We’re all for breaking the mold here at 500px. When you’re starting out, it’s a great idea to replicate a particular genre’s standard ‘style’ until you’ve got it down; but once you’re comfortable, it’s time to start experimenting!
Long-exposure street photography is a great example of this kind of experimentation.
When you think of the “typical” street photo, it’s black-and-white, crisp, and captures some candid expression or event (in motion if you’re good). So why not break that mold and go to the other extreme? Set up a tripod, break out the ND filter (or go out at night), close up your aperture, and turn the exposure up to 11… seconds.
Or 9, or 6. Really anything that will allow you to capture a blurry mass of humanity walking the streets while the street itself becomes the impossibly sharp backdrop to this blur of motion:
Some call this the “spectral” effect, and it’s a great way to add motion to your street shots or emphasize a pensive moment in a very obvious way.
A lone figure standing on a busy street thinking for even a moment while the world whirrs by makes for a great street photograph. But when you crank the shutter speed, that moment comes alive!
The possibilities, though, are endless. You can have just a few people in the shot or a whole crowd; you can expose for just long enough for small trails, or so long the mass becomes totally unrecognizable; you can choose to enhance the moment with selective color, go full color, or opt for the ever-popular black and white.
You’re only limited by your creativity and willingness to go out and experiment. Find a busy place—train station, shopping center, your town’s main street, etc.—set up your tripod, and get shooting!
Just remember to use a remote trigger and protect your tripod while the crowd moves around it, because a single bump can ruin a shot like this. And if you need more inspiration, here are a few other long-exposure street shots we found on 500px that we really love.
Go out and try this technique today! And then upload your results to 500px and share a link in the comments. Show the community what you’ve got!