sunday school: going slow

There is a time for going slow, and there is a time for moving fast.  And then there is a time for going slow when all around you is moving fast.  I recently realized this when I found myself in a crowd of downtown tourists whizzing by me on all sides from all directions.  I am not a fast walker.  I am a stroller, an ambler, a meanderer, a wanderer, a dilly-dally-er of the highest order.  This is especially true when I have a camera in my hands and music in my ears.

Instead of picking up my pace to keep up with the crowd, I decided to slow it waaaay down, and just stand around as everyone rushed past me.  It was a bright sunny day, and I could have easily snapped sharp images of people as they walked by, but I decided to capture the sense of being surrounded by motion by using a slower shutter speed.  To do this, I decreased my ISO to 100, narrowed my aperture to f/16 and was able to get the shutter down to 1/10 of a second, which was plenty slow to capture all the commotion of the moment. 

Sometimes (or always, in my case) it's a good idea to slow down and let the whirlwind swirl on by.  Your life won't pass you by because it's not in that whirlwind.  It's with you, however long you may dawdle, in this moment, in this place.

Do you like to slow down in the midst of a fast-paced world?  Show us how.  Guide us on a little stroll through your images.

Comments

[cigi]

Very cool image. Because I'm now merely a visitor, I'm able to slow down and people watch when I'm in the city:

http://instamaticgratification.wordpress.com/2010/05/02/113365/

[Marcie]

I'm always trying to slow things down..to capture the moments as they pass me by. This was taken as a part of a dizzying and fast-paced parade:
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/index.php?showimage=1235

[Kathryn Dyche Dechairo]

It's great when you're aware of your surroundings and make a conscious choice to be different from those around you. Love the pictures.

[Jessica]

I like capturing quiet moments in time, and recording the movement of time. This photo was taken looking out of my 4th floor window at a street scene, and capturing the wind blowing leaves and traffic moving on the street. Shutter speed was 1/15 sec.

http://www.simple-snapshot.com/2010/07/15/freeze-a-jump-and-capture-the-wind-with-your-camera/#wind
(it's small on the page, but click the image to zoom in)

[iluska.ikeda]

I'm constantly watching the movement of life from a quiet corner, although sometimes I get inside and let myself go with it all. It's such a rush to *be carried* away for a while in the "whirlwind." Not to do anything necessarily, but to be carried away by it.

Even when your surroundings in a city are quiet, with no tourists, or businessmen and women, you can always find fast moving modernity. At least that was my feeling when I took this photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/iluskaikeda/4747214619/in/set-72157623497391968/.

There was nobody walking around downtown Buffalo that day, but the metro rail was still going as always

[Crystal]

Thanks for sharing this. I tried this same thing in bright sunlight the other day and struggled to get it just right. But I still liked the results...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/krstlchik/4780162729

[Shelby]

I try to slow down, look at things most people don't notice. The world is too big for each of us to learn its secrets, but we can try. I started with something basic, something that only whispers.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/girlbones/4804376099/

[deea]

Life is so full. Sometimes I feel there is so much to do and see and feel and understand that I have to move faster than the speed of light if I am to even glimpse or brush the surface of it all. My favorite moments/memories though, are the ones where chronos (the ticking of the clock and the checking off of days) paused and became kairos (like the clock/calendar is holding it's breath). Those moments that become vivid and unblurred by the hurried ant-like action of the rest of my life.

Thanks for making me pause for a moment and remember that.

[Jamie Lapeyrolerie]

New York is the perfect place to catch this :)

http://lifephotographylove.blogspot.com/2010/06/nyc-in-b.html

Central Park Rides too!
http://lifephotographylove.blogspot.com/2010/04/three-reasons-to-love-nyc.html

Oh and of course the subway :)

http://lifephotographylove.blogspot.com/2010/04/town-that-never-sleeps.html

[Brooke]

I had the MOST fun in NYC with slower shutter speeds.

I snagged this one waiting for the train to go to Citi Field - the train caught the reflection of our neighbors: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shutterboo502/3767280750/in/set-72157621877399196/

And this was in Times Square - too many cars and light to pass up the chance: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shutterboo502/3767301296/in/set-72157621877399196/

[humbird]

While traveling south to Santa Cruz last Sunday, I pulled over to take some photos of a gorgeous field of lavender. It was a serene setting, colors were popping! Approaching with camera in hand, I saw honey bees, bumblebees and butterflies working each flower stem with frantic energy.

http://humbirdhum.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/lavender-and-bee-sm.jpg

[soupatraveler]

last month at the world cup, i caught this image of a group of ghanain fans marching into the stadium while surrounded by south africans dancing and cheering. i loved how the motion captured the essence of the event:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/46922592@N00/4731928040/

[wendy jane]

haha. I just like that you said dilly-dally which I use all the time with my girls. Thought I was the only one! heehee!

[Michel]

well as luck should have it, i happened to slow the whole universe down Saturday night.

http://www.wishfulthinkingblog.com/wishful-thinking/2010/7/19/life-list-accomplished-38-make-a-long-exposure-of-the-sky-at.html

[Liz]

dance pics almost always end up like this!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lilybeth29/2325520773/