Experimenting with Slow Shutter Speeds.

I was sat in the Library the week before 'Activity Week' and I came across a visual book entitled 'Voices of Light', I was in fact searching for a book containing the work of Yousuf Karsh in order to begin some research for my Pastiche brief, but instead I found a photographer by the name of Yousef Khanfar.

When looking through the book I was stunned at the beautiful photographs this Yousef Khanfar had produced.

The way he works with the natural light is superb, creating visual stimulating landscape photographs. He had taken a range of different landscape photographs, mostly surrounding nature such as trees, rock formations, rivers and lakes and also some botanical shots. This was only in the one book I looked at. When I did more research I found many more photographs of his, and his own personal website.

When browsing through his website, I found a short and simple biography.

• He is an award-winning international author and photographer.
• In 2000, his first book was published, entitled 'Voices of Light', a collection of his poetic musings and fine art landscape photographs taken throughout the world.
• In 2003, Yousef was selected and listed as one of the World's Top Photographers in Landscapes by RotoVision publication in London among only 38 other major photographers.
• Yousef's work has been featured in many magazines including: Oprah, International Photo Art, Amateur Photographer, Persimmon Hill, Photo Life, Outdoor Photographer, and Nature's Best and Soura. His art has been collected and exhibited in galleries, cultural centers, and museums worldwide, and his work is included in the permanent collection of the International Photography Hall of Fame.

What interested me the most about Yousef Khanfars work, especially in ‘Voices of Light’ was his use of slow shutter speeds. The photographs of running water that are created by using a slow shutter speed always seemed to interest me. The way it was possible to make something appear very differently, by simply changing the speed in which the image is captured.

I am aware that many photographers, being amature or professional, have captured a photograph using this very technique, what makes Khanfars work different is the way he still works with the natural light around him to get the effect he wants.

Here is Khanfars photograph entitled ‘Sun Signature’, Plate 7 from his visual book ’Voices of Light,’ which I have been discussing.

As you can see he has used a slower shutter speed than normal to make the running water appear as almost soft-like, but at the same time you can see the orange glow of the sunshine on river itself.

Personally I have never attempted this specific technique before, and I am very much to looking forward to trying it out. Being so close to the sea both at home and at University, it should be quite easy to find either a running river or even moving water near the beach or waters edge.

As I spent the majority of ‘Activity Week’ at home for my birthday, I took the time to take a little stroll along the Coastal Path in Llanelli, my hometown.

While walking, I found a small path that crossed over the rail way track, and went down onto large boulders that were against the sea. I just managed to catch high tide, the water wasn’t rough but there was still plenty of movement to work with. I had gone down to photograph the sunset, but thought the ambient lighting from the setting sun would be very effective against the soft appearing ocean.

ADD SOME EXPERIMENTS HERE.

After some experimenting, as shown on the previous page, I finally got a half decent photograph.

I am quite happy with this photograph. I managed to capture the softness of the ocean, but at the same time I had an interesting light or glow coming from the sunset, which I though was very effective when it’s seen on the rocks in the frame. If there had been more movement, or if the waves had been more rough and larger, the photograph would’ve been much more effective, but for a first attempt I am relatively happy with the final photograph.

I do wish I had taken my tripod out with me. This photograph was taken with a shutter speed of 2 seconds and an aperture of F.20 and an ISO of 100, obviously if I had my tripod, I would be able to use a much slower shutter speed, and still get a clear photograph, whereas with this photograph I was resting the camera on my feet and found it incredibly difficult to keep it steady.

I do like the glow on the rocks from the sunset, but at the same time I do think the area of the rocks is a little too dark, and could use more light, obviously a slower shutter speed would be a benefit here.

As the sun was setting, the images I was taking were becoming much more dramatic, unfortunately, as I was sitting on a freezing boulder in, what was slowly becoming night time, I had began to feel the cold through my gloves. Perhaps if I had prepared myself more to take the photographs I would’ve been able to withstand the cold a lot longer and experiment more, but obviously I would’ve needed my tripod to take the photographs in the dark.