Beecher's Handouts /

Exposure /

Blur from being out-of-focus, and blur caused by a subject in motion, can be easily confused.

Blur from being out-of-focus is often soft.

Blur from movement, recorded with a slow shutter speed, may be streaky, or there may be a doubling of the edges of the subject.

The photograph below has blur from being out-of-focus.

Out-of-focus Blur

In the next photograph, the tips of the grass have blur because it was windy and a slow shutter speed was used (1/25th of a second).

Blur from Movement Recorded by a Slow Shutter speed

If there had been no wind, or if a faster shutter speed had been used, the tips of the grass would have looked sharp.

The camera was on a tripod.

If it had been hand held, there would have been camera shake.

The grass, trees, and everything else in the picture, would have been blurry.