Zoom Effect

Everybody is familiar with the “zoom effect” photos, but not many photographers use this technique. Maybe because most of us do not think of it when shooting. This is a shame, because the technique is actually quite easy to master with modern digital cameras. What is Zoom effect anyway? It is a photograph where subject looks like either moving towards or away from you with motion lines.

This effect can be achieved in post-production with programs like Photoshop, but we are not gonna talk about it here. We want to spend more time photographing, not sitting in front of computer all the time. Note that this effect can be done only with the cameras that allow zooming during the exposure time! So here are a few tips how to achieve zoom effect that looks great.

First of all – have fun! You can never be sure what the result will be and you will need to do many shots to get a few “useful” ones. For these Tulip shots I made more than hundred shots to keep five or six of them.

Work on your zooming technique. Zooming is crucial to make great effect. Zoom evenly throughout the exposure time and hold your camera as still as possible. A tripod is useful, especially if you use longer exposure times. What I usually do is to continuously shoot and zoom at the same time. Good idea is to begin zooming before you actually push the trigger – the effect will be smoother. If you use zoom lens with wide focal length (like 18-200 or 28-200) do not zoom the entire length, it will be too much. Zooming fast or zooming slow also makes difference.  You can zoom out or zoom in. It will give you similar effect, generally I find it easier to zoom out. Look at the two photos below – same camera settings but different effect. At the first shot I didn’t zoom throughout entire exposure time but only at the end.

Both photos: Nikon D300, 17-55 f2.8, f16. 1/8s, ISO200, Flash TTL

Right shutter speed. Zoom effect will require longer exposure than you would usually use. There is no perfect shutter speed for all situations so you should experiment a bit. I usually use shutter speeds between 1/15s and 1s, but it could easily be either shorter or longer. The general rule is when using shorter shutter speeds it is easier to handhold the camera but the effect is not that notable. With longer shutter speeds you will usually need a tripod to retain subject sharp and the motion lines straight.

Use your Flash unit. Firing your flash unit can make it a lot easier to make a great zoom effect and it can create interesting effects on its own. If you handhold your camera it will freeze the subject and it will be sharp, while the zoom effect will still be smooth. Set you flash unit to slow sync, which will allow you to use longer shutter speeds. If you are zooming in you should use “Rear curtain” flash setting, which will tell camera to fire the flash at the end of exposure. If you are zooming out you should use the “front curtain” – which is usually the default camera setting. And don’t worry if you have only on-board flash – it will do the job just fine!

Get creative! There are hundreds of ways how to do interesting zoom effects and thousands of subjects to photograph this way. Below there are two examples how can zoom effect be improved. The photo to the left was taken on a tripod. The exposure time was 10 seconds and when I pressed the shutter I waited five seconds and the I quickly zoomed out and left the camera for another five seconds still. The camera recorded two images that are blended into one exposure the “zoomed in” one and the “zoomed out” one. The photo on the right is also from the Tulip Spring exhibit like others above. To achieve the whirl effect I rotated AND zoomed the camera during the shot. Since I was zooming in I used Rear sync flash to freeze the subject. How to do it? With left hand hold your zooming ring on the lens tight and with the other hand hold the camera. Now turn both hands toward each other quickly and take the shot. It needs some practice, but the results are funny and rewarding.

D300, 10-20 f4-5.6, f16, 10s, no flash	D300, 17-55 f2.8, f16, 1/10s, ISO200. TTL Rear curtain

What do you think of this technique? Do you like it? Do you have any shots you would like us to see? Post it here under the comments section or post it to our FaceBook page!