Remarkable, and never before seen, images of gunfire in the Vietnam war - in pictures

Vietnam war: long-exposure photographs of gunfire at night. This stunning set of images were taken in April 1970 during the Vietnam war.
Photograph: James Speed Hensinger / Rex Features

The pictures show the moment US soldiers targeted a Viet Cong sniper. James Speed Hensinger was only 22 when he captured the heavy barrage of fire used to defend the 173rd Airborne Brigade admin compound near Phu Tai.
Photograph: James Speed Hensinger / Rex Features

James Speed Hensinger's long-exposure photos, just released, were taken with a Nikon FTN analogue camera and a 50mm f/1.4 lens.
Photograph: James Speed Hensinger / Rex Features

'Over the course of a week, I shot two rolls of Kodak Ektachrome (ASA 64) time exposures using a cable release and resting the camera on sandbags in a perimeter guard tower,' James Speed Hensinger recalls.
Photograph: James Speed Hensinger / Rex Features

'Most of the exposures were from 15 seconds to one minute in duration,' James Speed Hensinger recalls.
Photograph: James Speed Hensinger / Rex Features

Photographer James Speed Hensinger: 'I mailed the unprocessed film home, and didn't know what I had until I was released from active duty.'
Photograph: James Speed Hensinger / Rex Features