Long Exposure – In Photos dot Org

The Steel Wool Spirals

Spirals of sparks as steel wool burns in a long exposure of about 20 seconds.

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	24mm
ISO	400
Shutter speed	20s

Nollaig Shona Duit

“Nollaig Shona Duit” through the years, from 2022, 2024 and 2025. From one end of St. Patrick Street to the other.

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	ILCE-7M3
Focal length	24mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/2s

I love taking photos on the beach at Youghal, especially at sunset. This is from a few days ago when the sun was really low in the sky, and it was shining directly along the beach, rather than from behind the beach as it is during the summer!

Youghal (pronounced “Yawl”) has one of the longest sandy beaches in Ireland, stretching for about 5 kilometres along the east Cork coast. The town itself has a remarkable history. It was once one of the most important ports in Ireland and served as Sir Walter Raleigh’s home in the late 16th century. Legend has it that Raleigh planted the first potatoes in Ireland in his Youghal garden, though historians debate whether this is true. What’s certain is that the town’s beach has been a beloved destination for Cork families for generations, and those old wooden groynes dotting the strand are remnants of various attempts over the centuries to manage the ever-shifting sands.

Aperture	ƒ/36
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	83mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/2.5s

Spinning Light on Grand Parade

Long exposure photograph looking upward through bare winter tree branches at the Cork Christmas Ferris wheel at night in December 2017. The spinning wheel has created circular light trails in concentric rings of white, yellow, orange and red radiating from the bright centre. A leafless tree trunk rises through the centre of the frame, its delicate branches silhouetted against the glowing disc of light. The dark night sky forms the background above the tree canopy.

The Big Wheel or Ferris wheel, is back in the Grand Parade in Cork, but these photos are from December 2017! You’d hardly know, except for the posters on the buildings behind. This was before Ukraine was attacked by Russia and there is now a flag of Ukraine with the text, “We’re with you Ukraine” on one of the buildings to the left of this photo.

Aperture	ƒ/13
Camera	Canon EOS 6D
Focal length	24mm
ISO	50
Shutter speed	5s

Chasing Light Trails on South Mall

Long exposure night photograph showing a group of photographers with tripods spread along Grand Parade, Cork in December 2025. A bilingual "Ceantar Tosaíochta Coisithe / PEDESTRIAN PRIORITY ZONE" sign with bicycle and pedestrian symbol is visible on the left. Green and white light trails from a passing bus streak through the frame. The illuminated Cork Christmas ferris wheel and decorated Christmas trees are visible in the background near Bishop Lucey Park. One photographer stands alone on the left while a group of four cluster together on the right.

Long exposure night photograph featuring a large black bicycle-shaped bike rack sculpture in the foreground on Grand Parade, Cork in December 2025. Behind it, photographers with tripods are visible as slightly blurred figures, with a woman in a red puffer coat prominent among them. White bus light trails streak across the scene. The Cork Christmas ferris wheel is illuminated in the background, and Christmas tree lights are visible. The wet pavement reflects the city lights.

Long exposure night photograph of a black bicycle-shaped bike rack silhouetted against the lights of Grand Parade, Cork in December 2025. A Bus Éireann bus passes behind, creating horizontal red, cream and yellow light trails that reveal its livery through motion blur. The Cork Christmas ferris wheel is visible in the background. A blue pedestrian zone sign is partially visible on the left, and Christmas lights decorate buildings in the distance. Street lights create starburst effects in the dark sky.

You’re not waiting for a bus and suddenly four busses come along! We had fun with some long exposure photography on. Thursday night.

Aperture	ƒ/6.3
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	24mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	4s

Where Water Meets Light

The sun had set behind the distant hills and the exposure times went up when I took this photo, but that’s what I wanted as the sea was rough and I wanted to make it silky smooth and misty at Owenahincha Beach last August.

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	24mm
ISO	50
Shutter speed	8s

Storm Light Over Owenahincha

Waves broke on the rocks at the edge of Owenahincha Beach a month ago.

Aperture	ƒ/7.1
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	24mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1.3s

Cobh Shines Bright Over Cork Harbour

Cobh, a few minutes before fireworks lit up the sky last month.

Aperture	ƒ/6.3
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	105mm
ISO	800
Shutter speed	10s

Rocks in the Misty Surf of West Cork

The restless Atlantic waves become ghostly veils of white mist caressing the rocks on Owenahincha Beach, Co Cork.

Henry shared a photo of this same rock yesterday. There are lovely swirls of water in his photo.

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	24mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	2s

Driftwood at Owenahincha

Last night Blarney Photography Club travelled to Owenahincha Beach to do some seascapes. We hoped to do some Milky Way photography later in the evening too but cloud cover got thicker and after some socialising in the nearby Celtic Ross Hotel we went home.

Aperture	ƒ/8
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	24mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	2s

Dunquin’s Dramatic Edge

Dunquin Harbour is mostly photographed from the cliffs above because there is a narrow winding path that descends on a steep trajectory to sea level.

As I said previously in my photo of An Fear Marbh the sky was a monochrome grey but suddenly the clouds dispersed and some of the lovely light of the sunset leaked through. This is a bracketed shot I got from near sea level before rushing up the path to get a few more photos. 🙂

Dunquin Harbour served as the traditional departure point for boats traveling to the now-uninhabited Blasket Islands, with the last permanent residents leaving in 1953. The harbour’s dramatic location at the western tip of the Dingle Peninsula made it strategically important for accessing the islands, despite the challenging Atlantic conditions. The area is rich in Irish language and culture, being part of the Kerry Gaeltacht where Irish is still spoken as a community language. The distinctive rock formations visible in this photograph are part of the ancient geological structure of the Dingle Peninsula, composed primarily of Devonian sandstones and siltstones that were formed over 400 million years ago and shaped by countless Atlantic storms.

Aperture	ƒ/13
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	24mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1/5s

Sailing Through Time

Someone walking past a sail in Kinsale made for a nice slow-motion intentional camera movement photo.

Aperture	ƒ/5.6
Camera	ILCE-7RM5
Focal length	49mm
ISO	100
Shutter speed	1.3s

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