# Motion Blur (on purpose) in Sports Photos



## TexPhoto (Jan 24, 2015)

Sometimes I like to slow the shutter way down, and let the subject, or the background, blur. It helps to show the action as it was happening. It's also wicked hard to get just right and very challenging. Have you tried this? What are your experiences

*And show off some of your Photos!*




Untitled by RexPhoto91, on Flickr


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## jdramirez (Jan 24, 2015)

I try it... I normally fail miserably.


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## TowcesterNews (Jan 24, 2015)

Use it a lot with motorsports - picture below as 40th of second, often go down to a 25th.
https://flic.kr/p/obrS8s


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## c.d.embrey (Jan 24, 2015)

Something different! 

Blurred motor-racing photos have become a cliché. I've shot them in the past, but I've switched to a 1950-60s deep-focus fast shutter speed look.

To be noticed you need to be different from the crowd, not copying the present trends. And your pitcher is definitely different, the elongated left arm is eye catching. Keep working on this style.

For me, the background is too soft. There is too little contrast between the out-of-focus background and the blurred pitcher, i.e. too much mush. With the slow shutter speed you should be able to stop-down more than you have. I may be wrong, but it's worth trying.


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## Besisika (Jan 24, 2015)

Me too.
See some.



OASIS_00001 by Besisika, on Flickr



Cyclocross-007 by Besisika, on Flickr



GRDP00004 by Besisika, on Flickr


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## Foxdude (Jan 24, 2015)

Tried some sort of panning, results..not so great but ok for me. That's not really what I like to do.


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## rdalrt (Jan 24, 2015)

I like motion blur/panning shots and try them often. However, I prefer something in the image to still be sharp as a focal point. Like in Besisika's shots above.


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## Famateur (Jan 24, 2015)

TexPhoto said:


> Sometimes I like to slow the shutter way down, and let the subject, or the background, blur. It helps to show the action as it was happening. It's also wicked hard to get just right and very challenging. Have you tried this? What are your experiences
> 
> *And show off some of your Photos!*
> 
> ...



Different. I like it!


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## wsmith96 (Jan 24, 2015)

This was my first try at the local track.


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## bdunbar79 (Jan 24, 2015)

Sorry, I don't save a lot of my photos. I had some from 2013 still on my D drive:


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## Ryan708 (Jan 24, 2015)

I wouldnt call these "showing off" my photos, but I dont have many with motion blur. These are some casual shots of some friends back-yard dirt racing, but a quick thundershower made it slick, and these guys were SLOW. The first shot is 1/60th and the second is 1/30th, any faster than 1/60th and it looked like a bunch of parked junkers haha. I should have brought my ND filter to get the DOF a little shallower


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## Roo (Jan 25, 2015)

I get what you mean ie not panning shots as such but just capturing the motion blur of the subject. I tried it recently at a tennis tournament but the keeper rate isn't very high. The second shot is a panning shot which I'm more used to


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## Tinky (Jan 25, 2015)

Mainly motorsports (hey I'm in Scotland, it's easier to fit a big engine than actually train) 

I have a feeling these were all from my XTi with the 200 f2.8L prime


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## jdramirez (Jan 25, 2015)

Here's one I took... this was the first time I shot hockey... again... didn't go well... not awful, but nothing something I would be proud of.


This shot was with a wireless shutter release, a monopod with chicken feet that I balanced perfectly to remove movement (as much as one can with a freaking monopod), f/7.1, 1/4 second shutter, iso 100, and ignore the big copyright... I didn't feel like going into lightroom to remove it...


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Jan 25, 2015)

occasionally it works for me to view as long as its subtle and functional. Its really difficult to do, I've only seen a very few images that impressed me, and I am a total failure at producing anything I like. A lot of it is personal opinion and preference.

Sometimes, like last week, there was not enough light, so I had a shutter speed that was not fast enough. However, I was not trying to show a blur


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## jdramirez (Jan 25, 2015)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> ... and I am a total failure at producing anything I like.



I'm so in the same boat. SS self loathing... maybe not loathing... but maybe a general distaste. When something comes out really well, I love it for 6 months and then I think... why did I like that so much... damn law of diminishing returns.


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## Oceo (Jan 25, 2015)

After developing a successful technique to do stop-motion images of butterflies in free flight I'm working up a similar technique to those described in this thread to give a better impression of butterflies in free flight. Attached are a couple of examples of the work in progress. The Zebra Heliconian image was taken at ISO 200, 1/60 sec. f/16. The image of the Giant Swallowtail was taken at ISO 2000, 1/160 sec., f/32.


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## climber (Jan 25, 2015)

Here are few of mine...


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## climber (Jan 25, 2015)

...


