Movement and bringing your images to life

- words and images by Ruth Eastham and Max Paoli

Lonely Planet photographers Ruth Eastham and Max Paoli slow down their shutter speeds to capture more dynamic images that give an extra sense of place. Whether it’s a tropical island at sunset, or the lobby of a high-class hotel, having movement in your shots can add bags of mood.

La Digue Island, Seychelles, Africa.

Bellagio Casino, Las Vegas, USA.

Get your camera steady for evocative seascapes

Blur water movement with shutter speeds of several seconds.  Shoot in the minutes immediately pre-dawn or post-sunset when the ambient light is low but the sky still has colour. Mount your camera on a tripod and reduce the aperture setting to give best depth of field and increase exposure time further.

West coast of the South Island, New Zealand.

La Digue Island, Seychelles, Africa.

Cut out light for longer exposures in full daylight

In full daylight, consider using a neutral density filter to cut out surplus light and force slower shutter speeds on your exposures.  Any scene with moving water can work well using this method.

Veliki Kozjak waterfall, Slovenia.

Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia.

Be prepared to make the most of one-chance shots

Sometimes special planning is needed to create one-off, unique shots.

Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park, South Island, New Zealand.

This photo of New Zealand’s iconic Mount Cook was spiced up with star trails and moonlight after hiking into position. With the camera mounted on a tripod, the exposure time was 7 hours.

Bellagio Casino, Las Vegas, USA.

As opposed to carefully planned shots, be ready to react quickly to capture images, like this Vegas photo of lit fountains in front of the Bellaggio Hotel.

Mexican Hat, Utah, USA.

Aim to capture the essence of the place

The blurred movement of a car driving towards Monument Valley gives the photo’s travel message an extra edge.

Tongariro National Park, North Island, New Zealand.

When Mount Ruapehu in New Zealand erupted, and with the camera firmly on its trusty tripod, a 15 minutes exposure at dawn recorded the ash clouds pouring up and being carried away from the volcano by the wind.

So get moving!

Find out more about Ruth’s exploits as an author

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