Which way do your clouds go for long exposure photography?

[Donald]

It's interesting to experiment with clouds moving in different ways relative to the camera for long-exposure images. I've always felt that clouds passing from left-to-right, or vice versa were not as good as those passing in the line of the camera, (12 o'clock - 6 o'clock).

However, ..........................

Your thoughts on this image and the question are invited.

[joebranko]

Great shot! How much of the appeal of this shot is due to the direction of movement of the clouds and how much to the composition? I suspect the latter.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[JBW]

for astrophotogtraphy 'away' works best. For terrestrial wouldn't it depend on the lay of the land?

[Manfred M]

I'm generally not a fan of whispy clouds in long exposure photography. so I will often overlay a fast shutter speed shot of the sky and clouds over a long exposure image of water.

[JohnRostron]

I'm generally not a fan of whispy clouds in long exposure photography. so I will often overlay a fast shutter speed shot of the sky and clouds over a long exposure image of water.

I'm not a fan either. These clouds look unnatural, not even wispy!

John

[Donald]

I wasn't really asking whether people liked the idea of long exposure - some will, some won't.

I was asking about a critical analysis of this image and, then, about which direction you, who do long exposure images, like your clouds to be taking.

[billtils]

... clouds passing from left-to-right

However, ..........................

Your thoughts on this image and the question are invited.

Donald, First of all, a question on your question: did you mean moving at right angles (approximately) to the line of the camera, or were you indeed distinguishing between left to right and right to left? And a supplemental - if the latter, how can you tell the direction?

I think that the orientation used here works better than if angled in the opposite direction and either would be better than in-line.

To me, the most appealing feature of this attractive image is the way that the soft cloud and its directionality complements the vertical and strong lines of the field.

[Manfred M]

I wasn't really asking whether people liked the idea of long exposure - some will, some won't.

I was asking about a critical analysis of this image and, then, about which direction you, who do long exposure images, like your clouds to be taking.

Now that is a slightly different question.

In this image, the clouds are pointing in the same general direction as the slope of the land and the two would seem to converge somewhere to the right of the image. These are at right angles to the furrows in the field, so this results in a different directional flow in the top part of the image, versus the bottom part.

This adds some tension into the shot, and I feel that you are correct. This image would have worked better had the lines in the field been complimented by the lines made by the clouds. I think a hard crop that reduces the amount of sky in the shot will at least partially compensate. I think the movement needs to have a main direction that compliments the flow of the foreground and with the current crop, that is not the case.

[Donald]

Donald, First of all, a question on your question: did you mean moving at right angles (approximately) to the line of the camera, or were you indeed distinguishing between left to right and right to left?

Sorry if I wasn't clear, Bill. I did mean at right angles (irrespective of direction) as opposed to being in line with the camera.

In this image, the clouds are pointing in the same general direction as the slope of the land and the two would seem to converge somewhere to the right of the image. These are at right angles to the furrows in the field, so this results in a different directional flow in the top part of the image, versus the bottom part.

This adds some tension into the shot, and I feel that you are correct. This image would have worked better had the lines in the field been complimented by the lines made by the clouds. I think a hard crop that reduces the amount of sky in the shot will at least partially compensate. I think the movement needs to have a main direction that compliments the flow of the foreground and with the current crop, that is not the case.

That is my view. But according to people who are likening it elsewhere online, not everyone seems to agree with us.

[Black Pearl]

I tend to prefer them running diagonally from right back to front left of straight at the camera in a kind of fan shape.

Nice shot none the less.

[Manfred M]

That is my view. But according to people who are likening it elsewhere online, not everyone seems to agree with us.

Everyone has different opinions and tastes. I tend to treat online "likes" with a large grain of salt, unless I happen to know the person making the comment and I respect their knowledge and opinion.

[Shadowman]

It works with the direction of the waves of grain or tractor treads. I tend to get my formations coming towards the camera except for a few stormy weather captures.

[tbob]

I tend agree with Robin. Unless it is sunsets, where the clouds are a colour element, I use clouds as leading lines and prefer the converging diagonals effect generated with a wide angle lens. That being said, and because I usually am working with storm clouds or cumulus clouds in my environment, I treat them as i would any other compositional element and work with them that way.

[Polar01]

Well my two cents worth, oh we no longer use pennies anymore. I like them moving towards or away helps to generated some interesting leading lines. Thing is can not always get in the right place to get them that way.

Cheers: Allan

[Wavelength]

Excellent image