For Gim Liu, starting from just a hobby, photography then turned into an obsession followed by a lifestyle. Let’s explore some of his long exposure photography ideas.
He has always had an interest in exploring new countries. He took this interest in being a world explorer and combined it with his love for photography.
From an academic and occupational perspective, He has studied and worked as a social researcher. Along with being able to enjoy speaking to all different types of people, it has enabled him to pay great attention to detail. He uses this interest to create unique and creative photos by leaving the camera’s shutter open for longer periods.
Gim Liu uses Instagram as the main platform to display his creative and artistic photography. where he has attracted a considerable following. Since joining in 2015, He has built up a solid foundation of over 12,000 supporters who appreciate his talent and value his artistic creativity. The support he received on the platform has established the importance of putting all of his work under a name.
And it’s why we wanted to speak with Gim about his journey and ideas on long-exposure photography.
Gim spoke to us over email last week. Here is the interview that was conducted.
“If you want to make inspiring photographs, there’s a lot that needs to happen before that button is pressed.” What makes a great photo, according to you?
This relates to my modus operandi. The way I think about what to shoot solely comes from the philosophy behind my work. My perception of photography is that it is like art and poetry. Along with capturing moments, you can and should use to express yourself. Long exposure ideas for photography do exactly that, it gives you the ability to create and capture something unique in an artistic way. The beauty of it is that you are restricted only by your own imagination and creativity. It is also my favorite type of photography because I am forever fascinated by the vibrant colors and the different light streaks and trails produced by the camera.
When I try to come up with an idea of what to shoot, it must have the potential to result in at least one of the following:
- Create the illusion/impression of movement
- Bring a static object to life in some way
- Produce an image that is unique and unusual in appearance
- Will have qualities that intrigue and captivate
These points are the underlying fundamentals on which my ideas are based and in my opinion, are what make a great photo.
Photography is a lifestyle for you. Can you tell us more about this lifestyle?
With photography as your lifestyle, mostly everything that you do involves photography. So what I do for work is photography and what I do for fun/pleasure is photography. In both cases it includes planning shoots, undertaking them, and the various other activities required to be done after such as editing. Even when I am not out taking photos or doing the other activities associated with before and after taking them, I am still thinking about it. Specifically, I regularly think about what photo I can create next, try to come up with ideas for something, I have not done or what people didn’t seen before, and try to consider how can I make improvements in many aspects involved. For me, literally everything is photography!
You are an explorer and traveler. Which is your next travel destination and what are you planning there?
I actually just purchased a property in Scotland so that will be my next destination. Once I have done some renovation, photography-wise, I will begin to write my second photography book. I have recently successfully published my debut book ‘A Beginner’s Guide to After Dark Photography with Gimagery‘ on Amazon, I am already moving onto my second book. Additionally, I have recently come up with several really interesting and unique ideas for some photos so when I get the chance I will be experimenting on them too.
Can you tell us in your own jargon, what is long exposure photography?
Long-exposure photography involves taking long exposures. Long-exposure photography ideas come into action when a camera takes one photo continuously for a chosen amount of time. To enable a camera to do this, one must set the ISO, aperture, and shutter speed appropriately, as they all play a part in controlling the exposure of a photo.
The most important setting and the one that makes taking a long exposure photo possible is the shutter speed. A long exposure is when a camera opens up its shutter for an extended amount of time to let in additional light. This allows photos to capture in dark environments. Long-exposure photography ideas exclusively use and require the use of long shutter speeds. This can range from 1 to 30 seconds or even for numerous minutes. Taking a photo with such lengths of time results in creating a photo that shows motion blur whereby moving objects appear blurry or obscured, while stationary objects remain sharp.
Many photographers use long-exposure photography ideas to create different effects, employing it as a specific technique to achieve certain results like turning running water in a waterfall into a smooth-flowing surface or removing crowds of people walking through a busy promenade. Additionally, when you take a long exposure photo, any moving source of light that passes by the camera appears on the image as a trail of light. This effect is of great importance to my photography for two reasons. One, Using different light sources allows me to skillfully manipulate the light trails produced in an image. Two, it unlocks the capability to be creative and the ability to create compelling and unique photos in artistic ways.
