#3. Lens Blur (Selective Focus)

Give your action shots a visual boost with this selective-focus/lens-blur effect.

For an action shot like this, I really wanted to accentuate the sense of movement. The best way to achieve this is to keep the subject in sharp focus, while creating a graduated radial blur in the background. It is possible to achieve this using camera technique alone, but for more controls it is far easier to apply in post production.

For this photo I have applied Kent Christiansen's LensBlur action from ActionCentral (Download).

"This action mimics the effect of the popular “LensBaby,” which Kent urges you to try because no Photoshop effect can duplicate it entirely. The action has 3 main aspects: A motion and radial blur; a noise and chromatic aberration routine; and a vignette."

The are plenty of aspects of this effect you can play with after it has been applied - particularly the amount of blur applied and the level of vignette.

Conclusion
Great for bringing out movement and making action shots look more dynamic. The Lens Blur effect can also be used in still life and portraiture shots to draw to eye to the point of focus. As with many actions and effects, this one is prone to overuse due to its simplicity of application.

About The Photo
Taken at Kariotahi, a black sand beach on the west coast of the North Island of NZ, during a visit last month.