I just recently became familiar with the German photographer, Michael Wesely. He is known for his long exposure photography. It is simply astonishing! Some of his exposures last as long as 3 years!!! That means it took 3 years to take a single photo. The effect is amazing! His photos follow major urban construction projects and even the life and death of a bouquet of flowers. The long exposure gives the photos an eerie, ghostlike feeling.
In 2001, the Museum of Modern Art asked him to document their major construction/renovation project. These are some of his images from the project. Some of these exposures took 3 years!
The streaks in the sky are the pattern of the sun as it rises and sets as the earth rotates. Incredible!
Through the use of filters and a very small aperture, yet one that is standard in a professional camera lens, Wesely is able to diminish the amount of light hitting the negative to the point where he can extend the exposure many thousands of times longer than we would ordinarily expect.
His work has been compiled in a book that accompanied his exhibition, Open Shutter
. I would looove to flip through this book! I find his method of photography to be spellbinding!
