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Alan Brown's picture

Relative motion

I have spent some time at the beach and rather than sitting in the sun for extended periods decided to a bit more experimenting.

These images have a common theme where I attempted to capture the form of a somewhat stationary subject whilst others to blur during a long exposure.

Not my best work, but I do enjoy the sense of motion in these. Comments of course appreciated as always (good OR bad), and I'd love to hear if there are any favorites out there.

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10 Comments

When you speak of stationary whilst long exposure blur, #3 and #4 capture that essence, to my eye, the most with the gravel and the sand. #3 most of all.

With #1 the pose is 'almost' the wife tapping her foot in an impatience manner. Kind of difficult to tap your foot in moving water and be taken serious.

#2 ~ I like the composition of 3, foreground, middle and distance while at the same time keeping your horizon straight....which is true with all your photos.

#5 ~ I like the leading lines from the sitting couple through the scene that 'almost' makes a golden ratio.

#6 ~ I'm not sure what I can say. I like the blue in the board, but, for me, the photo doesn't pop as much as the others. Perhaps the upper third right object is distracting my eye from what I feel is the subject: the surfer dude.

This would be a great subject to explore further. Perhaps an August Challenge?

Thanks Dean. I tried to provide a variety to show an expanse of possibilities. There are definitely some that work better than others for me.

I appreciate the time and thoughtfulness you have put into your response, all comments provide good and valid points.

I'll think about assigning something similar as an August challenge. This may be outside of the comfort zone of many (members - please chime in!), but then again all walk around with a mobile (camera) in their pockets, and may find it fun. All were taken on my iPhone.

To me, the best ones would be if you could get the main subject(s) to not move at all, almost like the first one.

Thanks Charles. I have actually used this principle in the past. Unless posed it does rely on the subject standing still for a few seconds - timing is everything!

Hey, great photography doesn't come easy!

I really appreciate when the subject is still or just a bit of movement as you have done in these images, Alan. I think #4 captures the stillness vs movement perfectly AND tells a fantastic story as well. I think it's quite a piece of art in fact. Now with the subject in motion with the background, I really like #6. The monochromatic blues, the composition, and the building of energy is fantastic. Now that I'm looking a little closer, I like #5 as well - the story of the contrast of mature peacefulness (left) vs youthful enthusiasm (right). Good job on these!

Thanks Jenny. It's great to see the range of opinions from members, and I appreciate that you took the time to voice your own preferences.

Thanks for the input and (as always) your kind words.

Ciao Alan!
These photographs own way more pleasing perspective than the ones of the bicycle tour.
What I detect as relaxing is a sharp element in them. It provides a rest for the viewer while everything else is moving and blurred.

Thanks for your comment Dg9. Yeah, TBF the bicycle shots were more a proof of concept, difficult to pull off, and shared more to make others aware of the technique than anything else.

This set was conceived more as an attempt to capture elements that are moving at different speeds, using a more stationary form as an anchor.

I am happy to hear your feedback, your thoughts will help guide future attempts.

Great work as always. Shows there is so much potential in these ubiquitous devices than some may realize. Personal favorite is definitely the couple sitting in the chairs while the world goes by. Love the contrast between stillness and activity.