sunday school: how i learned to stop worrying and love the blur

I love natural light.  It is my illumination of choice when shooting photos.  However, since I don't have the power to keep the sun up high on the horizon or to crank up the moonlight to an acceptable level whenever I want, I sometimes find myself at the mercy of the glow from a lamp, candle, stagelight, chandelier, streetlight, cellphone, etc.  I'm sure many of you have also experienced this lack of supernatural power.  What's a Shutterbug Mama to do in a situation like this?  Put away the camera?  Use the flash? Crank-up-the-ISO-and-set-the-aperture-wide-open- then-underexpose-and-fix-the-shot-later?  I have to admit that the last option is the one I usually chose, often with *bleh* results.  That is until I finally came to my senses and learned to stop worrying and Love The Blur.

I came to the realization one day that sometimes life happens so much, so fast, and the light available to take it all in is so limited, as is the ability (for most of us, anyway) to bend the time-space continuum, that even a single moment in time comes out to be a blur.  And you know what?  That's okay.  If that's how life is, then that's how I want to capture it in that moment.

So now, instead of performing technical gymnastics to get a crisp shot, I simply slow down the shutter speed a few notches and let the shot be what it will be.  I now love doing long(ish) exposure photography, especially at night and especially with artificial light.  

And it's not always a lack of light that makes life blurry.  Spend 5 minutes with my daughter Cadence (or any kid, for that matter), and you'll know what I mean.  Sometimes the natural light is there, but when you're dealing with your own little whirlwind, it may not be enough to freeze the frame, and sometimes a blur is the most appropriate way to capture the playfulness and energy of that moment.

Whatever the situation may be, it's so liberating To Embrace The Blur, To Love It, To Make It My Friend.  Cuzamora,  Shama-Lama Mama and  Molly |A Certain Slant of Light know what I'm talking about.

How about you?  Do you Love The Blur too?  Let's see your favorite Blurry Moments!

Comments

[jen maiser]

I shot a fun blur this weekend.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenmaiser/2307919641/

[Lisl Sukachevin]

It's a few days late, but here's a recent blurry photo:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/73718243@N00/2307992381/

[Lyn]

leapin' leapfrog -- blurry style. (and yes, it is two children -- my twin almost-5-year-olds)

http://flickr.com/photos/11439752@N04/2315241837/

[Teresa]

I love the blur. The motion tells half the story. Here is one of my favorites. This is my first attempt to share a photo. I hope it works.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8078228@N08/2330934993/