The Flash Book

Dragging the Shutter for Effect

When your subject is standing still, sometimes we use a slower shutter speed (like 1/30 or 1/15 of a second) to let more of the existing room light into the shot (this is known as “dragging the shutter” by the boys at the Flash Bar & Grill, in Abilene, Texas). However, you can also use a slow shutter speed for special effects by simply having your subject move while your shutter is open. Now, if you leave it open for a longer amount of time, like 1/2 second or even a couple of seconds, and your subject moves while that shutter is open, you’ll get an awesome blurring-of-movement effect. Your flash will fire, freezing ...