Motion Tips
Moving subject? Moving camera? Both? Yep, you need to consider the situation and determine how best to handle it.
- If you are able to hold the camera still while shooting a stationary but moving object (like a batter ready to swing, or humming bird above a flower, or a child digging into their first birthday cake) then the shutter speed setting on the camera needs to be set high or fast. On some cameras this may show as “Sport” setting which does most of the work for a good shot. On others the speed can be set to fractions of a second. For many situations a setting of 125 (1/125th second) or 250 (1/250th second) or higher should work. The ISO and aperture settings also play a role in selecting speed. If you can adjust them, set them to automatic (Auto) which will work favorably in most cases. Should you want to dig into this deeper, do a little research on “Shutter speed, Aperture and ISO settings” to see how all three work together for proper exposure. Doing so will help you choose proper settings to “stop the action” while keeping the graininess of the photo to a minimum.
- When shooting a moving object sometimes it is best to move the camera with the subject. This is called “panning”. Say you are at an air show and want to capture the jets doing a flyover. Get the jets in your viewfinder far away and follow them with the camera. Shoot with a fast shutter speed and you will capture a nice sharp image. Same at a race track or any other moving subject that isn’t stationary.
Photography Tips
Lighting Tips
Composition Tips
