Zoom burst is a photographic technique, attainable with
zoom lens
A zoom lens is a system of camera lens elements for which the focal length (and thus angle of view) can be varied, as opposed to a fixed-focal-length (FFL) lens (''prime lens'').
A true zoom lens or optical zoom lens is a type of '' parfocal ...
es with a manual zoom ring.
Using the technique involves zooming while the
shutter is open with a relatively slow
shutter speed
In photography, shutter speed or exposure time is the length of time that the film or digital sensor inside the camera is exposed to light (that is, when the camera's shutter (photography), shutter is open) when taking a photograph.
The am ...
, generally below 1/60 of a second. For this reason low light or small
aperture
In optics, the aperture of an optical system (including a system consisting of a single lens) is the hole or opening that primarily limits light propagated through the system. More specifically, the entrance pupil as the front side image o ...
s are required. It is also possible to achieve a similar effect with either computer software like
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe Inc., Adobe for Microsoft Windows, Windows and macOS. It was created in 1987 by Thomas Knoll, Thomas and John Knoll. It is the most used tool for professional digital ...
(after the photo has been shot) or a
photographic filter
In photography and cinematography, a filter is a camera accessory consisting of an optical filter that can be inserted into the optical path. The filter can be of a square or oblong shape and mounted in a holder accessory, or, more commonly, a ...
. In these cases the shutter speed can be as fast as necessary.
Photographs taken with this technique are characterized by blurred streaks emanating from the center of the photograph. The effect is nearly identical to a motion blur image in which the camera is traveling towards the subject. For this reason the zoom burst is typically used to create an impression of motion towards the subject.
Examples
Cellar - Zoom Effekt.jpg, Long basement corridor, Exposure time of 1.3 sec on a 34 mm 18-55 lens
Achristoffersen carnival 2007.jpg, Costumed person during martinique carnival, Exposure time: 1/20 sec
Seattle Starburst (19455404716).jpg, Nightly skyscraper, Exposure time: 6 sec
File:Zoom-eff.jpg, The Zoom Burst effect leads to a decrease in image contrast if the exposure is not compensated. Exposure time: 3 sec
See also
*
Intentional camera movement
References
Reading list
* Bryan Peterson, ''Understanding Exposure'', 1990,
* Bryan Peterson, ''Understanding Exposure'', 2004,
{{Photography
Photographic techniques