So, how was it done? Well, the key elements are:
1. The shutter speed is slightly lowered; try 1/20 sec.
2. The couple and their bike are in motion; approximately 30 mph (50 kph).
3. The camera is also in motion at the same speed in the same direction.
4. The background is fairly close as well. They were traveling in the right lane, and only a sidewalk and narrow boulevard lay between them and wall.
5. My wife was driving (safely) in the left lane and I was shooting from the rear passenger window, turned around over the front seat to shoot over and back at them. (My old pickup, van, or sun roof equipped sedans would have made it easier! Sigh.) But the smooth ride allowed me to keep the camera steady, keeping them in the same place during the whole image. And, yes, there were a lot of outtakes!

Depending on your camera, you can enhance or modify the effect. If your shoot under low light, lower your ISO, open your aperture, and narrow the depth of field to enhance the blurred background. But don’t confuse motion blur with lens blur; they are very different. A flash on the couple, and not the wall, will help freeze them more, but result in more contrast.

This is really just a creative mix of adding the result of some effects I noticed over many different images. Here are some elements to try even if you can’t control your shutter speed:
• Take a ride with a friend driving (turn off the flash) and shoot out the side window. Notice the ground closest to camera is more blurred than the objects further and further away.
• Photograph your friend while they drive near a center median divider or other close background, or as cars whiz by.
• Practice keeping the subject in the same spot during the entire exposure time.
• Take photographs of other cars along side you. Zoom in on the wheels, but keep the nearby body panels from blurring.


Keep safe, and keep shooting!
Peter Horn, Senior Photographer, Ahh! Photography

Short Depth of Focus – a blog for those of us who do better on Twitter.

OK, so I’ve said I would never blog, because I’m just not that interesting, and I can’t concentrate that long. Well, “never say never” must apply here, too. Fact is, I’ve been asked to write now for a while, and I have resisted, well, procrastinated. So, rather than putting off my procrastination, I began it at once and got thru it. So who am I, and what this all about?

I am a photographer focusing on portraits and event photography. I don’t have a fine arts degree; in fact it’s in Computer Science from what has become Missouri University of Science &Technology. I’ve been part of small consulting firms and large corporate entities. But thru the entire time, I’ve always had a camera nearby. So its high time I made a living from what I’ve always been doing and enjoying the most.

About the blog. I’m going to be limiting myself to short musings around the camera and how it’s used to make, not take, an image. With today’s cameras, almost anyone can take pictures. Oh, there are limits to what these little P&S babies can do, but with very little care and a little reading, you can take a picture. I’m going to focus on making images. Driving along, you see a scenic overlook sign. So, you delay your arrival and turn off, park, grab a camera, and walk over to the railing. From there you set your camera, compose, focus, stand real still, release the shutter, and take a picture. If you’re satisfied taking pictures, that’s fine. You’ll be bored with this blog, because we’ll focus on making images. I’m not all snooty about it. What everyone does naturally with a camera is just not that interesting to me. Instead, I’m going to focus on making images.

That’s not to say a taken picture of something so breathtaking isn’t going to please me. But not all of us have handy access to great places all the time.

Don’t just take pictures; make images. Everyday.
Peter Horn, Senior Photographer, Ahh! Photography

Hello Everyone,
We are well aware some of you are having problems with comments, captions, and other portions of the image viewer. While we have fixed a good number of the bugs, we know some are still experiencing really weird issues. Thank you so much for reporting them.

We now know for a fact that 98.3% of the problems are being caused by Internet Explorer, it is by far the worst and most difficult browser to code innovating features for (some sites have even stopped trying). Now, I know blaming Internet Explorer isn't the most sophisticated way to address this problem... But as the designer of ShutterCal, I must say, my personal opinion is that Internet Explorer is a terrible browser, and the fact that it's bundled as the default option for most computers is one of the biggest injustices laid upon our great society!

Okay, with all silliness aside, we will be working very hard to address and fix these crazy bugs... In the meantime we highly recommend downloading any other browser in the world. FireFox works best, Safari and chrome also work perfectly. I assure you, (I beg of you!) download FireFox, your entire internet experience will become a lot safer, faster, and easier.

I'm very excited about the Xshot contest happening here on Shuttercal. I have been a fan of the Xshot since 2007 when Michael, the creator of Xshot, contacted me and asked me if I would like an Xshot to try it out and review for him. He wanted to know what I liked about the product and what I didn't. Xshot 1.0 was a decent product but there were some flaws. I spoke to Michael about them and they were completely fixed in Xshot 2.0. Since Then Michael has created some more innovative Xshot products including the Pocket Xshot (I got one of the 6 known prototypes a while back and it is great.) also the Xshot iPhone case, that is a really sweet product too You can securely hold your iPhone and take your daily self portraits.

You have a great opportunity to win a fantastic prize in this month's contest. If you'd like to see more of what the Xshot can do check out this video I made in 2007 for a contest that I held to give away a few Xshots. That contest is long since over but Michael and the folks at Xshot loved my video and it really shows what the Xshot can do for you.

I also made a more recent video for my love of the Xshot.


So get those entries into the contest because this is one piece of camera equipment that I take with me everywhere. This summer I will be using my Xshot with my kayak because I have one of the Xshot Kayak Mounts to use. It will make my Wired Kayker Videos so much better to have a solid mount for my camera. No more bungee cords and hoping for the best.

What will you do with an Xshot product if you win the contest?

Hi, my name is Drew Bennett but I go by BenSpark. I will be guest blogging with Shuttercal for the coming year. Scott (DefaultArtist) and I'd figured that I introduce myself so you could get to know who I am. I am either a blogger with a photography problem or a photographer with a blogging problem. I was so excited to see a site like Shuttercal go up because it is the exact medium I have been looking for to showcase my Photo-A-Day project. I have been taking a Photo-A-Day for nearly five straight years. In that time I have:

-Traveled to almost all 50 states
-Changed job positions three times
-Gotten Engaged
-Gotten Married
-Saw the birth of my daughter
-Saw the death of my first grandparent
-I have created blogs
-I have destroyed blogs
-I have bought new cameras
-I have worn cameras out completely

Because I have taken photographs every day for the past five years I have a photographic record of what has happened in my life. By blogging each of those photos I have created a visual history for myself and my family.

People have asked me how I can do this every single day and to me it is not a challenge to take a photo every day. I can take a photo of anything. The challenge for me is to keep it fresh and to capture not just amazing shots (I have a few) but also shots that will help spark a memory for that day in my life. So to me taking a Photo-A-Day and blogging about it is more of a lifestyle thing than a challenge.

Over the course of this next year my entire Photo-A-Day archive will be posted to Shuttercal starting from Day one: April 9, 2005 (my 31st birthday). See my progress and daily shots on my Shuttercal profile: BenSpark. For the Shuttercal community I will be offering tips, tricks encouragement and support as you all make photo-a-day a lifestyle or a challenge. More to come!