the clouds, they would use wider brushstrokes to smear some of the detail until they contrasted the textured rocks in the foreground. Using a neutral density filter to allow a longer shutter speed allows the photographer to do the same. The drama is still conveyed but we have a variety of quality to the elements. In short, we made some parts of the image easier on the eye and the image works better as a whole. Interested to know if you agree… feel free to comment below.
