A Journey into Dreamlike Street Photography
A Journey into Dreamlike Street Photography
I'm not even sure why I'm currently so drawn to long exposure photography. I think it's the fascination with how dreamlike and otherworldly the results can look. Since the technique is new to me, I wanted to give myself space to practice. So, I packed my camera, tripod, and extra batteries and headed out. I chose the Museum Quarter in Amsterdam, thinking the mix of tourists, traffic, and striking architecture would make for an interesting setting. However, this also meant photographing strangers—something I'm still not entirely comfortable with.
Concept: Dreamlike or Cinematic Look
I didn’t want to go for a pin-sharp, documentary-style image that captures life as it is. Instead, I aimed to create a parallel, alternative reality—one where everything feels fluid, and maybe even a little scary at times. The intention was to evoke a dreamlike atmosphere through abstraction and movement, blurring the lines between reality and imagination.
Goals
But to create that look, I knew I needed to practice the technique first. So I took a lot of extra shots. It was important for me to see this photoshoot as a learning moment—an opportunity to experiment without pressure. I tried not to have any expectations and mentally prepared myself to come home with thousands of images, knowing that only a few might meet my standards. My goals were simple:
Practicing with slow shutter speeds
Exploring slow shutter techniques in street photography
Experimenting with motion blur to create a cinematic or dreamlike look
It also turned out to be a great opportunity to deepen my understanding of my camera and its settings.
Technical Approach
Equipment: Nikon Z6II - Nikkor 16-80 mm f2.8, 8-stop ND filter
I experimented with different shutter speeds, varying between 1/15 and 1/50 of a second. To avoid overexposure, I used f-stops between f/8 and f/11, and added a neutral density (ND) filter. My ISO was set to the lowest possible on my camera—100 ISO. For the brightest scenes, I also applied exposure compensation of -5 stops to keep the highlights from blowing out.
Weather Conditions
Spring has finally arrived in the Netherlands. The sun was shining brightly, and for once, the temperature wasn't freezing cold. I was shooting between 11:30 and 15:00, which meant facing intense midday light—making the ND filter and exposure adjustments especially crucial.
Analyzing Results
Overall, I do think this shoot was successful. One thing I realized, though, is that I probably need to invest in a variable neutral density filter. I didn’t want to keep swapping between different ND filters, which led to some awkward camera settings.
I also noticed that my focus was off. I’m not sure why I ended up focusing farther into the scene than on my actual subject. I suspect it’s because I hesitate to focus directly on people—it feels a bit like spying. A better approach might be to focus on a static object that's on the same plane as my intended subject.
Lastly, I found that a shutter speed of 1/15 was too slow for my taste. While it has its place in certain contexts, I feel like I lose too much information at that speed.
Below, I’ll go through the final images one by one and reflect on what could be improved.
ISO 100 | F -5 | 1/50 | 62mm | ND - 8 stops
Maybe an higher F-stop to control the light. So at 1/50 I still have slight motion blur.
ISO 100 | F 13 | 1/15 s | 58 mm | ND 8 stops
Shutter speed too slow for my liking. With a faster shutter speed, maybe 1/30 I could have controlled the light better and have less motion blur.
ISO 100 | F 8 | 1/30 s | 42 mm
Focus is off - I’m not very happy with the composition there is some dead space to the left. However, I tried to crop to a square but that does not feel right as well.
Love the light, though
ISO 100 | F 8 | 1/30 | 25mm
Focus is a little bit off, but I like it somehow. Love the light. I cropped this image because of the dead space did not add to the story.
