Get Creative with Zoom Burst Photography: A Fun Skill to Master for Striking Photos
Have you ever looked at a picture and it looks like you’re zooming into the scene? That’s a “Zoom Burst”. In the photography community, we find divided opinions on it, some hate it, some love it, and some don’t care. I learned how to do it when I was doing a weekly photography challenge. Zoom Burst was one of the assignments, in any way we wanted to do it. I love it, when the photographer uses it right, and it’s easy to use it badly. I’m going to explain what it is, what the controversy is around it, when you can use it well, how to do it, and share a couple of examples from my own collection.
What is Zoom Burst Photography?
Let’s start with a description of what Zoom Burst is. Zoom Burst photography is a technique that involves adjusting a zoom lens during a long exposure. The zoom can be “in” or “out”, depending on the desired effect. It creates a radial blur effect emanating from the center of the image. What you get from it is a sense of motion, like everything in the shot is rushing toward or away from you, the viewer.
You might see it if the photographer captured a busy city street at night. As she presses the shutter button, she rotates the zoom lens, creating an image in which the lights appear to stretch out from the center in streaks, like the scene is exploding with energy.
This technique doesn’t require any particularly special equipment. Your kit lens (the lens that came with the camera) is probably a zoom lens, and it will work just fine. You will also want to use a tripod. You’ll need to operate the lens and hold the camera steady during a long exposure, so you want that tripod doing that “Hold the camera steady” part.
The Controvery – Why Some Photographers Dislike It
In the photography challenge where I was introduced to the technique, the challenger was upfront about the fact that many photographers don’t like Zoom Burst. There are several reasons I’ve found for that, and they’re all reasonable.
Zoom Burst does require a lot of practice to get the effect you want, and what works in one scenario doesn’t always work in another — but isn’t that true of just about everything? But, it can lead to unpredictable results, even after several different shots.
Some photographers also look at a Zoom Burst image and automatically assume a lack of skill in the photographer. They feel that it doesn’t call for the same level of skill or artistic vision as a more traditionally composed photo. It’s also argued that Zoom Burst creates a distraction from the composition. Some even say that it undermines the craft of photography.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I can appreciate most of the sentiment expressed by detractors. However, photography is a creative act, and each photographer has something they want to say with each shot. Every artistic technique has its place in the world.
When Zoom Burst Can Be Effective
Zoom Burst can create a sense of motion and energy in an image. Sports or city scenes can benefit from a feeling of movement. It can also be a great tool for drawing the viewer’s eye toward the center of interest, emphasizing the focal point. Zoom Burst is a wonderful technique for creating abstract imagery for artistic purposes.
I have used Zoom Burst when I wanted to show something off in a photo but I knew I wasn’t going to be able to get a great composition because of other objects that would be distracting but couldn’t be moved out of the shot. Stumps and stuff like that. But the zoom action created just a blur of color, and I was able to focus on the object, a really cool birdhouse.
How to Do a Zoom Burst
Doing a Zoom Burst is not difficult, and it’s fun to play with. You will want to experiment with the degree of zoom and the shutter speeds. You also need to be aware that when you slow down the shutter speed, you’re letting light hit the sensor for a longer time frame, so you’re going to want to lower the ISO to decrease the sensor’s light sensitivity, narrow the aperture to let less light hit the sensor, or use a Neutral Density (ND) filter to filter the light hitting the sensor.
This is an example of what you get when you forget that light factor:
Here are the steps:
- Start by putting your camera on its tripod. You may also want to use a remote shutter, either wired or wireless (I use a wired one).
- Set the camera to Manual mode.
- Get a good focus on the central object.
- Set the zoom either all the way in or all the way out.
- Set the shutter speed to a long exposure. Experiment with different shutter speeds to get the best effect.
- Trigger the shutter and immediately begin turning the zoom ring on the lens.
- Check the effect in the viewer, and adjust the shutter speed, the speed at which you zoom, and the amount of the zoom to change the effect.
Examples and Inspiration
I enjoy using Zoom Burst for certain types of shots. For the challenge I mentioned, these a few that I produced. I live in a forest, so I’d like to try some more creative Zoom Burst shots, but I’d also like to go to the top of a building at the end of a street at night and do a zooming shot.
I started by placing a ginger jar on my dining room table.
My first successful attempt was a classic Zoom Burst.
This is another shot from a different position relative to the jar.
This was an interesting effect I got by periodic stops of the zoom process, rather than a smooth zoom.
One thing to remember when you’re doing Zoom Burst is that you have to have an interesting subject. A tree stump in the woods is good for practice, but nobody is going to beat my door down to buy a print of it.
Your Turn
I’m a creative. I don’t really care if some photographer I’ve never heard of doesn’t approve of my technique or methods. (That’s pretty obvious from a casual perusal of the Bold and Better section of the blog.) I gain a lot of knowledge from experimenting with different techniques, and that has a lot of value for me. That’s what I want for you – to experiment and find what you like to do, and then do more of it.
I’d love to see what you have been able to do with Zoom Burst, and if you have any suggestions for how to do it better, drop a comment below!
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