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How to Blur the Background in Fast Pictures

Normally, a photographer does not want a blurry picture, but to emphasize an effect or demonstrate motion, a blurred background is necessary. Using the automatic settings on most cameras, a photo of a race car will result in a sharp exposure of the car and the background. The car looks like it is not moving. To achieve the effect of motion, the object will be in focus but the background is blurred. The effect is easy to do but requires experimenting with different camera settings.

Things You'll Need

Camera with ability to control shutter speed
Telephoto lens
Tripod

Instructions

- 1
  Switch the camera to shutter-priority mode. This setting varies on each brand of camera, so check the manual if you are not sure how to do it. The mode lets the photographer set the shutter speed, and the camera selects the aperture, or lens opening, based on the shutter speed.
- 2
  Set the shutter speed to 1/60th of a second.
- 3
  Pan the camera. Following the subject with the camera is called panning. Keep the object centered in the viewfinder and smoothly pivot to follow the subject. Slowly press the shutter button as you are panning the camera.
- 4
  Check the image. On a digital camera, preview the image on the view screen and use the camera controls to zoom in on the picture to determine if the subject is sharp and the background is blurred. If the result is not what you want, try again with a slower or faster shutter speed.

Photography