Last week’s theme for the 52 Week Project was long exposure. And as much as I wanted to cheat and pick another theme, I didn’t. I wasn’t sure I could do it, especially because I tried it before and couldn’t do it. I realized that I failed the first time because my ND filter wasn’t dark enough. I bought it when I was in Malaysia, and it’s not a well-known brand (couldn’t even find it online) but it was the only one they had.
I didn’t want to buy a new one cause I knew I wouldn’t use it much, so I decided to try it again.

I went to the beach with my sister and experimented with it, and it was so much fun! When I got home, I realized that I didn’t shoot the picture the way I imagined it in my head. I haven’t done a shoot in public in so long, and I got nervous and didn’t think properly. This is what I did the first time, I didn’t even finish compositing it cause I knew that it wasn’t what I wanted in terms of composition.

Not only was it not what I had in mind, but I felt like it looked too much like something I’d already done

So I was a little disappointed but I decided to try again the next day. And even though a lot of people (and creeps) stopped and stared (someone even honked when they passed by), I kept going. The first time I tried it, I used a normal dress and I didn’t like how that looked, I wanted something more.. flow-y. So the second time, I used a bed sheet.

You can see in the first picture that there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky! And the second day wasn’t any better. So I knew that I had to fake the long exposure effect with the clouds. And the reason I shot the background without the girl is that I wanted her to be in focus and sharp, and I knew there’s no way I’d be able to do that with the super slow shutter speed and ND filter.

I used Brooke Shaden’s textures again, TJ‘s cloud pictures, and music from Jamendo.com

This is something I would definitely try to do more of. I absolutely love how the water turned out and I’m excited to experiment with it more! The only down-side.. well, it isn’t really a downside, more like a challenge, is that because my ND filter isn’t that strong, I can only shoot after sunset or right before, so I have to do it fast and try to get it right the first time. And also, plan everything (composition, angle, etc) ahead of time.

This week’s theme is: fairytales.

And for those who speak Russian, check out my recent interview with Russian Emirates magazine here! 🙂

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