Motion blur results from a shutter speed that is slower than would otherwise be used to “freeze” action or movement.  Often times, a slower shutter speed is used when panning a camera with a moving subject and, as a result, the background is blurred because it is stationary.  In other events, the camera may be affixed to the moving object (e.g., inside a car), which also blurs a portion of the scene (e.g., the roadway and lights).  In some cases, it is the subject of the photo that is blurred due to movement – this works great with well lit subjects at night.

Motion blur, through the variety of techniques used to achieve this effect, is commonly used to convey a sense of speed, which is well-demonstrated in the following 7 photos.

Motion Blur Frozen by Mariono Kamp

Untitled by Viernest

Urbis-Deep Blue manchester by Manky Maxblack

November dreaming by mpclemens

Need for Speed by Amnemona

whirling people machine by joiseyshowaa

“Going nowhere fast”, or my $800 picture by NathanFromDeVryEET

Do you have some examples of motion blur worth sharing?  Feel free to join in on the forum thread for Motion Blur Photos or share your advice or thoughts on this effect and technique in the comments below.