The term Dragging the shutter

Danzaroonie

Danzaroonie

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Dan
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Can anyone explain to me the term “dragging the shutter”....I have been through a few web links and they seem to have different meanings to the terminology :thinking:..Any examples would be great so I can test the setup.

many thanks

Dan
 
It's an Americanism that describes lowering the shutter speed below the max sync speed when doing flash photography to alter the ambient exposure.
 
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This is essentially just slow shutter speed with flash. Exposure for the background and use flash to freeze and light your subjects. Movement in the background will be caught as blurs of light.
 
swatches said:
This is essentially just slow shutter speed with flash. Exposure for the background and use flash to freeze and light your subjects. Movement in the background will be caught as blurs of light.
Click to expand...

Thanks you for that explanation, I was wondering too :thumbs:
 
The above are only partially correct explanations. Dragging the shutter normally means using the flash - combined with ambient light - but in Rear-Curtain Sync mode - where the flash fires at the end of the exposure - just before the shutter closes.
 
I think it's a more general term than just relating to flash, and second curtain sync is certainly a different issue, even if they might be used together.

I think it just means deliberately using a longer shutter speed than normal.

For example, I was hearing about 'drag landscapes' the other day - using a long shutter speed, possibly with an ND filter, to get blurry leaves and wavy tall grass, that kind of thing. Very good they looked too :)
 
I agree with Hoppy - to me it just means any extended shutter speed, for example flowing water etc.
 
Dragging the shutter is a very poor expression. It usually means setting a slower shutter speed to combine ambient light with flash. The technique should be properly referred to as. Slow shutter sync.

Rear curtain sync is a different thing entirely. Have look at this tutorial...

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=10271
 
C'mon Cedric, get with the new vibe :D
 
Some cameras have this built in as a flash mode option, called 'Slow Sync' or a variation of it.
 
people drag the shutter when doing time-lapse to blur moving objects (clouds, cars etc) and give them a sense of movement. It just means use a slower shutter speed than normal.
 
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