Lex Jenkins ![]()
![]()
, Jun 27, 2010; 10:01 p.m.
What technique did you use to take the sample photo you posted?
Are you wanting to know about motion blur ghosting or how to create odd flare spots (ghosting flare)? There are lots of tricks.
For motion blur:
- Panning with a slow shutter speed.
- Combining slow sync flash with motion blur (front and rear sync provide different effects).
- Moving the camera opposite subject movement. Try twisting the camera like a steering wheel during a long exposure.
For odd artifacts:
- Use a lens prone to ghosting or flare. Some older wide angle primes and midrange zooms were very prone to flaring.
- Add one or more filters - UV/skylight protective filters, etc. - and shoot into the light.
- At night, kick up some dust outside (or in a darkened room with a carpet). Use a P&S camera with the flash in close proximity to the lens. It'll create those white blobs that many folks mistake for "orb spirits".
If you only have a good quality lens and don't want to spend more money on experimental stuff like "bad" lenses or filters, try freelensing. (Google it - easier to demonstrate than explain.) Basically, take the lens off the body and hold it just a fraction of an inch in front of the lens mount. Wiggle it around until you get the desired effect of in focus/out of focus look. Outdoors or in bright indoor lighting it'll also flare like crazy along the edges. Fun technique. Be careful, tho', it takes some coordination. At first you might want to mount the camera body on a tripod so you only have to handhold the lens. And be careful to avoid scratching the rear element of the lens or the mirror inside the SLR.
