Contrast static buildings with activity

LIFE IN MOTION Slow shutter speeds and in-camera stabilisation allow handheld capture of moving elements

© Peter Fenech

One of the most engaging aspects of city environments is their air of stability and continuity. Not all buildings have equal longevity, but each is designed to withstand the elements, and most will outlast their designers. This makes the movement around them all the more interesting, and, in many cases, this contrast should be more of a focus than the buildings themselves, which may have been photographed many thousands of times. Lengthening exposures to capture traffic moving around the base of a tower block will create a dynamic feel, for example, while blurred shoppers seemingly flowing through the streets provide an energy to contrast with the stillness of the architecture. Rather than a record of a brief moment, such images create a sense of the landscape moving through time, conveying a stronger story. Use a shutter speed of between 1/30 sec and 2 secs to maintain some detail in moving elements.