Prop blur?

[RaceGeek]

Why does the issue of 'prop blur' seem to be the bottom line of a good picture on this site? I've gone back and looked at a bunch of photo posts, and it seems to be a recurring theme.

It seems to me that in the good old days, a good photo told a story and getting the perfect prop circle or enough blur so that you couldn't count individual blades wasn't even a consideration.

Is it a matter of these days with digital cameras and the ability to clean up/improve things with photoshop that our standards have changed?

Just curious.

[paintboy]

Re: Prop blur?

With the evolution in photographic technology, the need has risen to create unique and different images. See, we do not even refer to them as photos anymore. Anyway, the prop blur is not necessarily created with Photoshop, but at the point the image is created in the camera. Digital photography has reinvented the need for creativity. All of this may have been able to be accomplished with film cameras, but capturing a full disc of prop arc just seems to stir the visual senses more than if you do not. The illusion of motion can be seen with a full arc of prop blur rather than just seeing a blurred prop blade. And this is all a matter of personal taste whether you like or dislike prop arc in your image. Personally, I think capturing a full disc of prop motion looks cool! No photographic expert here, but I hope this explanation provided some help to answering your question.

Dave

[Peashooter]

Re: Prop blur?

Give me "plane blur"!

http://www.aafo.com/hangartalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=9450

[Victor Archer]

Re: Prop blur?

With the evolution in photographic technology, the need has risen to create unique and different images. See, we do not even refer to them as photos anymore. Anyway, the prop blur is not necessarily created with Photoshop, but at the point the image is created in the camera. Digital photography has reinvented the need for creativity. All of this may have been able to be accomplished with film cameras, but capturing a full disc of prop arc just seems to stir the visual senses more than if you do not. The illusion of motion can be seen with a full arc of prop blur rather than just seeing a blurred prop blade. And this is all a matter of personal taste whether you like or dislike prop arc in your image. Personally, I think capturing a full disc of prop motion looks cool! No photographic expert here, but I hope this explanation provided some help to answering your question.

Dave

Very well stated!
A full disk is how you actually see the aircraft when in flight.
A frozen prop is just unnatural, almost ... alien ...

[RaceGeek]

Re: Prop blur?

Very well stated!
A full disk is how you actually see the aircraft when in flight.
A frozen prop is just unnatural, almost ... alien ...

I tend to disagree.

99% of the time you don't see anything. A full disk is only if the sun is shining on it right.

Just my opinion, I suppose. But I think too much emphasis is being put on something trivial.

[BillRo]

Re: Prop blur?

Here's the thing. With good current digital cameras many people can get incredibly sharp shots of fast moving race planes by using a fast shutter speed, say 1/500th. The problem with that is that the props appear almost stopped and the image looks unnatural. Some photographers however have an unnatural, even alien skill at producing razor sharp images at much slower shutter speeds which give the magic prop blur.

Bottom line - it's what sorts the top photogs from the rest of us.

BillRo

[RaceGeek]

Re: Prop blur?

Here's the thing. With good current digital cameras many people can get incredibly sharp shots of fast moving race planes by using a fast shutter speed, say 1/500th. The problem with that is that the props appear almost stopped and the image looks unnatural. Some photographers however have an unnatural, even alien skill at producing razor sharp images at much slower shutter speeds which give the magic prop blur.

Bottom line - it's what sorts the top photogs from the rest of us.

BillRo

Perhaps. But the digital technology also takes the old adium of "if you get one usable shot out of an entire roll of film, you're WAY ahead of the curve" seems to be multiplied exponentially now. You can just hold the button down, hope for the best, discard the other 99 photos of that one pass, and get the lucky shot where it 'was' in focus.

Not dissing the ability of the photographers. Just questioning why the hype over something that is silly.

[440_Magnum]

Re: Prop blur?

Not dissing the ability of the photographers. Just questioning why the hype over something that is silly.

<sarcasm>
Why all the hype over Tiger Woods? Knocking a little white ball into a hole in the dirt is silly.
</sarcasm>

Its a component of photographic skill.

Anyone can point and shoot a camera and sometimes come up with great-looking images, but it takes skill and practice to compose and execute a unique photograph consistently day in and day out. I'm not saying that capturing a blurred prop with a sharp aircraft is the be-all end-all of aviation photography. To me, composition is just as important. But both TOGETHER is the complete package.

[RaceGeek]

Re: Prop blur?

<sarcasm>
Why all the hype over Tiger Woods? Knocking a little white ball into a hole in the dirt is silly.
</sarcasm>

Its a component of photographic skill.

Anyone can point and shoot a camera and sometimes come up with great-looking images, but it takes skill and practice to compose and execute a unique photograph consistently day in and day out. I'm not saying that capturing a blurred prop with a sharp aircraft is the be-all end-all of aviation photography. To me, composition is just as important. But both TOGETHER is the complete package.

sorry. I was just asking.

didn't realize my comment was insulting photographic skill.

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Prop blur?

Not dissing the ability of the photographers. Just questioning why the hype over something that is silly.

Photographers seek perfection in their images. Capturing a moment, telling a story, all of it.. including, capturing the minute details of the subject as seen at that moment. Unless you're blinking your eyes, you don't see prop blades, rather, an unreal thing created by the visual illusion that there is a shiny disk in front of the airplane.. or nothing at all..

It is not silly, nor is it obsessive, it's merely the photographer seeking the ultimate goal of perfection.

Wayne Sagar
(PS.. not knocking your opinions, but full name signatures, rather than pseudonyms are appreciated for folks who become as opinionat-ed as you seem to be on this board.)

[RaceGeek]

Re: Prop blur?

Photographers seek perfection in their images. Capturing a moment, telling a story, all of it.. including, capturing the minute details of the subject as seen at that moment. Unless you're blinking your eyes, you don't see prop blades, rather, an unreal thing created by the visual illusion that there is a shiny disk in front of the airplane.. or nothing at all..

It is not silly, nor is it obsessive, it's merely the photographer seeking the ultimate goal of perfection.

Wayne Sagar
(PS.. not knocking your opinions, but full name signatures, rather than pseudonyms are appreciated for folks who become as opinionat-ed as you seem to be on this board.)

My name is Stanley Terraplane, Jr. I didn't realize that I was being opinionated. I was merely asking a question I didn't understand.

I apologize. Won't make that mistake again.

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Prop blur?

My name is Stanley Terraplane, Jr. I didn't realize that I was being opinionated. I was merely asking a question I didn't understand.

I apologize. Won't make that mistake again.

Actually, that is not your name. (I can usually find out who fictious users are.. don't try this at home, I'm what you'd call an, expert)

BTW.....
Wonder if your employer enjoys the time you spend doing whatever you can to "stir the pot"... so to speak...

Bye!