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## jhaces (Jan 25, 2015)

Whole set about that  {disclaimer: bullfight pictures, not graphic though}
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jhaces/sets/72157632806980513/


Untitled by jhacesr, on Flickr


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## Roo (Jan 25, 2015)

jhaces said:


> Whole set about that  {disclaimer: bullfight pictures, not graphic though}
> https://www.flickr.com/photos/jhaces/sets/72157632806980513/
> 
> 
> Untitled by jhacesr, on Flickr



Nice Definitely in the Ernst Haas style 

http://www.ernst-haas.com/colorGallery03.html


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## MrFotoFool (Jan 26, 2015)

I love motion blur and do quite a bit of it. However I do not photograph sports, so I will refrain from posting off topic pics. It seems to me most professional sports photos are frozen high speed shutter images. Personally I would like to see more slow shutter shots in sports.

Although I do not condone bull fighting, the photo posted above is very dramatic.


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## TexPhoto (Jan 26, 2015)

Wow, more responses than I expected. And some very cool Photos.




REX_0342 by RexPhoto91, on Flickr




Untitled by RexPhoto91, on Flickr


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## jdramirez (Jan 26, 2015)

I see what you did on the 2nd shot... I did that once with my daughter's toy cat... I like your results better.


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## MrFotoFool (Jan 26, 2015)

TexPhoto said:


> Wow, more responses than I expected. And some very cool Photos.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I love the basketball shot. Does not look like a pan. Did you zoom the lens during exposure?


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## rrdoh (Jan 26, 2015)

Love working in the rain, low light or both for exactly this reason, though it is a lot less expensive and much more rewarding now than when shooting KR64 in 36 exposure rolls!!


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## MarcMuick (Jan 26, 2015)

Panning with a crashing race car


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## tpatana (Jan 26, 2015)

Cool pictures. Please tell the shutter speed for your photos.


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## MarcMuick (Jan 26, 2015)

MarcMuick said:


> Panning with a crashing race car



1/30


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## Roo (Jan 26, 2015)

Most of my slow shutter shots are done at between 1/30th to 1/60th of a sec. The steeplechase water jump is always guaranteed to provide some action. In the second one I pulled down the contrast clarity and saturation looking for a painted type effect.


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## scotia (Jan 26, 2015)

This is an image from an indoor athletics meeting on Saturday. I was curious to find out what would happen if I panned against the direction of the runners.


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## infared (Jan 26, 2015)

I shot this image at a Graffiti Art Installation at The Museum of the City of New York (sorry. It's not sports)...those are all spray-paint cans in the background. I also did not shoot this with my Canon system.
I shot it with a camera with IBIS. IBIS was on. I think that the IBIS caused the effect on the subject as it is not a straight "expected" blur... Interesting though. I shot slow and the IBIS froze the paint cans...but it gave this wonderful "rubberized" effect to my dapper subject!


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## lucasrodriguezfontan (Jan 27, 2015)

Dakar 2014, Jujuy, Argentina.



DKR 31 by Lucas Rodriguez Fontan, on Flickr


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## Graphix501 (Jan 29, 2015)

Lot's of motorsport shots on show, like someone else said they might be a little cliche. However, there is very little scope for originality left  so here's a few of mine hahaha



Oliver Turvey by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr



BMW Z4 GT3 - Tandy/Brown by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr



Susie Wolff by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr



Sergio Perez (Edited) by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr


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## pss999 (Jan 29, 2015)

I take mostly cycling photos. For dark/evening races I like to use slow shutter speed (usually in the 1/50 to 1/160 range) and a speedlight:



20141012-5D3_8138.jpg by pss999, on Flickr



20141004-5D3_5477.jpg by pss999, on Flickr



Norco Threshold 20141226-5D3_2092.jpg by pss999, on Flickr



20141005-5D3_7277.jpg by pss999, on Flickr



20140910-5D3_2352.jpg by pss999, on Flickr


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## Tinky (Jan 29, 2015)

This reminds me of the best of Steve Behr. He was (and maybe still is) the photographer for Mountain Biking UK when I was growing up and I always just took his work for granted until they did a feature on him and his techniques, no digital back in those days.. and I guess that was one small stone unturned on the journey of me taking my photography more seriously.


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## jdramirez (Jan 30, 2015)

Still nothing special... but alot of what I did last night falls under that category.


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## jdramirez (Jan 30, 2015)

I kinda like this one better... kinda...


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## climber (Jan 30, 2015)

Here I have another 3:


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## TexPhoto (Jan 31, 2015)

REX50408h by RexPhoto91, on Flickr




Untitled by RexPhoto91, on Flickr




Untitled by RexPhoto91, on Flickr




Untitled by RexPhoto91, on Flickr


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## TexPhoto (Aug 6, 2015)

Untitled by RexPhoto91, on Flickr



REX15556 by RexPhoto91, on Flickr



Untitled by RexPhoto91, on Flickr



REX58204 2 by RexPhoto91, on Flickr


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## Boromir883 (Aug 7, 2015)

TexPhoto said:


> Sometimes I like to slow the shutter way down, and let the subject, or the background, blur. It helps to show the action as it was happening. It's also wicked hard to get just right and very challenging. Have you tried this? What are your experiences
> 
> *And show off some of your Photos!*
> 
> ...


great photo


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