Hi everyone! I’m Jess Riley, a hobbyist photographer from the U.K and I love to play around with adding overlays and blur effects to my images in Photoshop. I’m on the blog this week to share my introduction to using ‘Path Blur’ in Photoshop and hopefully inspire you to have some fun exploring this tool with your own images!

We continued on with our storytelling theme in our Project 52 last week, focusing on movement. Adding movement to your image is an instant way to breathe life into it, whether the action is stopped, blurred or implied. The p52 participants blew me away with their use of technical skills like panning, ICM, light painting, multiple exposures, etc. How do you incorporate movement in your work?

If you'd like to push yourself creatively this year, consider joining a photography project like this. Click here to join!

xo,
Angie Mahlke

Together, we’ll explore techniques that I love to use during the day. From the soft, gentle light of early morning to the dramatic contrasts at midday, and the warm, golden glow of evening light, each moment offers something special. In my course "Creative Light & Shadows", I share tips on how to make the most of these times, and help you push past the limits of your usual routine to experiment with different angles, moods, and compositions. Let's embrace the light—and its shadows—like never before!

We are finishing up our Project 52 with a month of creative themes meant to push us out of our comfort zones and experiment with new things. The first creative theme was intentional blur, and the p52 participants used a variety of techniques to achieve this, from Lensbaby lenses and freelensing to playing around with motion blur and light painting. Do you have a favorite way to intentionally use blur in your work?

If you're interested in joining a photography project in the new year, the 2025 run of 52 Clicks is now open for registration. We'd love to have you join us. Click here to join.

xo,
Angie Mahlke