Fun with Slow Shutter Speeds

Last night in class the teacher was giving some fun examples of ways to creatively play around with slow shutter speeds. One scenario in particular I knew would be a big hit to practice on with the boys. The boys are mostly willing to be my test subjects but sometimes they are just not in the mood. They are little so I don't push it and in fact one of these days I think I might just set up some stuffed animals to practice on! However, this one I knew they'd be on board for. I told them to go grab their flashlights and meet me down stairs. I was going to turn them into ghosts and make them disappear!

To achieve this you will need a tripod, a dark room, some flashlights and a really slow shutter speed. You have probably seen those really cool pictures where people spell words using sparklers (something I can't wait to try next summer!), however, this is a safer way to achieve that same affect when you have small children! I set them up on the square carpet and told them to move the lights when I said go, and voila!

Shutter: 10 seconds
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 18 mm
ISO: 400

Pretty cool, right! I can't wait to play around with this some more!