Stefano Orazzini
Long Exposure Photographs
Long-exposure photographs are an essential part of many of my projects. It is a photographic technique that has always fascinated me since I discovered the extraordinary works of authors such as Michael Kenna and Hiroshi Sugimoto. The long exposure is a kind of slow, thoughtful photography, you don't have to seize the moment, but fix the passing time on the film or on the sensor. The challenge is to know how to dose shutter speeds, tones and contrasts through creative and efficient use of filters to obtain a harmonious result in shades and shapes. The long exposures have the characteristic of enhancing an abstract and minimalist style. They highlight the essentiality of the subjects, and the passage of time removes weight from the surface contrasts of moving elements such as water or clouds. In a certain sense, the long exposure time lightens the photographs, subtracts what is real but unnecessary, and relieves them from that "heaviness of reality" that Italo Calvino spoke of in his famous American Lessons.
