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Abokiniec

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 3, 2009
29
0
Hey guys,

I was recently browsing a friends facebook and noticed an image that caught my eye, how would i go by getting this effect? where only the lights are moved and not the person?

16267_365126435555_251526025555_10126587_4121243_n.jpg
 

GoCubsGo

macrumors Nehalem
Feb 19, 2005
35,742
155
low light, shutter is open for more than a split second and he/she likely moved the camera to get the streaks of light from the board.
 

GoCubsGo

macrumors Nehalem
Feb 19, 2005
35,742
155
True but the way it was moved tells me it's possible there not a tripod because it twists awkwardly.
 

r.j.s

Moderator emeritus
Mar 7, 2007
15,026
52
Texas
It may have a rear curtain bounce flash in order for her to be mostly sharp.
 

Designer Dale

macrumors 68040
Mar 25, 2009
3,950
101
Folding space
It may have a rear curtain bounce flash in order for her to be mostly sharp.

I was thinking along the line of a flash also. Too much of the image is sharp and the lights are blurred quite a bit. Flash with a 1/10th sec exposure?

This gives me something to play around with.

Dale
 

r.j.s

Moderator emeritus
Mar 7, 2007
15,026
52
Texas
I was thinking along the line of a flash also. Too much of the image is sharp and the lights are blurred quite a bit. Flash with a 1/10th sec exposure?

This gives me something to play around with.

Dale

Yeah, but it's a really soft flash, so it was probably bounced off of something.
 

PimpDaddy

macrumors 6502
May 9, 2007
359
75
Hey guys,

I was recently browsing a friends facebook and noticed an image that caught my eye, how would i go by getting this effect? where only the lights are moved and not the person?

16267_365126435555_251526025555_10126587_4121243_n.jpg

The technique/effect is called "dragging the shutter". Try googling it and you should come up with alot of info.

He probably used a shutter speed around 1/10th like mentioned in this thread.

If you use a longer shutter speed and the light is right you can get pics looking like this:

4203000610_6e6cd71f27.jpg


4203000608_7d455f62ac.jpg


4104462356_90e21d3b4f.jpg



Yes... and maybe use a tripod... moving it just before the end of the exposure (needs a bit of experimenting)...

Dude... :)

Dragging a tripod to a club/reception? Might be doable but besides the bulk of a tripod I actually think that it's slot easier to pull this off without a tripod... or monopod.

Yeah, but it's a really soft flash, so it was probably bounced off of something.

Definitely bounced off the ceiling. Probably at an angle instead of straight upwards.
 

David G.

macrumors 65816
Apr 10, 2007
1,128
489
Alaska
I would also like to point out that it is very possible to get that look without having a flash fired. Have some/most of the exposure time be when the camera is steady and then move the camera anyway to get the desired effect.
This picture I took of the Washington Monument around 10pm in early April was by accident. Being that P&S cameras make no sounds when taking pictures, I couldn't know mine wasn't done recording, so I brought the camera down to my side thinking it was done. I think it's a pretty neat mistake, eh?!
 

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Doylem

macrumors 68040
Dec 30, 2006
3,858
3,642
Wherever I hang my hat...
Dragging a tripod to a club/reception? Might be doable but besides the bulk of a tripod I actually think that it's slot easier to pull this off without a tripod... or monopod.

True... there are lots of different ways to get this effect (or something similar). thankfully, we no longer pay $$ per frame, as with film, so it's easy to use 'trial and error' to see what works best. The only thing that's certain, IMO, is the need for most of the exposure to be pin-sharp, then moving the camera for a comparitively short period (which will appear to blur the bright points of light into trails. It's posible with or without flash, with or without tripod... and an acceptable result might be 80% pre-planning and 20% luck (ie picking the shot that works best out of, say, 50)...
 

vraxtus

macrumors 65816
Aug 4, 2004
1,044
30
San Francisco, CA
For that effect you'd need to drag your shutter as mentioned above, with a 2nd curtain sync flash at *maybe* a stop lower on the Ev (hard to tell from the picture exactly).

