MOTION

The shutter on the camera will determine how moving objects show up on your film. When the shutter is set to a number like 1000 which is 1/1000th of a second in time the subject does not move very far during the time the shutter is open. If the number is set to 60 which is 1/60th of a second the time is longer and the subject moves more causing a blur.

Motion can be made more dramatic when it is:

• happening close to the camera
• moving from side to side rather than toward the camera
• the shutter is  set to less than 60th second

If the subject is FAR from the camera or moving toward it the effect of the motion will be less on the final print. Witha telephoto lens the movement of the lens can cause motion blur. Usually the camera is not set to a shutter any lower than the focal length of the lens. For a 200 mm telephoto that means the shutter should be 250 or more.

Shutter Speeds - memorize these

1000  -  500  -  250  -  125  -  60  - 30  -  15  -  8  -  4  -  2   -  1  - B

Each shutter speed has been set to let in HALF or TWICE as much light as its neighbor. Adjusting from one to another is called adjusting by one STOP. The speeds in bold are NOT good for hand holding the camera. B is for Bulb which allows the shutter to stay open for as long as you hold the shutter release down.  It is used for night shots and real long exposures. It is always used on a tripod. Generally we say that the lowest shutter speed we can hand hold the camera at is equal to the length of the lens. So if we have a normal lens which is 50mm the lowest shutter is 1/60. If we have a 200 mm telephoto the lowest shutter becomes 1/250

Some new cameras have shutter speeds FASTER than 1000 which is great, the faster the better when doing action work.

Action Photography

Notes taken from Action Photography video shown in class - these are not in complete sentence format but are statements taken as they come off the video.  Use these to add to what information you saw and wrote about from the video lesson. For our internet guests there are some good points in these notes.

Action is all around us in the thrills and spills of sports - the excitement that draws us to the events in the first place. The  35mm camera with interchangeable lens has more versatility -- film needs to be high speed or high ASA such as Tri-x 400 or Kodacolor 400 to allow faster shutter speed to capture the motion

Long lens or zoom up to 200mm brings distance scene closer for impact -- a motor drive is an aid to capture a sequence -- LOTS of film is a key to getting the perfect shot -- goal is to get action at its peak and this is a matter of timing for knowing when to push the shutter.

Know the capabilities of your equipment - must also know the sport you work with - prefocus on a special spot helps capture action --  wide angle lens such as a 25mm or 35mm makes subject very small at 45 feet away -- the depth of field is very sharp with this lens --  the normal lens or 50mm gives same angle of view as your own eyes - the image size is twice as large as for the 25mm -- the depth is average -- 105mm telephoto lens is a medium telephoto and is 2x the normal size - this is an ideal lens for it makes a good portrait lens - now the subject is larger -- watch for camera movement on a telephoto - have the shutter speed equal to the focal length of the lens -- for a 200mm lens the shutter must be 250 or more -- the 200mm lens has a greater image size and isolates the subject more -- compression happens with the 500mm lens  causing objects to look like they are closer together than normal -- the depth of field is not very good causing the background to be simplified with low depth of field -- the 25mm wide angle can be good for special effects such as a hurdler taken from a low and close up angle.

Panning separates the subject from the background - the camera moves with the subject - this is the best way to convey a feeling of action -- the most dramatic effect is at the lower speeds such as 1/60 or  1/15 second -- in bright sun light you may  need to add a neutral density filter to the front of the lens to cut back on the light even more (this is a gray lens much like wearing sun glasses)

Get in the habit of looking at the action from many different angles -- get in close - get down low -- walk around and look for the action - get the action frozen at its peak -- you must first prefocus on action point and then anticipate the action and start to release the shutter before the peak hits

Use the prep time before a game to get the best location - practice and set up you equipment in advance -- can't wait for it to happen  -- sometimes a fast shutter can stop the motion and make a dramatic effect.  A fast shutter of 1000 is good for stopping most action -- a sense of timing is critical to a stop action shot -- take your meter reading in advance and be sure that it is not influenced by a bright sky or dark background - - there is not enough time to adjust things once the action starts

Each sport has its own challenges -- for water sports the meter may be fooled by the reflection - take a meter reading off of your hand to compensate -- use a very fast shutter of 2000 if possible and a high speed film to allow for the fast shutter...early in the evening or late at night the light angle is low and the texture of your subjects is at its best -- again panning is the best way to get action shots -- panning needs low shutter speeds and thus a slower speed film -- to pan the shutter needs to be around 60 or 125 -- be sure to follow through as you follow the action -- it must be one smooth motion from start to finish for it to work -- the closer you are to the subject the more likely it is to blur -- the motor drive allows for a sequence --in snow the bright reflection is even more of a problem which causes the camera to underexpose -- move in close to the subject and read off the face or take a meter reading of the whole scene and then open up the aperture by one to one and a half stops -- Indoors at low light level use a high speed film such as T-Max 3200 which has ASA of 3200 -- 1000 speed film or higher is a must for indoors -- in color watch out for different types of light -- look for emotion and cover the whole story including the behind the scene action -- use the practice session to experiment for it allows more freedom -- prefocus and advanced planning is important for capturing action at its peak