Forced to Practice Creative Blur

Today I went out to Hastings Island in Rio Vista, CA with the intent of trying to make some images of the lovely wild Black-eyed Susan flowers that seem to be everywhere with a particular focus on macro.  I had noticed they were particularly prevalent at a specific part of the island.  So I headed out with the dogs and camera gear ready to walk and shoot.

Once we arrived, it became apparent that any macro photography would be extremely challenging today.  Even with the slight breeze,  a macro shot will not be as sharp as it needs to be.  Today the wind were blowing at 10mph with gusts up to 15mph.  Macro was going to be out of the question.  Not to be deterred, I decided that it was the perfect opportunity to practice creative blur techniques.  So that is what I did.

You wouldn't think that creative blur would be difficult.  I mean, heck, I see blurry pictures taken by people all the time.  Well, in order for a blurry picture to be creative and interesting, it takes a certain amount of practice.  One also has to understand what the best shutter speeds are to get the right effect.  So practice is key,  

So today was not what I planned but just what I needed.  The dogs ran their legs off, I got in a good 4 1/2 mile walk, and I had an opportunity to practice, practice, practice with the camera.  Below are a few of the images made during the walk.

Thanks for looking and leave a comment if you are so inclined.

 

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Creative Blur

Creative blur is a photographic technique that I have recently learned about. Its appeal to me is the way you can make an ordinary object appear abstract. It isn’t easy at first and I have yet to really master this technique. However, I like the possibilities that it presents and I don’t think I will mind practicing it.

Creative blur can be accomplished in a number of ways. The image below was made using a zoom lens, starting at the longest focal length and then turning the zoom ring to the widest length as the shutter is open. Of course to have the time to turn the zoom ring while the shutter is open you will need about a 1/6th second shutter speed. The speed at which you turn the zoom ring will provide different results. It is worth the effort to try different speeds just to see which results you prefer. There are other creative blur techniques which I will be trying at a later time. I see a lot of opportunities for cool images.

This image was made using a 24-70mm lens starting at 70mm and working back. ISO100, F16, 1/6second.

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