A larger slice of time
A photograph is usually a very small slice of time. A modern day camera can take slices out of time which last about 4000th of a second. The average photograph is taken with an exposure (because that’s how these slices of time are defined in the world of photography) of about 125th of a second. Of course, one can extend the exposure time to a 30th of a second or a 10th or perhaps one whole second, depending on the amount of light which is available. The less light there is, the longer the exposure time needs to be in order to get a proper photograph.
There are some interesting side effects to this and it is quite often interesting to consider using longer exposure times, not so much because of the low level of light, but because of the side effects it brings (which suddenly means that low levels of light are a necessity). The Light Moves series are an example of wanting these nice side-effects and therefore having to use long exposure times.
Another example is using long exposures in combination with flowing water. Of course, one has to stand ankle deep in a stream of freezing cold water, in the dark, getting bitten to death by a rich assortment of mosquitos and other nocturnal insects…but I think the result is worth it
