Why Use Blur Creatively?

1. Why Use Blur Creatively? • Blur can be used to: • Calm otherwise visually busy scenes • Convey a sense of motion • Add a sense of drama to a picture • Insert secondary subjects without detracting from the main subject Turns this Into this Into this Turns this

2. Creative Blur Techniques – Panning • Panning is a technique in which the photographer moves the camera with the subject during an exposure. • Technique: • Shutter speed must be slow enough to capture motion • Try to eliminate unwanted shake, blur • Point camera at moving subject and follow during exposure • Follow through!

3. Creative Blur Techniques – Panning • Perfecting the technique: • Try using a tripod or monopod for easier panning • Take many shots • Potential problems: • Blur in unwanted directions • Subjects moving non-linearly • Overexposure Credit: AngMoKi

4. Creative Blur Techniques – Zoom Blur • Zoom blur is a technique in which the photographer increases or decreases the focal length during an exposure. • Technique: • Shutter speed must again be slow enough to capture motion • Hold camera as steady as possible • Easiest way: take the picture during the zoom (zooming during the exposure can be trickier)

5. Creative Blur Techniques – Zoom Blur • Perfecting the technique: • Consider how much zoom you want • Try using a tripod or monopod to steady the shot • Potential problems: • Not zooming to a fixed point (mostly due to rotational shake) • Too much zoom

6. Creative Blur Techniques – Light Painting • Light painting is a technique in which lights are used in dark settings in order to “draw” with the light • Technique: • Use a tripod (makeshift or otherwise)! • Shutter speed depends on the intricacy of the drawing • While the exposure is being taken, draw in the air with the light facing toward camera • Remember if there’s any ambient light, you or the background might be in the picture as well • When finished with the painting, turn off the light as to avoid bright spots • Easiest way: exposure begins -> turn on the light -> paint -> turn off the light -> exposure ends

7. Creative Blur Techniques – Light Painting • Perfecting the technique: • The darker the setting, the less extra light hits the sensor (i.e., less unwanted light from buildings, people, etc.) • Use brighter or softer lights, depending on the desired effect • Try not to point the light DIRECTLY into the lens, this will typically be too bright and will create a flare (unless a flare is desired, of course) • Try using off camera flashes to add new effects • Tripods are almost essential with this technique since most exposures will be long (>5 seconds) • A flashlight isn’t the only thing that creates alight painting. Try this technique with fire, fireworks, cars [please don’t hurt yourself]. • Potential problems: • Blurry subject • Unwanted light • Drawing without being able to see what is being drawn can be difficult • Unwanted flares • Remember the camera records a mirror image, so be prepared to write backwards

8. Creative Blur Techniques – Light Painting Bad Examples • Questions to keep in mind: • What’s wrong? • How can it be improved?

9. Creative Blur Techniques – Light Painting Good Examples

10. Creative Blur Techniques – Light Painting • Light painting techniques can be used to create • Startrails • Startrails are streaks of light from stars captured during long exposures due to the Earth’s rotation. • These are slightly visible on shorter exposures (5-10 minutes) • Very visible on longer exposures (30 minutes – 1 hour+) • Prone to problems caused by light pollution

11. Note that the stars appear to be rotating about a fixed point, namely the “North Star” (Polaris). (Of course, keep in mind that the Earth is the body doing the rotating.)

12. Creative Blur Techniques – Light Painting • Light painting techniques can be used to create • Double exposure-like effects • Using a bright light like an off-camera flash, you can “paint” multiple copies of the same person, object, etc. onto the same shot. • These are difficult to get without extra unwanted light (must be shot in very dark places or alternatively, with powerful flashes and small apertures)

13. Creative Blur Techniques – Light Painting • Light painting techniques can be used with a flash to combine a frozen image with blur and motion • Creates a sense of motion while still giving the eye a clear subject