Changes

Due to an illness that has pretty much had me out of commission for the last 6 weeks, I have postponed my picture a day project for a while.  I hope to resume it again soon, after I am back in good health.  In the meantime I will treat this more like a regular blog. 

First blog post.

 I have decided to share some pictures that I have taken over the course of my career that are somewhat unique.  Not because of the content so much as then technique used to take them.  Each of these pictures I share in this post are considered too long of an exposure to hold the camera by hand.  The shortest exposure is 1/10 of a second and the longest is 2.5 seconds.  While 1/10 of a second is not much of a stretch for most photographers, it is generally not in the comfort range.  

I guess I should share some techniques here as well.  There are three basic techniques I use when shooting long exposures.  First is to use your body as a tripod.  Start with your feet wider than shoulder width, one slightly in front of the other.  Lean back, putting your weight mostly on the heels of your feet.  Your camera should be in line with your center of gravity.  This is not the most comfortable position to stand in, and can make you look a bit awkward to passersby,

  but does provide a great deal more stability than other standing positions.  Second, is to wrap your camera strap tightly around your arm.  I use my camera strap like I am going to secure my camera to my arm.  I will wrap it down around my elbow and take in any slack left with my non-camera hand.  The camera should be tight in your hand.  I most frequently use this and my body tripod method, placing my elbow, with strap around it, into my mid section keeping camera and arm in line with my center of gravity.  Third technique is to brace yourself against a solid object.  I will often wrap my camera strap around my arm then lean my shoulder against a wall, rail, car, or other object that is not going to vibrate during the exposure.  

If you are looking to take a long exposure, it is best to use a tripod.  I love my tripod and use it frequently.  Sometimes though, it's just not an option and you have to make do with what you have.  Good luck and please share any pictures you have taken with these techniques.