Slow shutter speeds

The beauty of blur

For other examples:

Luca Campigotto p. 38

Slow shutter speeds blur movement. This is because the shutter stays open for longer, giving objects more time to move while the picture is being exposed.

Here Ernst Haas uses a slow shutter speed of perhaps three seconds to surround choreographer George Balanchine in a beautifully rhythmic blur. As the dancers pirouette around the frame, the traces of their movements contrast with the stillness of Balanchine, who remains motionless, looking on intently.

To blur your moving subject, select ‘Shutter Priority’ (S or Tv) and a slow shutter speed.

When shooting everyday subjects, such as people running and passing cars, you’ll start to see obvious signs of blur at shutter speeds slower than about 1/60. The slower you go, the greater the blur.

George Balanchine,

New York City Ballet

Ernst Haas

1960s

Bangkok from ‘Cityscapes’

Luca Campigotto

2006