Motion Blur PhotographyMotion
Blur Photography
When you see
a picture that showcases a motion blur in action photography, you
may think only professionals can achieve something like that. But
you can too! All it takes is some astute shutter speed, aperture value
setting and a lot of trial and error. However, there are some simple
ways to make your pictures look like a pro’s. Let's check them
out, shall we?!
Stretch
Your Shutter Speed
First things first:
speed determines motion blur. The faster your shutter speed, the less
blur you'll get and vice versa. Therefore, it’s best to go for
an extended shutter speed. In fact, you could even capture motion
blur of a snail if you have a really long shutter speed. Of course,
you need to set the shutter speed depending on how fast your subject
is moving. If it's moving slow, your shutter speed shouldn’t
be too high and the reverse is true if your subject is moving quickly.
Lighting
Letting more light
inside your camera using a longer shutter speed has its demerits.
You could end up with an over-exposed picture. Therefore, it’s
important to let just enough light in to get a decent picture. The
amount of blur you want in your photograph depends on two factors:
the speed of your subject and the amount of light falling on your
subject. The best way to judge that is to try out different shutter
speeds, compare the results and stick to what works the best. Since
you have a digital camera, you are able to do that kind of trial and
error.
Movement
To capture movement,
you can do one of two things: either the subject should move or your
camera should move. If the subject is moving, you have to keep your
camera rock steady. You can do that by keeping it on a stable platform,
using a self-timer or placing it on a tripod.
Shutter Priority
Professionals
would much rather use a full manual mode to set the shutter speed
and aperture value, but if you're not that high tech, you can work
with the Shutter Priority mode on your camera. With that, you only
have to choose the shutter speed and the camera will automatically
set the aperture value to go with that setting. Not only will you
get the blur you're looking for, but also a balanced shot.
Shutting
Out Excess Light
Since longer shutter
speeds mean more light creeping into your camera, you have to resort
to one of the following ways to sort out the problem of over-exposure.
For starters, you could do it while it’s darker. However, if
you're intent on doing it during the day, you need to go for a smaller
aperture value. To do that, switch over to the full manual mode and
lower the aperture value in proportion to the increase in the shutter
speed. It’s a simple calculation. When you bring down the shutter
speed, the aperture value also decreases.
Another way to
limit the amount of light is to lower the ISO setting. ISO has a direct
correlation to the image sensitivity of your camera. A higher number
will make it more sensitive to light and a lower number will make
the camera sensor less sensitive. Choose a low number and you’ll
be able to choose longer shutter speeds.
One more way you
can cut down on light is to use a neutral filter. If you don’t
have one, you could use sunglasses as well. They do exactly the same
thing, which is cut down on the intensity of light falling on the
camera lens.
And Finally...
You should also
employ the Slow Sync Flash feature. Not only will it facilitate longer
shutter speeds with the use of a flash, but it will freeze certain
elements in the shot, while keeping the others blurry. Another method
like that is panning. If you move the camera along with a moving subject,
the subject will remain in focus, but the background will be a blur.
Cool, huh?!
I hope you have
fun with this one!
~ Zahid H. Javali
