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Blur: Blur as a Visual Additive |
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| OVERVIEW |
| How long did it take you to identity the blurry center of the picture here? Not long, I'II bet. The scene is obviously set in a cathedral and it's crystal clear that the blur is a procession moving down the aisle. Yet not one head or body is visible within the blur (see Hints). That was my visual idea--to create an abstract blur that would catch the viewer's eye and still be understood. The blur is a "visual additive" that makes for a photograph with impact way out of the ordinary. |
| CREATIVE HINTS |
| The blurs in this picture appear to be twin ribbons of color. This effect is created by a time exposure in excess of 2 seconds. Most moving objects blur into indistinctness with a shutter speed that long. The people in the pews appear sharp because they were sitting relatively still and I was using a tripod. Try this blur technique on any scene that has a combination of unmoving and moving objects. For example, shoot a slow exposure down a long street at dusk. The buildings will be sharp while the moving cars will blur. Be aware that long time exposures (1 second and longer) may require additional exposure over the normal meter reading to compensate for the way some digital chips read contrast and exposure. When uncertain, the best bet is to make a few longer exposures for insurance. Shoot the normal meter reading first, then open the lens 1 f-stop for the second frame, and an additional f-stop for the last exposure. On many DSLRs this 'bracketing' process (varying exposure for the same basic scene) can be set up automatically. Or vary the overall time exposure on the automatic or program settings of your camera by setting the time (1 second or more for example) as you care to.This will result in different amounts of blur which may be interesting. View the results on the LED screen and adjust exposure/time accordingly for the effect you are looking for. ©Yale Joel. |
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