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show motion in your still shots

The joy of photography is in capturing a moment in time – and those moments don’t always sit still. When you make a moving object the focus of your subject matter, you can choose from a number of techniques to capture the motion and emotion of the moment.

1. Freeze the motion: Both the subject and background show no motion

• Truly captures a moment in time
• Use a high shutter speed of at least 1/300th of a second
• For subjects like cars or baseballs in flight, use a shutter speed of 1/1000th of a second. Many new cameras now offer speeds up to 1/8000th of a second! 

2. Blur the scene: Both the subject and background show blurred motion

• A great way to convey speed
• Excellent artistic technique for scenes with bright colors
• Use a slower shutter speed below 1/100th of a second for best effect

3. Motion blur background: Background is blurred but the moving subject is clear

• Gives the appearance of rapid motion
• Use a panning action with a slower shutter speed and move the camera at the same rate as the moving subject
• Commonly used by nature and sports photographers
• Requires practice and skill

4. Motion blur just the subject: Background is clear as subject blurs through the scene

• Requires a tripod and slow shutter speed, many seconds in length
• Try setting an auto timer for the shutter to avoid moving the camera
• Ideal for showing nighttime light movement (car headlights, trains, flashlights)

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