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Photo Tips & Techniques

Action Month: Use Slow Shutter Speeds by Russ Burden To expand your horizons, rather than freeze the action with a fast shutter speed, set the camera to fire at a slow shutter speed to “paint” the effect onto your sensor. Article rating: 2.00

Lots to think about:  freeze the motion / emphasize the action / make it artistic / zoom it / pan it / time it right / know the subject / ...........    I wanted to write a single HOW TO article on action but based on the number of topics and wanting to write more than one sentence about each, I decided to dedicate this entire month’s Tips to Action. Action and digital photography go hand in hand. Digital photography can expedite the learning process and provide better images using the instant feedback of the LCD. If the results are not what you desire, modify the settings to produce the wanted effect. Bump up the shutter speed, slow it down, adjust the ISO for more versatility, change your angle, etc. Make sure to check all the articles this month to get tips and hints on how to capture the many different ways to photograph action.

The word ACTION most often brings to mind a sporting event. Whether it be the big leagues or a neighborhood soccer game, action abounds. While sports tends to be what many photographers gravitate toward when they want to photograph action, action can be depicted by anything that moves. Try to think out of the box if you want to make your action shots stand out from the rest. To expand your horizons, rather than freeze the action with a fast shutter speed (see last week’s Tip), set the camera to fire at a slow shutter speed to “paint” the effect onto your sensor.

With the shutter slowed down, the movement of the subject is emphasized and it creates a painterly effect. In order for it to work, the proper shutter speed needs to be found so it doesn’t look either overly done or as if it’s a mistake. A chosen shutter speed that represents an overly done effect is one that results in an image with a barely discernible subject. A chosen shutter speed that represents what looks like a mistake is one that results in an image where the subject is somewhere between being frozen in time and showing motion - it leaves the viewer wondering what the intent of the image is.

Subject Matter:  Rather than immediately gravitating toward sports, make a list of all things that move and think about photographing them with a slowed down shutter. Before you know it, you’ll generate a list that will keep you shooting for months. Armed with your list, get out in the field and make some pictures. Adjust the ISO and aperture to enable you to work with slow shutter speeds. If it’s bright and the slowest attainable shutter speed is still too fast, use neutral density filters to help absorb some of the light. Use the LCD on the back of the camera to give you instant feedback regarding your desired effect. If the recorded motion is too slow, use a faster shutter speed. Conversely, if not enough motion is recorded, slow it down.

Realize that you need to work within the limitations of the existing light. If there’s not enough, think about boosting the ISO to make the sensor more sensitive. Open the lens to its widest possible aperture. Use the fastest lens you own to allow as much light as possible to strike the sensor. If there’s too much light, close down your aperture, lower the ISO and use a neutral density filter. To give you a baseline from which to work, the image of the fall color reflected in the water was made at 1/5 of a second; the cascade was made at 2/5 of a second; the running deer was made at 1/40 of a second; the street scene was made at 4 seconds. Think slow and get out in the field.

To learn more about this topic, join me on one of my Photographic Nature Tours. Visit www.russburdenphotography.com and click on the NATURE TOURS button for more information. Also, pick up a copy of my new book, Amphoto’s Complete Book of Photography. You can purchase a signed copy directly from me or visit your local book store or Amazon. Contact me at rburden@ecentral.com to order your signed copy.

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	One more thing needs to be mentioned - look for a stationary solid object around which the flowing action you are shooting is moving - that way the stark contrast between the sharp stationary object and the flowing action will make the photo even more striking. i.e. stationary rocks or ledges around which a running current of water is moving. Posted by: Len Seidel Jun 16, 2009 @ 11:35 AM EST
	Some great ideas for a differenr looking result Posted by: Richard Baker Jun 20, 2009 @ 11:0 AM EST

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