Ask Jim

ASK JIM

Every month, Jim will answer a question from his online students, from people who participate in his tours and workshops, or from subscribers to this magazine. If you have a question you’d like Jim to answer, please drop him a note at photos@jimzuckerman.com.

Q: Jim . . .How do I decide what shutter speed to use when trying to artistically blur moving subjects? It seems like I never get it right. I took this picture at a football game with a shutter speed of .5 seconds, and to me, it’s too blurred. I’ve lost most of the detail. Donald Parsons, Atlanta, Georgia A: I agree with you this picture is too blurred. The answer to your question is very simple: trial and error. Unfortunately, there isn’t a simple formula whereby you can know how much blur you’ll get. The blur is dependent on: 1) the focal length of the lens (telephotos show more blur than wide angles at any given shutter speed), 2) the speed of movement of the subject(s), and 3) the shutter speed. Plus, you may not know what you want until you see the results. Therefore, it’s just a matter of experimentation.

© Donald Parsons 2020