Photographing with Long Shutter Speeds Without a Tripod

Saturday 4 April 2026, 13:13 by Nando Harmsen | 2,328 views | 0 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Photographing by the sea is always fun. It's a dynamic landscape that offers plenty of creative possibilities. Long exposures are one of them. You need a tripod for that... Or perhaps not always.

The sea never stands still. The surf and waves are constantly changing the landscape, to a greater or lesser extent. You can photograph this with a fast shutter speed. The moment is then frozen.

With long shutter speeds, it's possible to show the dynamics in the photo. A carefully chosen shutter speed lets the water move just enough for this to be visible in the photo. It requires a tripod and neutral density filters.

15mm - ISO400 - f/8 - 0.6 seconds
An extra layer of dynamics can be added by moving yourself as well. You may know this as ICM, Intentional Camera Movement. Although you are moving too, and not just the camera.

You can leave your tripod at home, and if you also photograph at dusk, you won't even need filters. Use shutter speeds of half a second or longer while moving along with the surf. It gives the photo an extra dimension.

15mm - ISO100 - f/10 - 1/10 second
This won't appeal to everyone. But it does add extra creativity to the image. When it's done well, or turns out well, you can feel the dynamics of the sea, the surf and the ever-changing landscape.

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About the author

Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.

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