A time exposure photograph of a cowboy and cars in the Badlands of North Dakota
A full moon rises over a building of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation
A silhouette of an African elephant
A Ferris wheel at Oktoberfest in Germany
An evening city scene in West Los Angeles
A silhouette of a man leading a woman on a donkey
Artificial reef encrusted in tube sponges
Dettifoss waterfall in Iceland
A waterfall in the woods of North Carolina
Fire dancers on Bora Bora
A fireworks display in the Netherlands
A Tuareg tribesman and his son sitting before a fire in the Sahara
The moon setting near Donohue Pass, California
Woman’s face hidden by cloth
A Volkswagen parked on a cobblestone street in Rio de Janeiro
A close-up of a wine cup flower in South Africa
A girl taking a picture of the Lincoln Memorial
A tree in a grassland in Wisconsin
Desert dunes in Namibia
Waters of the Rio Negro flowing across the sand on the coast of Brazil
An aerial view of rows of tulips
A campsite in Joshua Tree National Park
A train platform in London
The Pio XI Glacier in Patagonia, Chile
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Cowboy and Cars, BadlandsSome kinds of photography require more specialized techniques and equipment than others. Whether you want to shoot fireworks, colorful species underwater, or terrain from a low-flying aircraft, knowing your subject and preparing for the challenges it presents is critical. In this gallery, see how technique and imagination can be combined to create striking images. Cars pass a cowboy on horseback and a rock formation in this time exposure photograph. Photo Tip: When shooting at night, long exposures that let cars pass all the way through the frame will give you rivers of white and red lights. Buy National Geographic Complete Photography »
Photograph by Annie Griffiths, National Geographic

Using Special Techniques

Get tips for photographing with special techniques in this how-to gallery from National Geographic.

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