What happens when a camera shutter stays open long enough to capture movement as light?

Students in our SW Junior High Digital Visual Design (DVD) course are exploring this question as they learn about the principles of photography and build their own digital portfolios. One of their recent challenges has been to use long-exposure photography to create images that communicate an idea through movement and light.

Using our school’s Canon DSLR cameras, students experimented with the Shutter Speed, or Tv (Time Value), setting. A very fast shutter speed can freeze quick action and reduce motion blur, while a slower shutter speed allows the camera to collect light over a longer period of time. This makes it possible to capture movement as trails of light across the image.

For the students, the challenge was more than simply adjusting a camera setting. They had to think about composition, timing, movement and light to create an image with a visual idea behind it.

The results are now starting to appear throughout the school. Our gallery wall and digital displays are filling with student photographs, giving our community a chance to see how students are experimenting with photography and turning a simple camera setting into something creative.