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What It Is
You can also show movement in an image using a flash technique called Second or Rear Curtain Sync. (The effect is also sometimes referred to as Slow Sync.) In regular flash photography, the flash automatically fires when the curtains of the shutter are opened and closed to freeze the subject at the beginning of the exposure. This lights up your subject, but darkens the background and blacks out detail. Using the Second (Rear) Curtain setting–available on most dSLRs–two flashes are fired: one at the beginning of the exposure after which the first curtain of the shutter closes; and another at the end right before the second curtain closes. Since there's a short period of time between the two flashes, the subject will be frozen in the shot, while the background details blur into movement-suggesting trails.
How It's Done
The effect is typically found under the flash control settings in your SLR and can only be adjusted when a flash is connected to the camera. When using Second Curtain Sync, you'll want a slow shutter speed to create the effect—we suggest at least one fiftieth of a second or slower. (Some cameras will default to standard First Curtain Sync if they're set to one sixtieth or faster.) We've found this technique to be particularly effective when shooting flash photos of moving people–dancers or musicians are great subjects, for instance—in dark settings with interesting backgrounds, including some type of rear lighting. Though Second Curtain Sync results are not easy to predict—you'll probably get as many duds as winners—when it works right, the look can be amazing