| Digital Cameras: Shutter Delay, Continuous Mode and Action Photography |
From "Digital Photography"
episode DPG-104 |
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Taking action photographs in which the subject is moving -- such as sports photography -- can be challenging with a digital camera. The reason is that, unlike conventional photography where the picture is snapped instantly when the photographer presses the shutter-release button, with digital cameras there is a slight delay between the time that the button is pressed and the picture is taken.
This delay effect can be frustrating in that it's difficult for the photographer to know exactly what will be in the picture when the subject is continually moving or changing position.
To illustrate this point, Sammon snaps a picture of a soccer player kicking a soccer ball as he would with a conventional camera. He presses the shutter release at the exact instant that the player kicks the ball (figure A). With the delay effect caused by the camera, however, the image he gets is of the player a second or two after he kicked the ball (figure B) -- not the picture he wanted.
Because of shutter delay, taking a single shot with a digital camera when your subject is in motion is a gamble since you won't know exactly what image the camera captured until after the shot has been taken. And in action photography, you may not get a second chance to capture the image you wanted.
To compensate for this delay effect, digital cameras offer a feature called continuous mode, in which the camera takes a series of shots in rapid succession as the photographer holds the shutter-release button pressed down. To use this feature, select continuous mode from your camera's shooting-mode menu (figure C).
With continuous mode selected, when you want to capture a particular action or event in pictures, simply hold the shutter release button down for the duration that the action is taking place.
In our example, Sammon reshot the player kicking the soccer ball, but this time with the camera in continuous mode. The result was not a single image but a series of images shot in sequence (figures D, E and F ). The sequence included the kicker before, during and after the moment of the kick. In this way the photographer got the shot he wanted.
RESOURCES :
Kodak Information
Tips, techniques, tutorials and information on cameras and film.
To e-mail Kodak, click here.
To access Kodak's contact information, click here.
www.kodak.com
Kodak
Website: www.kodak.com
Rick Sammon, professional photographer
Web site: www.ricksammon.com
Learn more about photography with Rick Sammon's new e-book on CD. More than 100 tips and photographs from Rick's travels around the world.
And check out Rick's column on Kodak's site:
Web site: www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/magazine/tips/2001_10
Rick Sammon
Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520
Email: RickSammon@aol.com
Website: www.ricksammon.com
Special Thanks for DIY's Digital Photography workshop, episodes 101-105
Adobe Photoshop
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PC Photo magazine
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Online version of the magazine devoted to digital photography and related technologies.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Digital Photography
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Author: Steven Greenberg
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Digital Photography For Dummies
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Complete Digital Photography
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50 Fast Digital Photo Techniques
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Author: Gregory Georges, Cris Rys
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