Blur Effects For Leading Lines – See How This Photographer Creates Dynamic Urban Photography

Jordan Griffith-Brown (@griffie.visuals) began his journey into the world of photography during the Summer of 2017. “While I was out taking some photos on my Sony Xperia, a close friend suggested that I should invest in a camera for photography,” he says. “Following her advice I purchased a DSLR camera. Since then, I’ve continued to grow and further my knowledge in photography and my portfolio mainly consists of cityscape and urban photos.” For his urban photography, Griffith-Brown likes to use a Sony Alpha 9 II with the Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master, and we recently caught up with him to learn more about several images he captured using that camera and lens combination. He shares more on his process below.

The Gear

I used the Sony Alpha 9 II with the Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master to capture these images. I chose this combination due to the incredibly sharp quality of the 16-35mm G Master lens. I also use the Alpha 9 II for its extremely fast focusing speed and its ability to shoot multiple frames in rapid succession, ensuring that I always get the desired shot.

The Images

Whenever I go out to take photos, I tend to use one lens at a time and adapt to the location and setting to obtain my ideal photo. For the first photo, I went to East Acton Station on the London Underground. My aim for this photo was to capture the element of speed on this mode of public transport.

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Photo by Jordan Griffith Brown. Sony Alpha 9 II. Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/200-sec., f/4, ISO 100

I stood on the platform looking for leading lines and a passenger on the platform, I then awaited the moment for a train to pull into the station. In the final image, I was able to capture an image of a passenger getting off the train and walking towards the exit. Additionally at this point, the train began to depart. My focal length was 34mm and my settings were 1/200-sec., f/4 and ISO 100.

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Photo by Jordan Griffith Brown (with blur effect). Sony Alpha 9 II. Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/200-sec., f/4, ISO 100

For the second photo, I went to the Elizabeth Tower, aka Big Ben. Since I began photography back in 2017, I always wanted to get an iconic photo of this location. As the renovation works draw to a close, I took the opportunity to get some photos as the scaffolding disappears as it is highly unlikely that scaffolding on this scale will be placed around the tower again.

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Photo by Jordan Griffith Brown (with blur effect). Sony Alpha 9 II. Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/160-sec., f/3.5, ISO 250

For the photo of the Elizabeth Tower, I used a tripod, with the angle aimed towards a traffic light, with this photo, I used the self-timer (continuous) feature with the settings of a two second delay with five images, by using this setting, I was able to capture five back-to-back images, out of the five images, there was a photo with all three lights lit as a result of the long exposure, the following settings were used for the final image: 34mm, 1/200-sec., f/4 and ISO 100.

For the third and final photo, I visited London Paddington Station. For this photo, I wanted to capture an image that would display the wide leading lines of the station. I also wanted to capture an image which used the widest possible focal length to display the sheer size of this location.

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Photo by Jordan Griffith Brown. Sony Alpha 9 II. Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/200-sec., f/4, ISO 100

For this image, similar to the previous station photo, I positioned myself in a spot where the leading lines would have a pleasing effect. I captured the image with a focal length of 16mm and the following settings: 1/160-sec., f/3.5, ISO 250.

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Photo by Jordan Griffith Brown (with blur effect). Sony Alpha 9 II. Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 G Master. 1/200-sec., f/4, ISO 100

The Edit

For the post-processing of these images, I used Adobe Lightroom Classic and Photoshop. With Lightroom I used presets that I developed for myself personally and made slight adjustments where necessary. I find that presets speed up my workflow and allow the color and tones to remain consistent throughout my images.

I was able to create the blur effect using PS, when applying this effect I always look out for the leading lines within my image that will create a satisfying effect to look at. I additionally remove the effect from specific areas within the image in order to draw attention to that specific area in the frame. I always aim to remove this effect on an object such as a train, a person or even words on a person.

The final results of these images never cease to amaze me, I always set myself the challenging task of looking for ways to exceed my own skills on a day to day basis, in order to improve my work for myself and the audience who view my content.

See more of Jordan Griffith-Brown’s work on Instagram @griffie.visuals.

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