Canadian Wedding Photographers

Photo Credit: Rabih Madi

Is a blurry photo an artistic choice or a trendy gimmick? The wedding photography community hasn’t been this divided since the great megapixel wars of the early 2000’s. The answer: it depends…

Motion blur in an image conveys… ready for it? Motion. When a subject is in motion such as dancing, walking hand in hand or running off into the sunset, a great way to show this is to allow their movements to blur with a slower shutter speed.

We are not here to tell anyone how to shoot or what to like but there is a clear divide amongst photographers and clients alike about whether or not this effect merits the title of great photography.

Motion blur at its best is another way of introducing contrast. Just as all of photography is balancing contrast, the difference between light and dark and the difference between colour, motion blur can illustrate the contrast between still scenes and moving subjects.

Photo Credit: Cody Goetz

While the intentionally executed motion blur of an enthusiastic couple running down the aisle after their first kiss can express joy and bring an image to life in a way that a crisp, perfectly focused photo might not, dragging your shutter for no apparent reason doesn’t exactly make you a creative genius.

The point to be made here is — Intension is everything. Sure, happy accidents happen but it’s not enough to make art without intention behind it.

Take Pablo Picasso for example; Picasso, who, despite possessing the skill to create realistic works, deliberately ventured into abstraction. His deliberate choices challenged conventional notions of art, elevating simplicity to profound expressions.

Here at Canadian Wedding Photographers, we're not anti-blur. Quite the contrary – when applied with intention, we embrace motion blur as a tool to enliven images. There's a certain magic in capturing the fluidity of movement, breathing life into every frame.

The 'blurry wedding photo' debate underscores the significance of intentionality in art. While motion blur can undoubtedly enhance storytelling, its effectiveness hinges on the deliberate choices of the photographer. So, let's celebrate intentionality and creativity in wedding photography, where every blur tells a unique and compelling story.