Tell us about Gimagery. What exactly is it about?
The brand name is Gimagery and its home is www.gimagery.net. Gimagery is a brand that is predominantly, but not limited to, providing photography products and services. I created Gimagery when I realized that I needed to put all of my work under a name. I also decided because I do more than just photography such as videography, rap, and literature, it was not just a name but a term. This led to the birth of the following definition of the term which enabled me to cover and put a name to the broad range of things that I do:
‘The creative use of imagination by innovative scholar Gim Liu
to be visually descriptive in many different forms’
The name Gimagery was chosen simply because it is creative and interesting wordplay. It incorporates my real name Gim with the word imagery which is illustrated here: Gimagery Gimagery.
The logo is a snake and there are three different meaningful reasons for this. The first reason is simply because the snake can form the shape of the letter G. The second reason was because I was born in the Chinese year of the snake. The third and final reason was that the idea of putting all of my work under one name and eventually making a website came around in 2013 which happened to be the year of the snake.
The slogan for Gimagery is: ‘Imagine. Explore. Create.’. I believe that these three words perfectly and accurately encapsulate what the brand is about. Gimagery carries out actions such as imagining, exploring, and creating, which are also the processes taken to produce unique and interesting work. First, you imagine; using one’s imagination to visualize and paint a picture in the mind of an idea. Afterwards, you explore; and set out to search for and discover how to bring the idea to life while also considering the possibilities, options, and fine details. Then you create; and perform the course of action needed in order to cause the idea to come into being as it was imagined.
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How long did it take you to master the skill of long exposure photography?
This is quite a hard question to answer as it is a continuous learning process. Even after all of this time, I am still learning things that I did not know before. To get to a decent level, I would say around two years
You’ve been in the industry for almost 15 years now. What are the various ups and downs that one might anticipate?
I can speak on my experience and the ups and downs I have had. I will present them in list form:
Ups:
- Learning and developing new techniques that elevate you as a photographer.
- Establishing a considerable following
- Creating content that is appreciated and admired
- Getting recognition for your work from friends, family, supporters and establishments
- People reaching out to you to show love
Downs:
- Problem keeping up with uploading regularly on social media which negatively impacts the following
- When ideas don’t work it takes a lot of time to plan and attempt
- Getting hate and negativity from old associates
- Shutting the door on you from photography entities when approaching them
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Also, what is the source of your creative inspiration in all these years?
The source of my creative inspiration entirely comes from within. It primarily comes from trying to outdo myself and create better photos than I made previously. The satisfaction of your idea coming to life, it being a success and seeing what you have created on the camera screen is indescribable! This is exactly what spurs me on.
Looking down at all these 15 years, are there some things you wish you had known when you started so that your journey could have been easier?
I think that most things are all part of the journey you take which is all part of the experience. Also if you knew those things it would be a stroll in the park rather than being a challenge which is what I enjoy. Nevertheless, I would say that knowing my four down points in question seven prior to them happening would have definitely made the journey easier.
What fascinates you the most about long exposure photography?
Many things fascinate me about long-exposure photography but I will list out a few that greatly attract me. I am forever fascinated by the vibrant colors, different light streaks/trails, and the immense detail that the camera produces in photos. Interestingly, not one photo looks the same and you could never recreate the same image. Furthermore, it gives me the ability to create and capture something unique in an artistic way which brings out the creative side in me. Lastly, I love the fact that you are restricted only by your own imagination and creativity.
Your photographs are breathtaking! Can you share your favorite and the most challenging long-exposure photography ideas that you have turned into a click so far?
Thank you very much! It makes me happy to know that the team at PhotoWhoa finds my photos breathtaking. This is a hard one because my favorite is always the last photo. Also, every photo I create is just as challenging as the next due to my style and techniques. Each photo I create can take me upwards of 15 attempts just to achieve the perfect shot! Nevertheless, I will send you six of my best that fall into your categorization so you can share it with your wonderful readers.
For more information about Gim Liu’s photography, insight, and long exposure photo ideas, visit his website and Instagram!
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