Blurring water and moving objects

zanooky

How do I get the blurring effect? Primarily with water, but with other objects as well. Thanks in advance!

Moose

Howdy @zanooky - In order to capture movement, you'll need to use slow shutter speeds. While this is easy to do in low light, it's near impossible to do in bright daylight without the assistance of a neutral density (ND) filter.

Think of ND filters like sunglasses for your lens. They effectively reduce the amount of light entering through the lens, which in turn slows down the shutter speed.

If you want smooth looking waterfalls in the middle of the day, you'll need a 5 to 10 stop ND filter (more stops equal a darker filter) in order to get shutter speeds between 1 to 30 seconds (depending on how much shade is available).

Let me know which lens you currently have, the time of day and the specific subjects you intend on shooting. That will help me point you in the right direction. Happy shooting! :)