Long Exposure with Cormorant

Long exposure photograph of abandoned jetty pilings on the Thames in central London

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Photo details

Location: River Thames, North Bank, central London

Camera: Nikon D810

Lens: Nikkor 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 with Lee Big Stopper

The story behind Long Exposure with Cormorant

The Thames in central London is full of these abandoned structures, which only appear at low tide. This one is the best I’ve seen, with that fantastic zig-zag shape. I found it completely by accident and when I arrived, only the posts nearest to the camera were visible. Luckily the tide was going out and as I took a few shots, more and more of the structure revealed itself. This is around a 40-second exposure, which shows how still the cormorant was.

The Thames in central London is pretty good for long exposures. There’s usually quite a lot of motion in the surface of the water, both from wind and passing boats. Choosing an overcast day will also help to get the milky effect, as the ripples reflect the colour of the sky.

If you want to see another River Thames long exposure, check out  this mooring point.