If you've ever tried to photograph a flower on a windy day, a motorcycle race or a bird in flight, you know how difficult it is to capture action without getting a blurry photo. Fortunately, you can freeze action by changing the shutter speed on your camera. Here's how.
Instructions
1. Before shooting a moving target, you'll need to understand how a camera shutter works. Think of the shutter as a little curtain that keeps light from touching film or the image sensor in a digital camera. The shutter speed is a measurement of how long the "curtain" is open, allowing light in.
2. Shutter speed numbers are measured in seconds and can vary from 4 seconds up to 1/4000 of a second. On a film camera, each step up the shutter speed dial is twice as long as the following number. For example, you'll find 1/30 and 1/60 right next to each other on the shutter speed dial. 1/30 of a second is twice as long as 1/60 of a second. On a digital camera, you'll typically find more shutter speeds, e.g., 40, 60, 80, etc. A fast shutter speed (the higher the number, the faster the speed, e.g., 1/500 of a second is faster than 1/60 of a second) is needed to freeze action, a slow shutter speed is needed to blur action.
3. Once you're comfortable with the concept of shutter speeds, go outside and look for moving targets for practice. I've found that shooting moving cars or kids on bicycles are a good test of my ability to quickly change shutter speeds or to follow a moving target.
4. Now that you've gotten a lot of practice, this is the time to decide how best to portray your subject. Think about a car driving by your house: if you wanted to portray movement, using a fast shutter speed to freeze action won't really show action as impactfully as a slower shutter speed. A "fast freeze" of the car may make the car appear to be parked instead of moving! However, adding a slight blur will definitely convey action.
5. When would you want to freeze action? Some of the best sports photographs are "fast freeze" shots without blur. Think of a runner sliding into third base, a baseball bat making impact with the ball, a basketball player at the top of his jump shot. These types of action shots require a fast shutter speed to capture the action at the height of excitement.
6. Don't be afraid to get outside and "burn up pixels" - - shoot dozens of photos, keeping track of the shutter speeds of each. Record keeping will enable you to pick the look most appropriate for your subject.
Tags: shutter speed, freeze action, shutter speeds, fast shutter, fast shutter speed, camera shutter, capture action