Nikon DSLR Tips / Tutorials

Zoom burst tutorial: how to create dramatic effects with your zoom lens

Want to create attention-grabbing shots with ease? Try using this simple zoom burst technique.

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Zoom bursts are achieved by twisting the zoom ring during a long exposure. The change in focal length creates streaks of colour and light that seem to burst from the centre of the frame.

It’s an effect normally associated with sports photography for the sense of speed the blur gives to action (especially when the subject is coming towards you), but the technique can also be used for creative abstracts.

Any bright spots will be elongated by the zoom, which means dappled light through trees works well, as the bright highlights are transformed into warp-speed-like streaks.

To set up for a zoom burst you need a longish shutter speed to allow time for the twist, and although it is possible to shoot handheld, a tripod will give you better results. Here’s how it’s done…

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How to set up your camera to shoot a zoom burst

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01 Go slow

You’ll need a shutter speed that gives you enough time to twist the zoom ring (ideally 1/8 sec or longer). When shooting in daylight, use aperture-priority mode and set your smallest aperture, and your lowest possible ISO. This should give you a fairly slow shutter speed.

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02 Avoid the wobbles

Attach your camera to a tripod to keep streaks clean and straight. As zoom blur is such an unpredictable effect, it can be helpful to hand-hold while experimenting with subjects and compositions, then fix your camera to a tripod when you’ve settled on a good angle.

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03 Do the twist

The blur travels towards the centre, so compose a scene with some symmetry to it, perhaps with a focal point in the very middle. Press the shutter and twist the barrel of the lens at the same time, taking care not to nudge the camera position.

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