1
Set up your tripod
since we will be using
a lengthened exposure
duration, a tripod is
essential. scout for a
scene where you can
get close to the edge of
crops or major vegetation
that will model the wind
for you and help convey
movement in the shot.4
Time your shot
We need to capture
the maximum amount of
motion of scene elements.
To minimise camera shake,
bypass the shutter button.
The self-timer makes
correct timing difficult, so
use a remote release, wait
for the breeze and trigger
when ready.2
Select camera
height choose a level
to position the camera to
make more of foreground
detail. Objects that appear
further away will show less
blur, so place the camera
just above the height
of foreground objects,
extending top leg sections
first for maximum stability.5
Adjust exposure
time if your shutter
speed is not long enough,
stop down the aperture
slightly or use a low
strength nD filter until
you are capturing enough
movement. if all detail
is lost in your moving
foreground elements, your
shutter speed is too long.3
Use Av mode While
we want to control
shutter speed, as we are
shooting a landscape we
also need sufficient depth
of field. Aperture Priority
mode will help ensure this,
while indirectly enabling
control of exposure time.
start at f11 and stop down
for a longer exposure.Show movement in landscapes
Introduce some fluidity into an otherwise static scene by selecting the perfect shutter speed
Lengthen exposure duration to smoothen detail and give a sense of motion
Work with slow shutter speeds
The use of longer exposures is perhaps the
most well known and popular shutter speed
technique. Slowing the shutter speed is, for
many photographers, the first technique
attempted when learning to take manual
control of their camera. While it can become
an overused trick, employing a lengthened
exposure has the potential to add superior
atmosphere to even a relatively plain scene,
rendering vegetation as creative streaks and
reducing bodies of flowing water to attractive
lines of misty blur. These re-imagined
features now appear more ‘alive’ and help
to create an active composition. The subject
and environment interact in a natural way,
appearing more similar to how we see them in
real life, with our own eyes.
That being said, once the exposure time
passes approximately one second, the amount
of movement becomes rather unnatural,
portraying objects as we never see them,
thereby adding intrigue to a photograph. But
regardless of the extremity of the effect we
select, the impact is the same – the movement
of objects conveys the passage of time, aiding
the tone and narrative of an image.
Part of becoming a successful creative
photographer is understanding when different
techniques and effects are best put to use. The
most appropriate conditions for a slow shutter
speed are those where there is significant
natural movement of scene elements, and
where this is central to conveying their place
within a scene. A field of wheat, for example,
while attractive against a blue sky, can appear
oddly uninspiring when static, and dissociated
from the rest of the landscape. Lengthening
the exposure slightly, so that the crop is
shown to be moved by the breeze, injects
some natural energy and gives the shot an
extra dimension. As only the viewer’s visual
senses are stimulated by a two-dimensional
photo, conveying the wind motion makes it
easier for them to imagine being in the scene.Furthermore, since a blurred subject
effectively occupies more of the frame area,
it can easily dominate the viewer’s attention,
which when combined with the often-
abstract properties of masked detail, allows
us to cover for a lack of strong subject. This
is highly useful in minimalist landscapes,
where a sparsely populated scene requires
an additional visual element to succeed in
audience engagement.Painterly light
By keeping the shutter
open for longer, colour
and light often appear
richer and take on a
more painterly quality.
This suits a wide
variety of subjects and
lighting conditions© Richard BeechTechniques