Long exposure photography is a beloved technique, used by many genres, as well as forming something of a genre itself. In this video, a photographer walks you through his process and some tips on how to get the best out of your own long exposure images.
Brazilian artist and photographer, Vitor Schietti, has created some memorable photos that are viral ones involving sparks of steel wool and long exposures. I want to start this post with a strong word of caution: while I love some of Schietti’s pictures, please don’t accidentally burn trees if you try this. Elsewhere in the world, climbing trees and shooting sparks around can cause a full-blown wildfire.
However, the video is full of helpful tips and is doable outside of Schietti’s particular brand of visuals. One tip he suggests is to keep a kind of creative journal so you can sketch out ideas as you get them. I’m far from an artist when it comes to drawing – I often joke that that’s why I have to be a photographer – but I do sketch my ideas. My most successful image from an artistic point of view (it has been exhibited in the Louvre and Times Square and elsewhere) was initially badly sketched in Microsoft Paint with my mouse! I know the composition I want to create and where to position the elements of the image, and writing it down on “paper” has helped me for the day.
