Connecting Essay 3

Connecting Essay 3

Internet Photograph

I found this photograph on the internet which was taken by a photographer named Chris Watkins. He took this photograph with a 30 second exposure with an f/stop of 3.5 and his ISO set at 100. I like how the image shows a silhouette of the man standing. I also like how the mans figure separates the different colour light trails. The image gives the impression of watching time pass due to the fact that the man is not blurred and is in focus but the various light trails have been picked up by the use of the long exposure. Overall, I think that the motorway shots are effective at showing the passing of time and feel that this one is even more effective due to it having an added interest.

My Photograph

This image was taken by me during the shoot where I went to a motorway bridge and took photographs of the traffic using long exposure. I was really happy with all my outcomes from the shoot but was especially happy with this one as it had an added interest of a person. I like the  positioning of the person as it shows an alternative angle which shows the figure and also the light trails caused by the traffic. I took this image using a 3.5 second exposure and am happy with how it clearly shows the passing of time.

The Connection

Although the two images are not exactly the same, they are very similar in many ways. Firstly, they both use long exposure in order to capture the light trails which are caused by the traffic on the motorway. Also they both feature a person who appears to be deep in thought and seemingly watching time pass. I think this idea is effective as it gives an alternative twist on a usual motorway shot which just features the light trails. However, there are slight differences in the images which include the positioning of the people and also the fact that the internet photo used a much longer shutter speed than mine. This is shown by the fact that the light trails in my image are slightly broken but the ones in the internet image are more continuous and as a result show a more eye-catching glow. Overall, both the images show the passing of time via the use of long exposure and motorway shots. They both have the same concept of someone watching the time pass and this helps to make the images more effective and less boring for the viewer. It also can suggest a sort of story which again, adds interest to the image.