If you are in need of an out-of-the-box idea for your photography, you’ve come to the right place! Joshua teaches us how to shake up a normal couple’s portrait with a shutter drag trick.
Sometimes, customers just want a picture that pops, and luckily The Shutter School can help you accomplish that. In this evening shoot, Joshua shows how to create a more abstract portrait by physically moving the camera around with a slow shutter speed.
Light Texture
At the location Joshua chose, the dark sky and abundance of trees provide for a dark setting with sporadic patches of white light. The white patches produce a heavy amount of light texture that will show up in the composition. Feel free to check for these light textures on your own when using the shutter drag trick! It may work to your advantage.
Camera Settings and Flash
Set the aperture to make the frame darker. In this shoot, Joshua put his f-stop at F/11 and his shutter speed at 1/2 of a second. This darkened the whole environment, while the subjects were lit by a MagMod setup. In order for the shutter drag tip to work, the subjects must be lit by a very strong light. Otherwise, they will be distorted when you jolt your camera to create this effect.
Yes, using the shutter drag effect requires shaking and moving your camera, almost in a jolting fashion. But not to worry, we’ll explain what that means in a moment.
At a strong 8200 flash, Joshua notes that when experimenting with the shutter drag effect, it’s all about finding the right settings that work for you. Make sure that you play around with your lighting and in-camera settings in order to get the formula just right.
Shake It Up Down and Around
Now that everything is in order, Joshua begins taking the photos. In doing so, once he clicks the capture button, he immediately moves the camera around in multiple directions to generate those main light streaks. Remember, because we have a strong artificial light on the subjects, they are frozen in the frame and not moving around with the streaks.
Once you’ve mastered the camera settings and outside setup, go crazy! See what unique angles you can capture and find new ways to make the light streaks swirl. This effect creates a fresh, yet uncommon image for your subjects.
When you touch up the photographs, it might be advantageous to illuminate the subjects and bring them into the focal point, but don’t be afraid to really emphasize those bright spots too!
Trial and Error
The shutter drag trick can be a great way for you to sharpen your knowledge of the in-camera settings and teach you more about different shutter speeds. Try it out and be sure to let us know if you do via The Shutter School Facebook page. Don’t forget to subscribe to the YouTube channel and check out the blog for more photography tips.
