Creative Long Exposure Techniques

Here I am posting some creative examples of long exposures.  They do not have dance included as the long exposure topic but they do show some creative effects that I could possibly use with a dancer.

These first two top images are by Rebekka Guoleifsdottir, and are both self-portraits.  She had written an article on extreme long exposure and though she'd write another on long exposures but for creative portraiture.  These images are called 'Playing Ghost'.  She says how one of her inspirations is Francesca Woodman and says how "it is difficult to not be moved in some way by the effortless beauty of her eerie and haunting black and white images"(shown below under top two images).
Photographer Rebekka, says that she wouldn't have normally tried to repeat Woodman's project in abandoned houses but was travelling around Iceland for a different project and said that she felt like she couldnt resist posing in a long black gown in an abandoned farm and try it out.

I think her two images above 'Playing Ghost' look very good, they look eerie and definitely fit with the title of ghosts.  The black ball gown plays a big part as the colour is necessary for the eerie look and feel.  The couple of seconds exposure time really makes a difference as you can see the movements and blur effect.  If the seconds were longer, a longer exposure time, she would have looked even more washed out and invisible, so yes, it is a very creative effective technique, which is why I'm interested.

Photographer Rebekka, explains all her technical terms in the previous article of hers about long exposures, but she explains a simple way of how to do it;

1. Set your camera on a tripod and make sure your ISO setting is at its lowest. 
2. Take a few test shots until you find a balance of settings that allows you a shutter speed somewhere between 1-5 seconds without overexposing the scene. 
3. You'll most likely have to close down the aperture to f.10 or more. 
4. If you're alone, use a timer or a remote, and place yourself into the scene, moving around a little or a lot, depending on how invisible you want to appear.  It's that simple. 

This short list, as simple as it may be, has helped me, I like seeing how others have done long exposures as it reassures me that I am doing my way correct.  Long exposures is all about testing and testing again until the look you want is right, and this is what I will have to do in my shoots. 

These images below are all by Francesca Woodman, who's work has always fascinated me. She uses long exposures of people in old abandoned houses to create the ghost effect as well, as mentioned above, Woodman is usually the inspirations to many that have tried this effect.  Her images are eerie, spooky and really make you think about who lived in the houses.  But as much as this is a great project and series, I would still like to have dance involved in my long exposures. 

Francesca Woodman

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 These two images below are slightly different to long exposures, but still show a very effective technique.  The effect is Multiple Exposures, this is a completely different section to playing around with exposures, I could look further into them, as I could potentially use this technique with my dancers, but I though I'd show a quick two images, so the idea is there, if I wanted to try it out.

For multiple exposures, you can use flash of lights, strobes or speed light flashes, to create the effect of the left image, where the face has moved to two positions and it almost seems as a flowing motion between the two. A blur is formed in the middle of the two head movements, very similar to long exposure.  Or switching a light off and on again, once moved in different positions, can give the effect of the right image below.  Which is the effect of two flashes, just by a bedside lamp instead.
I personally think multiple exposure look fantastic, and is something I tried many times before in back in College.  It is effective and can give great results of body movements.  It is very relevant to my ideas of body movement and motion, and may be what I end up doing, I might try flashes of lights when the dancer changes positions, but I shall have to wait and see.

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The last two images on this post are just of two more examples of creative long exposures.  The left images looks very creepy, eerie and mysterious, even though all it is, is of a busy station, along a street and has fast paced people moving along through a set exposure.  But because of how many people there were moving past the camera, behind the railings, the whole street looks like a sea of ghostly dead people.  It is a great effect and could potentially start off a series that could be held in different places, busy or empty, this is something I might consider.
The right images just shows an old man sitting at a table flicking through a rather big book.  Through the exposure you can see how he has moved his head and body whilst reading the book, but you can also see how he has turned the big pages too, whats interesting is how still everything is in the mirror on the wall in contrast to the old man reading. Again an effect creative long exposure technique.

All of these images have helped me to realise that I could literally use the dancer anywhere and still get a creative long exposure.  I think i will still try in the studio and see how it turns out and then, maybe see what it is like outside.  The only reasons I wouldn't shoot on location with long exposures is because it would take a while to get the lighting right and then it could change at any time, whereas in the studio I will be able to keep the lighting the same. I love Francesca Woodman's work with long exposures and will keep them in mind, but also Rebekka Guoleifsdottir's two images are also great.