Digital Photography

Freezing motion and capturing the essence of speed were covered in previous posts. Now I’m going to focus on things that move slower, subjects like horses, runners and bicyclists.  When you freeze the motion of subjects like these, the end result is kind of boring. When photographing subjects like these, the creative use of blur enables you to create a compelling photograph.

Here’s how to do it:

• Point the camera at the place your subject will be when you take the picture, and zoom in.
• Switch to continuous focus mode so your camera will continually focus on your moving subject.
• Switch to Shutter Priority mode and choose a shutter speed of 1/30 second or slower. I often photograph runners and bikers at a shutter speed of 1/6 second.
• Spread your legs slightly and move your elbows to the side of your body. This stabilizes the camera, which is important when you’re shooting at a slow shutter speed.
• Pivot from the waist toward the area from which your subject will be coming.
• When you see your victim — err, I mean subject — press the shutter button halfway to achieve focus.
• Pan the camera with your subject, and then press the shutter button when your subject is at the desired spot. Remember to follow through.

When you use this technique, certain parts of your subject will be in relatively sharp focus, but body parts such as a runner’s arms and legs will be a blur of motion.

Last weekend I attended the 12 Hours of Sebring auto race.  Photographing race cars traveling at high speed is an art. Your goal is to capture a photograph that conveys the sense of speed to your viewer. My next post will begin a series that shows techniques for capturing motion. The following image was photographed using a telephoto lens set to a focal length of 80mm. The exposure was 1/125 second at f/16. I panned the camera with the car, which is why the details like sponsor names are sharp, but the rotating wheels and background are blurred.