Motion Blur
In general we as photographers strive to get our images as sharp as possible throughout. However sometimes a bit of blur due to movement can add to an image, creating a sense of action or motion. A typical example of this is when shooting a waterfall or fast moving water in a river or even the tides of the ocean. A ghostly blur can add a great effect.
To create this effect, follow these steps:
1 – USE A TRIPOD! Without some way of keeping the camera rigid you are going to get blur from camera shake at shutter speeds below 1/60 of a second with a standard lens. Also, either use a cable release or the self timer on your camera to trip the shutter, this eliminates camera shake when the shutter button is pressed.
2 – Carefully focus on the area in the image that you want sharp with manual focus. Remember that what will remain sharp is anything that doesn’t move.
3 – Use as slow a shutter speed as light conditions will allow. 1/2 a second or slower will give the best results. The easiest way to determine the exposure necessary is by taking a meter reading using the highest f-number on your lens (usually between f16 and f32). Always use manual exposure mode (M) for this type of work for assured results.
4 – Choose a time of day (early morning or late evening) when light levels are low in order to acheive slow shutter speeds. Use slow ISO rating of 100 or lower. For a good effect don’t use flash, this only helps to freeze movement. Having said this, sometimes using flash and slow shutter speeds creates a nice affect.
A useful aid for getting shutter speeds even slower would be a neutral density filter.
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