These two photos are practice shots we created to experiment with how motion can be expressed through photography. Our main goal was to show how quickly time can pass by a person. In both images, the blurriness communicates a sense of movement that a regular still photo could never capture. Instead of freezing a moment perfectly, the camera shows a trail of motion, almost like a visual echo of the subject’s actions. This gives the viewer the impression that the person is constantly in motion, reinforcing the idea that time never truly stops and passes by quickly. One thing that worked well in these photos was how the slower shutter speed allowed the motion to stretch across the whole picture. The blur is strong enough to be noticeable and expressive, but the subject is still visible enough that you can tell what is happening. This balance is important because too much blur can cause the subject to disappear entirely, while too little blur won’t clearly show movement. Another successful aspect is how the dark background emphasizes the glowing, ghost-like motion trails. The contrast helps the blur stand out, making the movement the main focus. However, there were also things that didn’t go perfectly. Because the movement wasn’t always consistent, some parts of the blur look accidental instead of intentional. For example, some sections of the body blur more than others, which can make the composition feel uneven. This helped me realize how much control is needed when working with slow shutter speeds. Motion blur might look effortless, but it actually requires planning: deciding how fast to move, in what direction, for how long, and how to maintain a steady rhythm. If I were to redo these shots, I would experiment more with movement patterns, maybe repeating the same gestures multiple times to see which produces the cleanest blur. I might also adjust the shutter speed slightly, either slower for longer trails or faster for sharper outlines, depending on the mood I want to create.

The third photo is a very different type of motion experiment. In this one, we tried to spell out the word “LOVE” with our arms by shaking them in the air to form letter shapes. The idea was to use our bodies as a kind of light-brush, except instead of light, we used movement to “draw” in the air. Even though the final image doesn’t perfectly show each letter clearly, the process gained me much knowledge about this technique. This shot was much harder than the first two because it required the four of us to coordinate our movements at the same time. Each person had to form the correct part of a letter, move their arm at the right speed, and stay positioned correctly so the letters would line up in the final shot. Timing was a huge challenge. If one person moved too quickly or too slowly, the letter would come out misshapen. If someone moved their body instead of just their arm, their whole figure would blur, making the image harder to read. Due to these difficulties, we had to make numerous attempts before producing something even somewhat readable. Despite this, the photo taught me a lot about how motion interacts with exposure time. I learned that slow shutter photography requires not just creativity but also coordination, patience, the process of success and failure. One improvement I would make next time is practicing each letter movement beforehand, almost like choreography. I might also try using a longer exposure so the letters have more time to form, or adding a small light source like a glow stick so the letters appear brighter and more defined. Even though the final result wasn’t perfect, the process helped me understand motion blur more clearly.