Action Photography

Hey Reader ,

How's it doing? How has it been taking photos? Have you seen any
improvements since you first started? Have you tried to take any
photos of objects that move fast?

Taking shots of moving objects is different than other types of
photography. Don't worry...it's easy!

The key to taking action shots is knowing how to use your camera
right. The settings on your camera are responsible for a fast
action shot coming out nice or blurry and messed up.

Improper setting of your camera is the reason many people end up
with somewhat blurry shots. Most likely, it's because of the
shutter speed.

The shutter speed controls how long light is let in. If light is
let in while an object is moving the result will be blur. This is
the reason many people use tripods.

The way to capture fast moving objects without blur is to use very
fast shutter speeds such as 1/500. This works great with events
like sports and such.

Now, this is great for fast moving sports where you want everything
in focus. But what if you only want the runner to be in focus and
the background to be blurred in steaks? This is called a pan shot
and is relatively easy to do.

What to do

-Get a tripod
-Set the shutter speed to a slow shutter speed such as 1/30 or slower
-Define your subject that is moving

What you are going to do is find the subject that is going to move
and follow them horizontally from the tripod. You are going to
"pan" follow them. When you follow the subject you are going to try
as hard as possible to keep the subject in the same exact spot on
the frame. If the subject is running and is on the right side, keep
the subject at that same spot even though the subjects moving.

What this does is make the camera think the subject isn't moving
(it's in the same spot). The background, however, is moving and the
shutter speed is slow so the result...a blurred background with a
crisp, sharp subject moving.

There are many more tips on action photography available out there.
This is only a small touch to what the possibilities are with the
shutter speed.

Get out and shoot ... and have fun!