What is this strange ghosting effect and how can I remove it?

Question

There's a strange ghosting effect in this photo (actually quite a few of my recent photos), when I used built-in camera flash.

EXIF: f/5.6, ISO 400 and 1/60 sec.

Is it caused just by a slow shutter speed? How can I remove it?

Related: How is the circular motion blur created in this Instagram image? — Michael C, Oct 16 '18 at 20:26

score 15 · Answer 1 · answered Oct 16 '18 at 19:30

15

To be a bit more specific, this is the superposition of

a very short exposure with flash, the clear sharp part
overlaid by an underexposed long exposure shot (the blurry part)

However, the amount of motion blur for a 1/60 shot is unusually large, so you likely took the picture from far away. This would also explain why the blurred part is so visible, your flash was too far from the subject and didn't make much difference with the ambient light.

answered Oct 16 '18 at 19:30

xenoid

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It is also possible that the lens's IS mechanism hit the limit of its range and subsequently found a new center when the lens started moving back the other direction. This would explain the two fairly strong images with little in between. – dgatwood Oct 16 '18 at 23:13
@dgatwood the lens in question was a Canon 50mm prime, without IS. – bearmohawk Oct 17 '18 at 16:43
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Then I guess not. :-D – dgatwood Oct 17 '18 at 17:49
Can you recreate the effect in the dark? – rackandboneman Oct 17 '18 at 21:36

score 6 · Accepted Answer · answered Oct 16 '18 at 19:11

6

For me this is motion blur. And because is the same on all the objects edges it is caused by slow shutter speed. Try to use 1/100, 1/160.

Also you should know internal flash usually have very limited power and range. So the other advice I can give you (if you often take photos in low light) is to invest in external flashlight.

answered Oct 16 '18 at 19:11

Romeo Ninov

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1/100 of a second on what grounds? No focal length is provided, that might not be nearly enough. @120mm for example... – AthomSfere Oct 16 '18 at 22:24
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On the grounds that the motion blur isn't absolutely obscene and almost halving the time the shutter is open is likely to get at least the right ballpark without unduly limiting the light captured. – William Oct 16 '18 at 23:06
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@AthomSfere Max flash sync speed is often in the neighborhood of 1/250. – StackOverthrow Oct 16 '18 at 23:09
However, 1/250 in the dark (so only flash provides relevant illumination) isn't likely to give you motion blur even if you used it with a 1000mm lens... – rackandboneman Oct 17 '18 at 21:35

What is this strange ghosting effect and how can I remove it?

2 Answers2