I’ve been experimenting with daytime long-exposure and motion blur lately, typically shooting around 1/4s with a 3-stop ND filter. I’m finding it a bit challenging to strike the right balance between sharp subjects and intentional motion blur.
For those who shoot this style: what shutter speeds do you find work best for capturing people in motion during the day? Do you have any tips for making the blur feel deliberate?
I’m aiming to add more variety to my travel photography, so any advice on technique—or gear setups to help manage these longer exposures—would be greatly appreciated. I'm currently shooting digital on a tripod with a remote to keep things steady.
tofunjay wrote:
For those who shoot this style: what shutter speeds do you find work best for capturing people in motion during the day? Do you have any tips for making the blur feel deliberate?
Depends on the look you want. about 1/10s for obvious motion with a still-recognizable subject. Longer will start to make the subject less recognizable.
I would like enough blur so that it looks intentional, but not too much that I becomes distracting. I think 1/10 like you said maybe the way to go. 1/4 doesn't see to quite do it. Do you normally use an ND filter or do you think stopping down has a better effect?
Shutter speed to achieve your desired result will vary depending on speed of the subject, distance and focal length. I always try a few different speeds when I'm going for some level of motion blur.
Also, try some handheld panning shots at various speeds, once you get the timing right you can keep a subject relatively sharp with plenty of cool motion blur around it.
ND or stopping down just depends on whether you want more or less depth of field for a given shot, although I find stopping down does help when panning to increase the chance of a sharper subject.
How much blur you get depends on focal length and shutter speed used. I do some panning shots at 400mm and use 1/80 sec for fast moving objects. I’ve used a 50mm and as low as 1/10sec for slow moving subjects. Every situation is different.
There are a few "standard" ways of showing motion blur we should define. They all relate to having some part of the image sharper than the blurry part.
#1 - Camera is still. Background is still. Moving subject is blurred.
#2 - Camera pans at the same speed as subject. Moving subject is still. Background is blurred.
#3 - Camera pans at the same speed as subject. Parts of subject move faster than other parts. Moving subject is still. Background is blurred. Faster parts of subject are blurred.
#4 - Second curtain FLASH blur - Camera opens shutter and records motion blur for entire exposure. At the end of the exposure the flash freezes the subject. Subject sharpness here is determined by flash duration not shutter speed.
Shutter speed is detemined by the speed of the moving subject and the desired amount of blur. The slower the subject is moving, the slower the shutter speed needs to be to achieve the same amount of blur.
Aperture is not related to motion blur but is often stopped down to facillitate slower shutter speeds and add a depth of field focus cushion that is helpful when panning with subjects.
