Use a slow shutter speed to capture movement
After meeting up in College Green, we plotted a circular route around the various installations. By the time we got to the Disco Ball in Millennium Square, it was busy with Thursday night revellers. “I liked the way the people had arranged themselves in this shot – the cluster on the left eventually giving way towards the empty space towards the right,” says Jack. “I was drawn to the lone figure in red standing still while everyone else was dancing or otherwise in motion. It gave the photo a sense of loneliness, of being alone in the crowd. The red jacket also pops nicely amid the blue light.”
“In retrospect, I feel I should have tried more shots concentrating on the reflection of the crowd in the mirror ball, rather than just having it appear in the background.”
Expert opinion
A good attempt to capture movement over a few seconds, Jack. Perhaps a tighter crop would have given the image more impact.
Just before we arrived in Millennium Square, we thought we’d lost Graham. ln fact, he had paused to photograph the nearby Ferris wheel, having packed a lightweight tripod in his backpack. Long-exposure photography is one of Graham’s favourite things to shoot, so this made perfect sense for him.
“While I enjoy taking long exposure photos ranging from 30 seconds or so, this photo had a five-second exposure to capture a little of the movement of the Ferris wheel,” Graham explains.
“Most of my photos tend to be front-on, although occasionally I find a different angle to add more interest. I also thought it would be good to capture a part of the subject and leave the rest to the imagination. It was raining quite a bit that evening and although I tried to keep my lens dry, some raindrops inevitably made it onto the lens during the exposure – perhaps an umbrella or cover would be useful in future.”
Expert opinion
This is fantastic way of showing movement, Graham, which would have been almost impossible without the use of your lightweight tripod. While shooting upwards in the rain, it’s very hard to avoid collecting a few water drops – but in this shot, what would typically be considered a mistake actually looks like a pleasing addition (intentionally or otherwise).