Many photography genres require taking pictures while your subject is in motion. Knowing how and when to apply a particular look to your work is vital. If you are into street photography, you will capture fast-moving objects; if you are into wildlife photography, the wildlife will go wild; if your preferred line of work is wedding photography, your. Subjects. Will. Move.
Getting acquainted with your camera so much that it becomes second nature to you, will prevent a panic attack while under pressure in an ever-changing environment. In this article, I’ve gathered years of experience shooting sports, events, and wildlife to help beginners get into fast-paced photography or even experienced professionals seeking help.
How to use aperture to capture fast-moving objects
There are no rules when it comes to photography. I can only guide you on how to approach each situation. My intent here is not to give a specific aperture number that you can always use. That wouldn’t be honest on my part. My goal is, however, to provide you with options.
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Set aperture priority
I know that I’ve told you to shoot manual. Yes, it would be best to take pictures in manual focus, but not always. Every situation requires you to think on your feet. So, if you set your lens to the largest aperture possible (f2.8 and f2.0) and turn your camera dial to “A” (aperture priority mode), you assure that your pictures will be contrasty and sharp. You will allow your camera to balance the image by itself, and that will mean higher shutter speeds (1/500” and 1/1000”), and that’s what you want. Your pictures will be sharp, and your subject is completely frozen.
Forget about composition
While the composition is a crucial factor when taking pictures, you won’t always have time to sit, observe, and see the perfect angle for your photo. So, look for wider angles. If you’re taking a picture of a tennis player and don’t want to risk missing the ball and the player in the same frame, shoot wider and crop later. Keep in mind that when you crop in post-production, you will add your preferred composition style.
Same works if you are shooting moving objects on the streets or in nature. Being less worried about composition will help you capture the moment and essence of the character and add composition later on.
What is the best lens for photographing fast movement?
Each situation will require you to use a specific lens in your kit. Having a variety of lenses will help you when making such a decision. You don’t want to shoot sports with a 30mm lens, and you don’t want to shoot portraits with a super-telephoto 800mm lens (you can try, though) Here is a small guide for each situation you might encounter:
● Sports photography – Depending on what kind of sport you’re shooting, you will need longer lenses, such as 300mm and 400mm and above. That is if you are shooting soccer or American football, for example. But if versatility is what you want, I recommend starting with a 70-200mm lens. Then, as you grow in knowledge, you upgrade to a longer lens.
● Wildlife – You can start wildlife photography with a 70-200mm. But after some research and experience, you will have to upgrade your gear to 100-400mm or even 150-600mm.
● Street photography – When shooting in the street —a type of photography that has grown popular these days —, you will mainly need a 35mm lens. Why? That focal length allows close-up shots while versatile enough to take architectural pictures and landscapes. But some people might take a 100mm bulky lens to shoot in the streets. To experiment with long-distance, having a bokeh effect when taking photos of strangers. Beware, I won’t be responsible for any gear broken by an angry subject.
How to use Shutter Speed for fast-moving objects
What shutter speed should I use for moving objects?
There’s no rule here. It depends on the result you’re looking for in your image. Another thing to consider is your lens. If you have a larger aperture lens (f1.8, f2.0, and f2.8), you will have to use faster speeds. If you have the so-called “dark lens” (f4.5, 5, 6), you will have to decrease your shutter speed as your lens captures less natural light.
Think about what kind of photography you’re taking. If you are a professional, anything published in the newspaper, magazines, and so forth requires a higher shutter speed. Cleanness, sharpness, and contrast are essential in that business. However, if you are photographing cars and bikes, you are allowed to let some motion blur in — a sharp photo here will make your image static.
an example where the subject is completely frozen
What are some creative ways to manipulate shutter speed to get excellent effects?
Do you have a hard time nailing a beautiful long exposure picture? Do all the rules confuse you? If you are looking to learn or improve long-exposure, keep reading. It’s pretty simple.
What is Long exposure?
This technique consists of setting your shutter speed to a lower register to allow light in the sensor for a longer time. That causes your tough subjects to be in focus and sharp, while the moving parts of your image will be out of focus, smeared, and obscured.
What gear is necessary for Long exposure?
While having extra gear isn’t a deciding factor on the outcome of your image, think about acquiring the following equipment: Tripod and an ND filter (Neutral density). Tripod will prevent camera shake and produce a sharper image at the end. A neutral density filter helps keep a higher quality image and will allow you to take even longer exposure times.
How to take long-exposure pictures?
First, set your camera on a tripod (If you don’t have a tripod, a sturdy surface is enough). Find the composition you want.
Keep your ISO low and your camera in manual (M) mode.
As you’re allowing light in the sensor for a longer time, making your image brighter, a trick to not get an overexposed image is to set your aperture to a tighter value such as f6.0, f8.0, or f11. That will balance your image and help you get the proper exposure.
Take a few test shots. Keep track of everything you’ve done so far, and ensure your settings are correct.
Switch your camera settings to bulb mode. Most cameras have a 30” limit on the shutter. If your camera has bulb mode, use it to go over that limit.
Shoot your pictures in RAW format for post-processing. You will be amazed by the result.
You can create this effect by lighting steel wool on fire, but if you don’t want to risk getting burned it can also be achieved by a flashlight. You can experiment and try to write something out of thin air.
What is freeze-frame photography?
We’ve talked about how to use your shutter at slower speeds to capture beautiful images. But let’s not forget that taking a crispy-looking photo is vital in all forms of photography. Nevertheless, when is a perfectly still photo considered a freeze frame picture?
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Some might define it as capturing movement. Yes, but the most important thing to understand is to capture energy. The naked eye often misses the transition of one moment into another. The exact moment that an eagle swoops down to catch the fish underwater. The very second a baseball player is about to hit a home run. Our eyes are incapable of capturing those moments without the help of freeze-frame photography.
In other words, freeze-frame photography is the art of revealing what is involved in every motion in time and space.
How can you do it?
How to take an excellent freeze-frame photo? My intent here is not to give you ideas of specific shots you can take but rather how to approach this style creatively. It is about capturing moving objects and depicting how that object is moving in space and time.
Sometimes the addition of motion blur to the photo is essential to convey the idea of movement. Let’s take the example above of someone skiing. That picture is crispy sharp, and sometimes that might be a problem when trying to portray motion—the image seems static.