When would you typically use rear-curtain sync?

• A. The flash fires at the end of the exposure to create natural-looking motion trails
• B. The flash fires at the start of the exposure to stop motion
• C. It has no effect on motion blur
• D. It is only used with continuous lighting

Answer: (A)

Rear-curtain sync fires the flash at the end of the exposure, which is why it’s used to create natural-looking motion trails. By letting ambient light blur for the full exposure and then freezing the subject at the moment the flash fires, the motion trail appears to lead into the final position. This gives a natural sense of movement, especially for panning or scenes with moving lights, because the ending position is sharp while the motion blur trails into it. It’s not about stopping motion at the start, and it doesn’t require continuous lighting.