The reason for 2nd curtain sync is that it fires the flash when the shutter is closing, so that the subject, in this case the DJ is exposed along with the additional light elements exposing throughout the frame. She was likely unlit without the flash, and at the moment the shutter closed, the flash exposure caught her in the shot for the effect as well.
 

PimpDaddy

macrumors 6502
May 9, 2007
359
75
For that effect you'd need to drag your shutter as mentioned above, with a 2nd curtain sync flash at *maybe* a stop lower on the Ev (hard to tell from the picture exactly).

The reason for 2nd curtain sync is that it fires the flash when the shutter is closing, so that the subject, in this case the DJ is exposed along with the additional light elements exposing throughout the frame. She was likely unlit without the flash, and at the moment the shutter closed, the flash exposure caught her in the shot for the effect as well.

Actually I think it must have been 1st curtain sync by the looks of it. Notice how the lights are "drawed on top of the DJ" instead of under her which would typically have happened with 2nd shutter sync.

Generally it very difficult to capture the precise moment you want to with 2nd curtain sync. Maybe not so much with shutter speeds around 1/10th but any longer than that and you might miss the situation with 2nd curtain sync :)
 

chiefroastbeef

macrumors 6502a
May 26, 2008
909
0
Dallas, Texas/ Hong Kong
Like others have mentioned, they are done with flash, most likely bounced off walls or pointed but diffused at the subject. Here are some quick snaps of the tree (not done decorating!) in my apartment. Aperture was at 2.8, shutter at 1/10th.

Here is a shot with a little arm movement:
dsc0742lg.jpg


Here is a shot with a little more arm movement, quite a fast swipe, the pine cones are surprisingly in pretty good focus considering the motion of the camera at 1/10th:
dsc0745.jpg


Here is the set up, except the tripod wasn't there as I hand-held it to do the side-swipe motion. The flash on the ground was triggered by the pop up flash on the camera, bouncing into the white board:
dsc00451qy.jpg


One of the drobo, another crappy one, getting a good light pattern takes well executed arm movement!
dsc0749.jpg


Off camera flash bounced off wall:
dsc0755.jpg
 

vraxtus

macrumors 65816
Aug 4, 2004
1,044
30
San Francisco, CA
Actually I think it must have been 1st curtain sync by the looks of it. Notice how the lights are "drawed on top of the DJ" instead of under her which would typically have happened with 2nd shutter sync.

Generally it very difficult to capture the precise moment you want to with 2nd curtain sync. Maybe not so much with shutter speeds around 1/10th but any longer than that and you might miss the situation with 2nd curtain sync :)

Actually you are right, didn't notice that - she'd usually have popped a bit more if it had been 2nd!
 

flutegirl822

macrumors member
Sep 16, 2009
47
0
Washington
Try this effect

Yes, slow shutter speed, but try zooming in/out. Very fun. :)
 

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TheOnlyJon

macrumors 6502a
Jul 25, 2009
677
1
Indianapolis
Really high aperture, long exposure. Hold for the majority of the exposure on what you want in focus, and then move the camera. Check out Gizmodo for the Christmas light photography contest (search for it). The winner explains how he did his effect, and it's what you're looking for.
 

Macshroomer

macrumors 65816
Dec 6, 2009
1,304
733
thankfully, we no longer pay $$ per frame, as with film, so it's easy to use 'trial and error' to see what works best.

Perhaps, it is still best to understand what is going on with light which seems to *really* be lost on folks in the digital age. I have been doing this technique for years, it is easy and should not take trial and error if you know what you are doing.

William Albert Allard and David Alan Harvey did stuff like this decades ago on Kodachrome that still blows away most of what is done on digital today, so it's not just technology that lends it self to this look.
 
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