Alistair’s tips for slow street shots

Fiona Georgeson Powell uses textures to finesse her photos

Bicycles are a great subject 1 for capturing at slower shutter speeds – unless they are going at a rate faster than Lance Armstrong, of course, but even then you’ll probably pick up a fun shot here and there. This was shot at 1/8 sec, f/22, ISO 100; focal length 35mm.

You can fill your frame with 2 the subject. It will likely give you a few more details of the planted foot or other static areas; in this case the gentleman can be seen looking at his phone as he scoots on by. Shot at 1/15 sec, f/13, ISO 200; focal length 35mm.

Here I found myself presented 3 with a scenario where all of the people were static, and the blurred movement came from the subway carriage in the background as it pulled into the station. Shot at 1/4 sec, f/2, ISO 128,000; focal length 20mm.

Here I carried on walking 4 as I pressed the shutter; in fact, it was an accident – I had been shooting slow shutter speeds just beforehand and forgot to revert my settings. It’s an effect that can be used anywhere. Shot at 1/2 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200; focal length 24mm.

To be quite honest, photography is probably an addiction for me. My husband and children will definitely vouch for that: they often leave me behind on walks while I capture a certain image, making me run after them to catch up breathlessly. My friends say I notice things they don’t; I guess photography has tuned me into that. I’m sure many other photographers have been told this, too.

It’s a calling that takes me to so many locations, and I find there are photo opportunities everywhere. Some are stunning and some are not immediately so, but sometimes it’s the latter that make the best photos. Events and street art are my favourite subjects to shoot, but that’s not so easy now with lockdown restrictions. I am looking forward to freedom and being able to safely enjoy it again. In the meantime, it’s an opportunity for plenty of dog portraits and selfies!