Stop the Clock! November's Photography Inspiration

It’s November and as Autumn reaches its peak I feel almost disorientated at how little time there is left of 2024. This planet really seems to spin faster with every year that passes.

Talking of spinning, I’ve decided to base November’s ideas and themes on exploring movement. Recording time into a single, still image is something that sets photography apart from everything else and is an idea that's fascinated me since my first “click” of the camera.

When it comes to the practicalities of capturing motion, the one factor that should be your anchor point is light. The thick grey cloud that’s been lingering over the UK for years, (I mean days!) creates a great opportunity to get some slower shutter speeds of movement and when the sun finally breaks we can enjoy capturing crisp moments, frozen in time. Of course there’s always ways to break the rules and when it comes to movement using Neutral Density (ND) filters for slower shutter speeds or implementing flash to freeze action are great tools to experiment with.  

Water in Motion

This has to be one of my favourite times of year for photographing water (and waterfalls). Lower light levels allow for slower shutter speeds, creating some nice blurred water shots while the reflections of the seasonal colours create a fleeting opportunity for some unique and exciting photos.

City in Motion  

1/15 sec. f14. ISO 100

The run up to Christmas sees our cities enjoying one of the busiest times of the year. Christmas markets, light switch ons as well as the usual hubbub around business and shopping activities. From public transport like buses and trains to novel transportation like rickshaws. Street entertainers, uber delivery riders, frantic shoppers moving around a stationary figure sat on a bench; there’s so much scope for capturing movement in our cities. 

Colour in Motion 

20 sec. f4.5. ISO 100 (ND filter)

November may sound like the beginning of a long dark winter, but in reality there’s a bounty of colour to be found. From colourful branches moving in the wind to a single leaf landing in  a puddle there’s still a lot of colour moving around and a hundred ways to capture it.

People in Motion 

1/500 sec. f2.8. ISO 400

Whether you love or hate including people in your photos, including a human presence in a composition will often bring interest to a wider audience.  From a solitary figure and their dog passing through a narrow woodland path to children throwing leaves at each other, moving people into your November compositions may help bring that emotional engagement that sets some photos apart from others.

Don’t miss this week, Remembrance Sunday

3.2 sec. f11. ISO400

Since 2014’s Poppy installation in the Tower of London we’ve seen more and more powerful tributes created in remembrance in towns and villages across the country. Every year see more powerful variations that are well worth documenting with a camera.