Essay
Movement in the Still Image
- Institution
- The Robert Gordon University (RGU)
It is a design report which I wrote for my Critical and Contextual Studies module in the BA Commercial Photography at Gray's School of Art,
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Long Exposures and the Representation of Movement in ArtLong Exposures and The Representation of Movement in Art
Introduction
Photography can be referred to “The project of turning life into a work of art”
(Featherstone, 1990). Most photographs captured today are movements frozen in
time. They are one instant and show little or no movement. Because of this, the
chosen theme for the Final Major Project was movement. This project is a
continuation of a previously completed project, Cinematic Scotland, which captured
dramatic images which could be considered as stills from films. Some of the
locations used in this project had potential for capturing movement, for example of
the sky or sea, using a combination of Neutral Density Filters and the Long
Exposure Technique. The working title of the Final Major Project was “Long
Exposures”.
The captured moment of a movement in a still image can completely change that
one photograph. If the long exposure technique is used to capture movement, the
result can be more dramatic. If a completely still image was taken, and a long
exposure photograph was taken from the same spot, the two photographs would
look completely different. This can be seen by comparing Figure 1 and Figure 2.
The long exposure technique does provide a wide scope for subject matter and
can include star trails, car light trails, slowscapes (landscapes taken with a long
exposure). Examples of these are shown in Figures 1, 3, 4 and 5 below: -
Ross Henderson Page 1 Student ID 1708485
, Long Exposures and the Representation of Movement in Art
Fig. 2, Rattray Head Still Image (Jamie Stodart,
Fig. 1, Rattray Head Long Exposure 2018)
(Graham Dargie Photography, n.d.)
Fig. 3, Car Light Trails, (Anon 1, n.d.)
Fig. 4, Star Trails, (Anon 2, n.d.)
Ross Henderson Page 2 Student ID 1708485
, Long Exposures and the Representation of Movement in Art
Other subjects could involve movement in nature as can be seen in the example
below: -
Fig. 5, Movement in Nature, (Martin Grace, n.d.)
This report aims to examine how motion is represented in photography and
paintings, to compare the difference between still images and long exposures and
to examine the evolution of the long exposure technique.
Movement in Our Lives
Before we consider movement in any art form we have to consider why it has
appealed to artists over the ages. Movement is all round us. It is part of our
everyday lives. Movement is banal, ubiquitous and essential. “All around us are
myriads of rhythms – rhythms of land, sea, air, work and machinery” (Driver,
2007) Movement will also appeal to us as humans as we are dynamic in our
nature. We need to keep moving, both physically and mentally. “People move.
Indeed, all animals move, and it is movement that allows them to respond to the
environment” (Smyth and Wing, 1984). We live in a constantly moving world.
Ross Henderson Page 3 Student ID 1708485
, Long Exposures and the Representation of Movement in Art
Without movement, there would be no changes in the weather, no rain or any
other forms of precipitation, we would become overweight due to inactivity and our
bones and muscles would become weak through lack of use. We would also have
no form of mental stimulation, leading to stagnation of body and mind. “The body
is a living thing and vital organism, rhythmic in its laws and moving in time and
space in a world which itself has a vast and cosmic rhythm” (Driver, 2007).
Every day movement is essential, even to complete the most mundane tasks, such
as drinking a cup of tea or opening a door. We were given two legs which allow
us to move, resulting in both physical and psychological stimulation. Perhaps, due
to its banality, this is what drove artists to capture movement?
Ross Henderson Page 4 Student ID 1708485
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