Apparently I don't remember seeing the outcome, but Mac's recent article on "silky waters" reminded me that I once traveled to Mill City river front to photograph a long exposure of flowing water with my first SLR.  Knowing now what it takes, it's certain to have been a total disaster.  That roll of film, however, is not likely to be found. 

That Mac posted this article was fortunate because it made me realize that motion photography has always been something pursued, even in the early days.  It just takes a little kick sometimes. 

Unfortunately, the first time around was not the best.  The sun had came out when it was predicted to do otherwise.  After a few hours, it was clear this trend was here to stay.  Minnehaha Falls is also apparently a very popular spot before lunch, having all those pesky people around makes for a very irritated photographer.*

Although not technically a long exposure, this spot in the creek was fast and rocky enough to get close to the silky effect:

Of course, not fully achieving the motion effect, more attempts needed to be made and new locations to be weighed.  Watering the lawn after weeding reminded me of the previous experience. 

It didn't turn out as imagined inside the head, still like the photograph, plus the lawn looks pretty good, but should have used a different sprinkler:
 

Oftentimes, I'll just bike the distance.  Hopping on, picking a direction and riding to wherever it leads is great for the legs and lungs. Most of the time it's just riding, but once in awhile something will inspire.  The camera goes everywhere. 

At around seven miles from the start, after taking the long way, this was my turn around point:

The sun was low in the sky and a haze made the sky red, which I'm guessing is responsible for the color. 

*This is something I need to do alone, if I'm alone, don't much prefer to be stared or pointed at, interrupted with questions or comments and definitely don't need anyone to try anything because I look like a distracted tourist taking pictures. 

© Benjamin Pecka.  2011. All rights reserved.  Please contact author to request permission for use of image(s).

This article was produced for Weekend Exposure, a feature of Newsvine Photographers.