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Photography vocabulary · Exposure

Motion blur

Meaning in photography, with examples

/ˈmoʊʃən blɜːr/nounCore term

In photography, motion blur means: The streaky, blurred look of something that moves while the shutter is open, or of the whole image when the camera moves.

In Turkish: hareket bulanıklığı, hareket flusu

How it is used

Can be a problem or a creative choice. Photographers use it on purpose for water, traffic or panning shots of cars, and avoid it in sports and portraits with faster shutter speeds. Blur caused by the camera moving is called camera shake.

Example sentences

  1. A shutter speed of 1/15 gave the cyclists nice motion blur against the sharp background.

  2. The dancers' hands show motion blur. We need at least 1/500.

Common collocations

  • creative motion blur
  • avoid motion blur
  • intentional motion blur
  • camera shake
  • shutter speedThe length of time the shutter stays open to let light reach the sensor, such as 1/1000 of a second or two seconds.
  • long exposureA photo taken with a slow shutter speed, from about a second to several minutes, so that moving things blur while still things stay sharp.
  • image stabilizationA system in a lens or camera body that reduces blur caused by small hand movements, so you can use slower shutter speeds handheld.
  • sharpClear and detailed, with crisp edges and no blur. Used about photos, parts of a photo and lenses.

More terms: Exposure

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