| Basics of Composition: Shooting Action Shots |
From "Photography"
episode DPT-102 |
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You can control the action in a photograph by using a high shutter speed to freeze movement or by selecting a very slow shutter speed to slow the action and create a sense of blur and motion. Photography expert and DIY Photography host Rick Sammon explains how to control both the action and the depth of field. The faster the shutter speed, the more you stop the action. A slow shutter speed -- one-thirtieth of a second -- blurs a waterfall. (It reveals camera shake too, so unless you're steady as a light pole, use a tripod.) At one five-hundredth of a second you'll stop the action of a group of cyclists. Shoot at one-thousandth of a second to stop really fast action. To pan the action, set your shutter speed at one-sixtieth of a second, release the shutter, and keep the camera moving with the subject. The aperture is a variably sized opening behind the lens that helps controls how much light reaches the film (the length of time the shutter stays open also affects the amount of light). When you move the aperture setting to F2.8 or 3.5, the aperture opens wide (figure A). At that setting a lot of light enters the camera, but you get less depth of field -- that is, less of the foreground and background will be in focus. When you "stop down" the lens to a small aperture, say F11 or 16, you let in less light and get much greater depth of field. The lens you use determines how much is in focus. If you use a zoom lens and move from wide angle to telephoto, the depth of focus decreases, so to get a sharp shot, shoot at very small aperture.
RESOURCES :
Fabric Photos
Model: 093402653X
Author: Marjorie Croner
Interweave Press Inc.
Website: interweave.com
National Geographic Photography Field Guide: Secrets to Making Great Pictures
Model: 0792274989
Author: Peter K. Burian and Robert Caputo
September 1999
The Photographer's Handbook
Model: 0679742042
Author: John Hedgecoe
Knopf, 1998
Photography
Model: 0321011082
Author: Edited by Barbara London
August 1997
The Question-and-Answer Guide to Photo Techniques
Model: 0715301985
Author: Lee Frost
Out of Print
Camera Angles: Tips and Techniques for Professional-Quality Photographs
Model: 0896582353
Author: Rick Sammon & Steve Werner
June 1994
Nikon
Includes tutorials and mini-lessons on creating better pictures, digital cameras and more. Measurements are given in the metric system.
Nikon
Website: www.nikon.com
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
1 Fox Rd.
Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520
E-mail: RickSammon@aol.com
Web site: www.ricksammon.com
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