Long Exposure Photography - How I Capture Motion In My Images

jessicaoutside (55) in photography • 7 years ago (edited)

When I first started to take an interest in photography, I was fascinated by long exposure photos.

I couldn’t figure out how people were able to take photos of silky looking water and streaky clouds. I remember standing in front of a waterfall, trying to take a long exposure shot and it turning out completely white. I didn’t get it. I had just overexposed my photo.

And then I discovered neutral density filters. I decided that I had to have one. I opted for a 10 stop ND filter. It’s like putting sunglasses in front of your lens. There are a lot of different filters out there with varying degrees of darkness. A 10 stop ND filter is quite dark. It allows you to draw your shutter speed out for quite a long time, depending on the available light. When you draw your shutter speed out, you capture all of the motion in a scene.

See the photos below as an example:

See how in the first photo the water is rippled. In the second photo, it is smooth. The second photo is a 10 second exposure. By using my ND filter, I was able to capture all of the motion in the water and the clouds for a whole 10 seconds, without overexposing the shot. It’s a pretty cool thing to be able to do. It’s something you’d never be able to see in reality. And that’s what makes it kinda special. Along with the filter, you will also need to use a tripod to ensure your camera stays still for the entire exposure.

Here are a few more photos I've been able to take during the day, using my ND filter.

Niagara Falls, Olympus E-M10, Shutter 5 sec

Brooklyn Bridge, Olympus E-M10, Shutter 30 sec

Peggy's Cove Lighthouse, Olympus E-M10, Shutter 5 sec

Maligne Lake, Olympus E-M10, Shutter 25 sec

Peggy's Cove, Olympus E-M10, Shutter 30 sec

Fundy National Park, Olympus E-M10, Shutter 15 sec

I'm still learning as I go, but if you have any questions, I'd be happy to help.

Also, I'd love to see your long exposure photos. Please feel free to share them with me below.

My INTRO

Many thanks to @odrau for the page divider

photography longexposurephotography landscape nature photofeed

7 years ago by jessicaoutside (55)

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engchitchat (51) · 7 years ago

Great photos. I also like to use a slow shutter speed. I like to photograph water or moving lights. Canals in Amsterdam:

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2 votes

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jessicaoutside (55) · 7 years ago

Nice work. Really love the light trails 👌

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soundworks (52) · 7 years ago (edited)

Ok.. this is BANANAS!!! Your photos look very good, you should really think about making money on them by selling license to use them or something like that.

Steemit Logo

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2 votes

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jessicaoutside (55) · 7 years ago

Thank you legend! I've got some selling through stock sales. Not huge amounts but some spending money :)

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shasta (66) · 7 years ago

Outstanding!!! Love these soft purple mountains!
A friend of mine will love your lighthouse
as much as I do @mrprofessor!
Maligne Lake, clouds, mountain and lake are a magical
mix for the soul. @daveks should see these for his
spotlight if he hasn't yet :-)
Fundy moss waterfall I also really like!
What awesome photography! @jessicaoutside👍👍
Following and resteeming! :-)

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1 vote

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jessicaoutside (55) · 7 years ago

Wow! Thank you @shasta that's so very kind of you. Thanks for the love ❤Following along as well.

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mrprofessor (68) · 7 years ago (edited)

Lighthouse!!!!!!!!!!! I just can't get enough of lighthouses, they are never the same.
But... those effects are soo cool, with I could try it.

Amazing work @jassicaoutside and thank you @shasta for showing her work

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jessicaoutside (55) · 7 years ago

They're so good hey! I love them also. Thanks for your lovely comment ❤

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alequandro (67) · 7 years ago

Beautiful shots, congratulations!
The first picture is fabulous!
Greetings from an Olympus fan: D

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1 vote

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jessicaoutside (55) · 7 years ago

Oh thanks for checking it out. Always good to meet a fellow olympus fan 😀

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speckonarock (41) · 7 years ago

As a fellow newcomer to Steemit and a British Columbian myself: Good day, and welcome!

Love your work that I've seen so far, quite interested in what will be coming down the pipe.

Tossin' some change in yer jar for ya and I think I'll keep an eye on you as well.

Cheers,
Speck.

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1 vote

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jessicaoutside (55) · 7 years ago

Cheers Speck! You sound like a legend - following along also 🤙

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speckonarock (41) · 7 years ago

A legend eh?
Well they say flattery will get you everywhere. :D
Thanks for following!

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1 vote

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gotravel (43) · 7 years ago

Very nice results :) ND filters are truly great tool when it comes to jumping a level in photography.

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1 vote

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jessicaoutside (55) · 7 years ago

Thanks very much.

Ain't that the truth. They can turn a normal scene into something quite special.

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1 vote

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adamfryda-art (55) · 7 years ago

Nice little article @jessicaoutside. As a new photographer, i found it very useful and enlightening! Thank you!

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1 vote

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jessicaoutside (55) · 7 years ago

That's so great. I'm glad you found it helpful. I'd love to hear how you go with it. Thanks for stopping by :)

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loneranger (41) · 7 years ago

I noticed you voted my photo. Have checked out your work. Very nice! I'm following and looking forward to more. Welcome to Steemit!

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1 vote

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jessicaoutside (55) · 7 years ago

Thanks very much @loneranger
Really appreciate it. Following along with you too 🙂

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photocontests3 (48) · 7 years ago

World of Photography
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