There are two common ways to illustrate speed. One method involves a stop action shot, that captures a sliver of a second, suspending that moment in time. The other common approach is to capture the essence of the movement, allowing the subject to blur with the build-up of motion throughout the exposure. Both of these methods are easy and can really tell a story in the photograph.
The stop action shot requires a very fast shutter speed. I would use 1/500th of a second or higher. Remember that your camera will compensate for the short exposure time, by opening up the aperture, creating less depth of field ( the subject of our last blog). This kind of fast exposure can capture water droplets in mid air with a swimmers splash. It allows you to see things that your eye could not see.
Our eyes have persistence of vision and we can not see small details in fast movements. The fascination for this was begun with Edweard Muybridge’s studies of human and animal locomotion in the late 1800s. He photographed Leland Stanford’s race horse (think Stanford University in California), Occident. In this series of photos he discovered that during a horse’s stride, while running, all four feet are off the ground at the same time. This was a stunner to everyone. It took the ability of cameras with fast shutter speeds to let us see what really happens.
Walt Disney studied Muybridge’s work and it contributed to his early work in animation.
The second type of approach to action photography is to let time build up during an exposure. This technique will leave a trail of what was moving. A tripod is recommended for this approach, as a slower shutter speed is required. It is difficult to hand hold a camera for less than 1/60th of a second. Just by breathing, you can blur the exposure.
Last night I went to a bull riding and rodeo competition. I started the evening in good light and did fast, stop-action shots with very quick shutter speeds. As the light grew dimmer, I progressed to using slow shutter speeds, expressing the motion of the movement but not sharp imagery. The slow shutter speed images are more abstract but still very interesting.
I suggest that you experiment with your camera this summer, as you attend outdoor activities. The Forth of July will be here before you know it. Think about using these techniques on the fireworks or kids playing with sparklers. You might get some really interesting photos.
I invite you to post photos of outdoor activities and sports this summer.
Please visit my web site at www.suebloom.com or come take a class with me this summer at the Maine Media Workshops. I’ll be teaching Advanced Photoshop July 13-19 and Digital Collage & Painting July 20-26. I’d love to have some eons members in my classes.
