[stlrman]

I am shooting a Bat Mitzvah this weekend. Mom asked for some motion blur pics during the Horrah, jewish dancing .
So, guests will holding hands and and going around and around. I will sneak in the center of the circle.
Would I pan with my camera with a slow shutter speed with the flash on?
Thanks!!!
Todd

[JackD201]

Sounds like a good plan but I wonder if the flash would be a good idea. If the venue is bright enough I'd go with natural light. I think mounting your camera on a stable pan head tripod ( or a monopod since you're sneaking in) would help you a lot. If you're going to be inside the circle the fastest, widest lens you've got would be the weapon of choice.

You also won't have much time to fiddle with the settings once you're in there. I'd enlist some buddies for some test shots before the dance starts. That way you can "cheat" with the exposure by bracketing and shooting in bursts.

[stlrman]

Thanks Jack! I am pretty anti tripod, and try never to use one while I am in action. I have a 24-70 2.8 , so I will give that a go. Maybe I can try to figure out the rear curtain setting on my camera and try a few shots with that setting as well.

[youravhandyman]

Just throwing it out as an option but if you used the delay flash with slower shutter the images would have the motion blur with a somewhat focused image when the flash goes off.  If the room is bright you could just increase the stop or drop the ISO setting.

Not a pro, just a former hobbiest on film.

[thunderbrick]

In crowded situations like that I hold the camera well over my head and pointed down into the crowd.  You get a lot more faces in the mix and shadows are less of an issue.  If you PM me your email address I'll send you a few samples, flash mixed with available light.  A tripod or monopod has no place in such a chaotic scene.  YMMV, of course.

Edit:  IMHO, what's important in such photos is NOT how peopled react to the camera, it's how they react to each other in the joy/heat/laughter of the moment.

[Pez]

here's an example of motion blur with and without flash and no tripod.

without


with

[youravhandyman]

Perfect examples PEZ!

[Photon46]

When shooting motion blur shots, you need to first determine the right balance between flash lighting and ambient lighting. I use a flash that lets me manually set increments of full power. I play around with DIN/ASA settings, shutter speed, and flash power until I find settings that give me a good balance of lighting and blur. Usually shutter speeds in the 1/10th to 1/20 second range work well if I'm panning with the subject's motion. Agree with other posts about these situations being no place for tripods. However, don't discount the potential of a monopod. These are great for stabilizing the camera in one plane of motion while still giving you flexibility to follow quickly changing situations.

[thunderbrick]

When shooting motion blur shots, you need to first determine the right balance between flash lighting and ambient lighting. I use a flash that lets me manually set increments of full power. I play around with DIN/ASA settings, shutter speed, and flash power until I find settings that give me a good balance of lighting and blur. Usually shutter speeds in the 1/10th to 1/20 second range work well if I'm panning with the subject's motion. Agree with other posts about these situations being no place for tripods. However, don't discount the potential of a monopod. These are great for stabilizing the camera in one plane of motion while still giving you flexibility to follow quickly changing situations.

Me, too!  +1!  Except for the monopod, of course!   

[Photon46]

The main place I'd use a monopod are for things like sports photography where I'm at a distance from the action. When I shot sports car racing for magazine work, I'd pan on a monopod in one plane of motion as the cars would pass by me. When I shoot theatrical work from the audience seating area, the actors pretty much are staying in one plane of motion on stage relative to me. So a monopod is great in that situation too. But when you're in the midst of the crowd, you have to hand hold the camera.

[adydula]

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/how-to-capture-motion-blur-in-photography

Shutter priority mode. lower ISO and experiment...do this  before the event.

Go to a dance, wedding etc and try it out...the thing you dont want to do is overexpose due to overexposure due to long aperature times.

Good Luck!

Alex