This top 5 list will demonstrate how you can add 5 beautiful types of slow shutter speed photos to your portfolio.
Slow Down Effect
A slow shutter speed allows the world around us to be manipulated in an unnatural way that is impossible to do with the human eye, this manipulation produces a beautiful fantasy visual that leaves the viewers eyes confused and mesmerised.
A slow shutter speed can be considered as a shutter speed of 1/30s or longer. Think of shutter speed as your eye quickly opening and closing and then computing what you saw in an image, the quicker the opening and closing is done the less opportunity the objects in front of you can move. Where if the person kept their eyes open for a second and the bird infront of them has moved to the right by 10 centimeters, the image of the bird will be blurred over the area it covered within that second.
This blurry effect of being in 2 places at once is the phenomenon we seek, now let's discuss how to take advantage of this.
5. Fireworks
Kicking off our top 5 with a bang and that is the celebratory spectacle in the sky called fireworks. Capturing fireworks adds magic to the photo and it's important to know all the ingredients needed for the magic potion.
A tripod is essential for firework photography, It is possible to shoot hand held but you will be handcuffed to selecting a higher shutter speed. Bulb mode is ideal as this will allow you to control when the shutter opens and closes aiming to sync this with the duration of the firework exploding and disappearing which will take a few seconds. Manual mode can easily work however you will have to preset the shutter speed and hope it turns out correct.
In regards to general camera settings the ideal f/stop is roughly f/8 to better capture everything in focus, a shutter speed of 1 - 2 seconds is ideal yet you can experiment with 1/30s that will capture small intricate details all the way to 10 seconds which is great for the finale, and the ISO should be kept as low as possible.
4. Car Light Trails
Fast cars, lights, camera, and action makes for the perfect mix when all these elements are blended into one photo. When well executed the photo takes on the characteristic of a sci-fi visual . The key here is to shoot into oncoming traffic (while positioned in a safe place) as the camera will have a longer exposure to the nearest car lights which will create stronger trail lights.
The difficult aspect to this shot is the trial and error that's required to get the perfect capture as the photographer has no control on the number of cars passing by. Although the series of photos shot at the same spot will bear a lot of similarities, the light streaks will vary from each photo.
Play around with different angles and see what perspective results in the best image. adding the correct Lightroom preset can transform the feel of the photo, here I added a cinematic preset that converts the blues into a teal colour providing a fantasy dramatic effect.
3. Water
Water, one of the top 5 most important substances on earth easily makes this top 5 list, although it doesn't radiate florescent lights like the others - its natural simple beauty is slowed down to be greater appreciated. Waterfalls is the most amazing body of water to capture with a slow shutter speed as it provides the water with a dreamy texture creating a sweet dream for the viewer.
Water poses a unique problem not found with most slow shutter speed shots as these photos are generally taken during the day where setting a long shutter speed can lead to an overexposed photo. There are 2 ways to combat this, increase the f stop to the max if need be, and secondly add an ND filter to the camera lens that will reduce the overall exposure and allow for longer shutter speeds to be used in sunny conditions.
2. Light Painting
Had this list been the most exciting slow shutter speed photos to take this would hands down be number one, the process of light painting can be cumbersome to do particularly solo yet the results can be beyond rewarding.
The idea behind this shot is very counter intuitive, the idea of pressing the shutter button and then running infront of the camera waving a torch light during a long exposure is unconventional to say the least, yet straying from the normal pathway is needed at times.
Setup tips:
- A tripod is a must here.
- Generally the longer the shutter speed the better to allow more time to paint your image/message.
- An F stop of f/8 or above is ideal, you may have to set the highest f stop to offset the long shutter speed.
- Set the shutter button to a 2 second delay to ensure there is no movement when pressing the button, alternatively you can use a remote control.
- For the light source a coloured torch app on your phone will do the trick, otherwise you can use a more sophisticated lighting device. Here I used the Godox RGB mini creative M1 light.
- Bonus tip, if you are running out of time to paint in one shot, paint your image/message over 2 photos and combine the photos in Photoshop.
1. The Carousel
The number one spot goes to the dazzling carousel that turns into a beautiful painting lighting up the dark night. Setting up a tripod at a busy theme park is certainly a hassle but for carousel photos it's well worth it. The ideal shutter speed for these photos is roughly 1.5 seconds. Ferris wheels also provide a spectacular visual that looks like a painted light tumbling perfectly in a washing machine.
The pain and joys of taking photos of a carousel is each photo will look different given the carousel is constantly spinning at different angles with changing coloured lights. The strategy is to take multiple photos then further experiment with changing the position and angle of the tripod to capture the perfect photo. The moment when the carousel is tilting towards the ground produces the perfect image.
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