Motion-Blur, how would you improve this?

[Steve56]

Hi all,

I'm really impressed with Motion-Blur and am experimenting with different examples of motion-blur.

I've tried to capture fingers playing a keyboard and here is the result. It's pretty poor in all honesty. I've tried Black and White because the room isn't very well lit and the colours of the room spoil the photo. (Red mainly).

Anyway, I want to see what you would do differently given the chance?

Here's the photo.

 

[Robin Usagani]

keep the same shutter speed, turn on your flash. The flash will freeze a big portion of your hand but you still see the blurs.

 

[480sparky67 66]

Agreed. A strobe will capture the hands.

 

[djacobox372]

Nikon has a feature called "rear curtain flash" that will operate the flash at the end of the exposure instead of the beginning. This is important to use, otherwise the blur will appear to be in the wrong direction.

Here's a good example of rear curtain flash being used effectively: http://www.sony.ca/html/uf/microsite/Flash_Minisite/images/2-2/001.jpg

 

[Robin Usagani]

Doesnt matter here. The movement is not one directional.

Nikon has a feature called "rear curtain flash" that will operate the flash at the end of the exposure instead of the beginning. This is important to use, otherwise the blur will appear to be in the wrong direction.

Here's a good example of rear curtain flash being used effectively: http://www.sony.ca/html/uf/microsite/Flash_Minisite/images/2-2/001.jpg

 

[Steve56]

Nikon has a feature called "rear curtain flash" that will operate the flash at the end of the exposure instead of the beginning. This is important to use, otherwise the blur will appear to be in the wrong direction.

Here's a good example of rear curtain flash being used effectively: http://www.sony.ca/html/uf/microsite/Flash_Minisite/images/2-2/001.jpg

I'm not sure my Canon EOS 1000D has that feature to be honest. I've not read up about it, but I can be wrong.

 

[Robin Usagani]

if you have a canon flash you can I am sure. It is a setting on the flash. But like I said, for this shot doesnt really matter. If you are shooting someone running, ball throwing, etc. where you want the shadow behind the subject then you will need rear curtain flash.

 

[KmH]

You will almost always want the flash to sync to the rear/second curtain, not to the front/first curtain.

The photo you posted is badly under exposed, looks like about 2.5 stops.

A built-in flash at full power has a duration of about 1/1000 second so fingers playing a piano will like be completely stopped at full power. As flash power is reduced the flash duration gets even shorter.

Your photo will also have DOF focus issues because the keyboard is on a diagonal to the image sensor plane.