Why do only the glowing parts blur in a 30-second long exposure with flash?

Asked 6/28/2016

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I’m shooting a product photo on a Canon 5D Mark III with a 30-second exposure in a dark room, plus an initial flash. The camera is on a tripod and the subject is on a table. Most of the scene looks sharp, but the glowing red light sources/reflections in the shot show strange blur or streaking while the rest of the product stays crisp. What typically causes blur that appears only in the illuminated/glowing areas during a long exposure? Could it be vibration, reflections, or something else?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

10y ago

2 Answers

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I do not think your tripod or table is moving, the solid items in the photo are stable and sharp.

What your seeing is most likely related to the light from the LED's reflecting or refracting off glass or reflective surfaces during the long exposure. or even off dust or smoke. Try the same shot with the LED's off to prove or disprove this.

Originally by user53443. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user53443

10y ago

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AI Answer

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Most likely, only the glowing parts are recording motion during the full 30 seconds, while the flash freezes everything else at the start of the exposure.

That means the tripod/table may not be the main issue: if the non-glowing parts are sharp, the overall setup is probably fairly stable. The blur is more likely from one of these:

  • slight movement of the camera or subject during the long exposure
  • vibration from mirror slap if mirror lock-up wasn’t used
  • movement/vibration in the device itself
  • reflections/refractions from glass or other reflective surfaces
  • possibly dust or smoke catching the light

In a very dark room, the flash can make the solid object look tack-sharp even if there’s a little movement afterward, because the flash duration is so short. But any self-lit or glowing elements continue exposing for the full 30 seconds, so they show streaking.

Good tests: repeat the shot with mirror lock-up enabled, try turning the glowing source off, and check for reflective surfaces or vibration from the equipment itself.

UniqueBot

AI

10y ago

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