MOTION CONTROL

Slide 5 of 17

NOTES

The shutter on our camera can be used as a tool to control the effect motion in our subject will have on our final photo. When an object is CLOSE to the camera, say withing 10 to 15 feet, the movement accross the frame of our photo can be dramatic in just a short period of time. When a fast moving subject is FAR from the camera its movement in our frame is less noticed in our final print. The shutter speed is the one camera control that will effect this movement in our final photo. With a fast shutter speed like 500 or 1000 or even higher on the newer cameras a photographer can turn the movement of a fast moving object in the camera viewfinder into a sharp, motionless photograph.

Motion takes thought. Do you want to have the movement of hands and feet in a dancer blur or do you want them sharp? Do you want a football player to have a blur in the background as they run past or not? How MOTION will show up on the final print will depend on your shutter. The KEY to this starts with being aware that it can be under complete control by you when you take the photo.

BUT WHAT ARE THE PROBLEMS OR DANGERS OF A FAST SHUTTER? Well, with a fast shutter unless the film is a fast film like Tri-X at ASA 400 the subject will need to be in a brightly lit environment to allow for a fast shutter. We still must have enough light entering the camera to get a photo. The aperture will need to be made as wide open as possible - meaning a f-stop of f2 or f1.4 - if we are going to get enough light to get a good photo. For the best results in stop action photography use a fast film and a fast shutter and try to get the movement accross your frame to a minimum. Action that comes toward you rather than from side to side will have less motion blur in a photo. Motion close to the camera will have more blur than motion far away.