Radial Blur

24 December 2025
photos,
photos-2025,
2025

This is the first time I tried radial blur. It is done by slowing down the shutter speed, and rotating the camera during the exposure. For me, I found 1/10 - 1/15 sec is the sweet spot. Slower the shutter more blurry the image will be. So choose the shutter speed based on the amount of background detail you want in the image. The axis of the rotation will have less of a blur while edges are more blurred. Ideally you want to keep the area of interest in the center of rotation (which I found quite difficult). It helps to shoot through the view finder and keep the stationary hand close to the body (I hold the camera in my left and use the right-hand to do the rotation. So I keep my left-hand close to the body). I find this technique is useful to draw the attention where you want to in a crowded scene, and create interesting images out of ordinary scenes.