Creative In-Camera Motion Blur | Inside Fashion and Beauty with Lindsay Adler

Use this technique to add creative streaks of light and blur to your image, while your subject’s face is still in focus!

The key to this creative lighting technique is mixing studio strobes, a constant light source, camera movement, and shutter drag.

Let’s take a look at “Creative In-Camera Motion Blur”

Step 1: Use a strobe to light your subject. Anywhere that the strobe illuminates will be frozen in place.

Step 2: Introduce a constant light into the scene. This can be a modeling light, a work light, an LED, a flashlight… etc! In this case, I have chosen a Nanlite Pavo because it is inexpensive and has a full RGB range (plus it’s quite bright!)

Step 3: Change your shutter speed to a long/slow shutter speed. Start with somewhere around 1/8 to 1/20 of a second.

Step 4: Turn off all ambient light in the room (other than your purposeful constant light). This includes overhead lights, covering windows, and turning off modeling lights.

Step 5: Take a photo and move your camera or subject. Try zooming your camera, wiggling it side to side, or a combination of both. This will create streaks of light across your image.

Pro tip: Select clothing or jewelry that has sparkle/shine. This is the best way to pick up the reflections of the constant light!

Interested in learning more about incorporating motion blur in your photography? Take a look at these guides by 42 West:

• How to Capture Motion Blur in Photography
• Camera Basics: Understanding Shutter Speed

PRODUCTS USED:

• Profoto D2
• Profoto 1x4ft strip
• NanLite Pavo
• Profoto Beauty dish + grid
• Rosco Creative Gels
• Canon EOS R5
• Canon RF 24-104mm