Interesting Photo of the Day: Aircraft Departure Long Exposure

Interesting Photos  •  Long Exposure Photography

What does this picture look like to you? Photographer Blake Summers went to the Portland International Airport to photograph this 30-second long exposure of an aircraft departure at f/4.8:

“Into the Wild Blue Yonder” by Blake Summers (Via Reddit. Click image to see full size.)

The longer exposure exaggerates the runway lights, creates the trajectory of the plane in the sky, and makes the clouds foggy. It is unclear how Summers was able to get to a position to capture this shot, but nonetheless, this is amazing work!

Planning a shot like this depends on choosing a location, creating an appealing composition, and executing with your ideal camera settings and equipment. In this case, Summers found a spot to set up his camera for a 30-second exposure. Next, his composition can be separated into three equal parts of the runway, plane taking off, and the cloud coverage overhead.

Commonplace events like planes taking off take on new appearances when photographed with long exposures. Photographers use this technique to show movement. Some common sights include running water, cloud coverage, bodies in motion, and vehicle traffic. What can you think of? Be sure to bring along a tripod or have something level to rest your camera on or there will be unnecessary blur!