Motion blur is a tool I have been ‘rediscovering’ as of late. It started by accident this summer on a trip to Berlin where my wife and I ran into a rollerblading race in a park near the Brandenburg gate. The skaters were moving in long lines, drafting off one another. Occasionally one would break off and make a go for the lead. If he failed, the other skaters wouldn’t break the line to let him in and he was sent to the back. If he succeeded then he became the pace bunny. The speed at which they were moving caught my eye and I wanted to portray that in a still shot. Queue the ‘motion blur.’
Let me start off by saying no fx in Photoshop were used on this shot. I boosted the the colors, resized it, and that was all. The camera used was the Canon 5d MarkII with the Canon 16-35L. But this effect can be accomplished on most point-and-shoots and every DSLR.
I set up the shot using Shutter speed mode (Tv). I’ve learned to trust the Canon system and mainly shoot on Av (Aperture mode), or Tv mode, unless I’m in horrible lighting, in which case I use manual. It works for me. I also shoot in RAW format in case the camera doesn’t get it just right, I can adjust it in post processing. For this shot I set the ISO speed to 50 because I didn’t want the lighting to be blown out—it was early afternoon on a sunny day. If you’re wondering what ISO is, then step over to Digital Photo Secrets for a brief, but informative, explanation. The key to shots like this one and the one below is to experiment. Honestly, it takes just as much luck as it does skill. I started with a shutter speed of around 1/13sec and worked my way down from there. The shot above ended up: 1/5 sec at f20 using a wide-angle of 16mm. I don’t recommend shooting that wide if you are going for a realistic look. Shooting that wide tends to distort the image (check out how long the legs look). But if you want to experiment, which I do, then why not? Snap a few test shots and check them on your camera’s LCD to see if the look is anywhere near what you are after. Ok, now that I found the setup required for the look I was after, I could just concentrate of framing and shooting.
Here’s where the magic happens, requiring as I said before a bit of luck. The main trick of this style is to pick a point, or person you want to be the focal point, considering you want at least one subject to be as close to in focus as possible—if not, then experiment. For me in the above shot I chose the guy in the yellow since the rest were in red/orange. I put the camera up to my eye as they approached, set my focal point on him (the center square, dot, or whatever you have it set to in your viewfinder), and followed him as they passed, by moving the camera along with the pack. The key is to try to move the camera at the same speed your target is. The closer you can get to that, the more in focus he/she/it will be. I had the motordrive on and snapped about 10 pics in this sequence. Like I said, a bit of luck is required to. The image never really turns out like you picture it in your head. Sometimes it’s better, others it’s worse. But inevitably, mor often that not you will be surprised and satisfied with the results.
So, for a quick run down of the steps:
1) Pick your camera mode: Manual, Tv, Av
2) Choose appropriate setting. The key here is a slower/slow shutter speed. Will depend on how fast your subject is moving—faster, you can get away with quicker shutter speed, while the slower subject will require a longer shutter speed.
3) Take a few practice shots to find the right settings if you have the time. You may not always and will have to just set the camera, point it, and shoot it (check out the image below for an example of this) This will ensure you capture it the way you see it in your mind.
4) Find a focal point or subject
5) Try to move camera at same speed as subject. Not always the case if you want more experimental stuff.
6) Mess around and have fun. That’s what it’s pretty much about anyways, right?.
Below is an example of luck. I saw this biker riding by in NYC and quickly set my shutter speed. I only managed to get the camera up to my chest area, aimed, moved/followed biker from there and snapped the pic.
