How to Create Interesting Images by Dragging Your Shutter

The beauty of shutter speed and aperture is that they are not just for getting technically correct exposures; they allow you to explore creative renderings as well. One way to do this is through dragging your shutter when shooting photos with motion, and this great video tutorial will show you both how to do it and the sort of results you can create. 

Coming to you from our good friend, Pye Jirsa, with Adorama TV, this excellent video tutorial will show you how to drag your shutter to make creative images with motion. The basic idea of dragging your shutter begins with using a slower shutter speed than you normally would for a subject in motion. You then pan the camera at the same speed and in the same direction of the subject while taking the shot. Theoretically, this will result in your subject being sharp with everything else blurred due to the camera motion. It takes a bit of practice to get it right, though. That being said, it is a ton of fun to learn, and when you get it right, the results can be quite eye-catching. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Jirsa. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

Log in or register to post comments
2 Comments

It’s called panning.

i was going to say the same thing. I was going to say that most people call this method as panning. Where the shutter is fast enough for the subject or a vast majority of the subject being in focus/sharp while the background it blurred.