Motion
Advanced Photography: Unit 14
Automatic Cameras Vs. Manual Cameras
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/slow-shutter-cam/id357404131?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D8
Motion
In a photograph, motion can appear frozen in time and space or be
described through blur. These effects are achieved mainly through the
shutter control and the aperture.
- The shutter, triggered by your finger when
you take the picture, opens and shuts like a blinking eye, letting in light.
- The aperture affects how much light comes into the camera; it works like the iris of an eye, widening in the dark to let in more light and narrowing in the bright sun to let in less light.
Camera Shutter
What is the Shutter in your camera?
- When you take a picture and you hear that “click”, that is the sound of your shutter opening and closing. Imagine the concept like shutters on your window. You open and close the shutters to control the amount of light entering your room. Same idea goes for the camera.
What is Shutter Speed?
- Shutter speed is about TIME, the amount of time it takes for light to enter your camera, how long it takes to let light through the camera.
How is Shutter Speed measured?
- Shutter speed is measured in seconds, or fractions of a second, which will look like these examples:
- 1/80 – means one eightieth of a second. Most cameras will just show the number “80”
- 1/100 – means one one-hundredth of a second. Most cameras will just show the number “100”
- 1/400- means one four-hundredth of a second. Most cameras will just show the number “400”
- 1″ – means one full second. Most cameras will show ” 1″ “
- Shutter speed can have bigger and smaller numbers, but you got the point, right?
- Because your camera is usually only showing the bottom part of the fraction, the BIGGER the number, the FASTER the shutter speed, the LESS light enters your camera. This means that your exposure is SHORTER, the image will be DARKER. Imagine this: the faster the shutter opens and closes, then obviously, less light comes through. If you stand in front of your window and open/close the window shutters fast, you have less light entering the room.
- Fast = less light = big number.
- The SMALLER the number, THE SLOWER THE SHUTTER SPEED, the MORE light enters your camera. This means that your exposure is LONGER, the image will be BRIGHTER. Imagine this: the slower the shutter opens and closes, then obviously, the more light comes through. So, if you stand in front of your window and open/close the window shutters slowly, you have more light entering the room.
- Slow = more light = small number.
How to control Shutter Speed?
Just like controlling the amount of light into your room by opening and closing the window shutters, you can control your shutter speed and how much light enters your camera. Essentially controlling your shutter speed is one part of controlling your total Exposure.
- Most camera’s will have a “Shutter Priority” function on your camera. You can choose your shutter speed and make it fast or slow by turning the dial. Your camera will automatically adjust the rest of the exposure settings.
- You can control it on “Manual”, but this will take more practice because you will have the manually control the rest of the exposure components (Aperture and ISO).
Why would I want to understand Shutter Speed? Isn’t it easier to just shoot on “auto” or “program” and let the camera do it all the thinking for me?
- Certainly on most occasions, letting the camera do all the thinking for you will give you good results.
- BUT, in order to take your photography to a higher level and more CREATIVE CONTROL, you must learn shutter speed.
OK, so what exactly does this Shutter Speed thing-y do? How will it give me more choices and creative control?
- Shutter speed controls MOTION and MOVEMENT.
- By controlling the amount of TIME the shutter is OPEN, you control the amount of TIME you capture the MOTION.
- When you’re photographing anything that moves, from people to objects to food, there can be some cool stylistic results.
Examples of Shutter Speed controlling motion:
WATERFALL: Shutter Speed freezing water movement and pretty blurred water shots:
- The fast shutter speed at 1/800 (bigger bottom number), freeze the water motions. But as you slow the shutter speed (decrease the bottom number) , you start to blur the motion of the water. Finally, the slowest shutter speed (at one full second) gives that magical, dreamy look, kinda like the shots you see in gorgeous nature photography
- So, you selectively choose your style: freeze the motion of the water for a detailed, sharp shot. Or blurr the water, for a pretty shot.
Experimenting with Motion
FREEWAY: Shutter speed freezing car lights and artistic night shots:
- The faster shutter speed (1/13 seconds) freezes the motion of the cars and lights. Giving a look that you would normally see with the naked eye.
- As you slow down the shutter speed (to full seconds), the motion of the car’s headlights start to blur and lengthen.
- The slowest shutter speed at 10 full seconds gives full blur to the headlights, creating that long stream of lights on the freeway.
Camera Shake and Tripods
This strawberry photograph was shot at 1/8 second, which is a slow shutter speed. This way the water will be blurred and soft looking when it splashed on the strawberries.
Tripods:
Camera Shake: Shooting on such a slow shutter speed required camera stability on a tripod to still keep the hand and strawberries in focus. As you photograph on slower shutter speeds, the camera will pick up on the most tiny of movements and cause the whole photograph to be blurry. The tripod kept the hand and fruit in focus and allowed only the motion of the water to blurr.
If you want to experiment with slow shutter speeds but you don't have a tripod try setting your camera on a stable object like a table, floor, etc. You can also use the self timer so your hand touching the camera (or phone) doesn't create shake.
Eadweard Muybridge
Panning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZdLudjkJSY
Tools That Will Help You When Photographing Motion if You Have a Smart Phone
- Tripod (or another stable surface)
- Using automatic timer or your white apple earbuds if you have an iphone. (they have a button you can press that will release the shutter so you don't have to touch the camera)
- An app. that allows you to photograph using a slow shutter.
The Motion Assignment
Photograph cars, animals, people or bicycles using the panning technique.
Try to freeze motion
Make an image where most of it is blurry
Try to photograph running water
Sports
Use a tripod or a stable surface like a table
Photograph moving cars at night
Photograph out your car window while it's moving
Requirements for Submission
- Photograph at least 10 different images capturing motion.
- Paste 10 thumbnails onto one page
- Pick your 3 favorite images (edit if possible)
- Upload the thumbnail document and all three of your favorite motion images to the motion dropbox
- Bring at least one image to our class connect on March 10th