Saturday, July 23, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Motion/Action Photography
There are a few ways to photograph something that is in motion. One way is to completely stop the movement. The other is to creatively allow the motion to blur. Both of these are equally useful, however they may need to be used in different ways. Generally, with many things, it is best to stop the motion or else whatever you are looking at looks like a big blur, but if you are photographing something to show motion or speed specifically it can be nice to see it blurred. Below are a few examples of both.
To stop motion you are going to need a very fast shutter speed and a decent amount of light. Remember that the faster the shutter speed, the less light hits the film or the camera sensor. This means that the action will be quick but also that you have to be in a well-lit area to get much onto your camera. Or you have to use a flash! A flash is very useful, but be careful. Depending on the object that you are photographing, you may not capture the "motion" if you freeze it (think about a car. If you stop it, it will look parked...).
To allow motion to blur a slow shutter speed is best. Remember that a slow shutter speed is generally less than 60 or so when it comes to motion. When I say 60, that means 1/60 of a second. Yes that seems very fast, but not when you are photographing something in motion, particularly at a high speed. A person running may be able to be "frozen" at 125 or 160. A car driving will need to be at 250 or 300 probably to be completely frozen.
A lot of these settings may be difficult or impossible to access from some cameras. In this case, you should just remember that on the regular settings, the brighter the light, the more frozen your photo will probably be. If it is darker and you want a frozen photo you will need to use the flash. Otherwise it will be blurrier.
To stop motion you are going to need a very fast shutter speed and a decent amount of light. Remember that the faster the shutter speed, the less light hits the film or the camera sensor. This means that the action will be quick but also that you have to be in a well-lit area to get much onto your camera. Or you have to use a flash! A flash is very useful, but be careful. Depending on the object that you are photographing, you may not capture the "motion" if you freeze it (think about a car. If you stop it, it will look parked...).
To allow motion to blur a slow shutter speed is best. Remember that a slow shutter speed is generally less than 60 or so when it comes to motion. When I say 60, that means 1/60 of a second. Yes that seems very fast, but not when you are photographing something in motion, particularly at a high speed. A person running may be able to be "frozen" at 125 or 160. A car driving will need to be at 250 or 300 probably to be completely frozen.
A lot of these settings may be difficult or impossible to access from some cameras. In this case, you should just remember that on the regular settings, the brighter the light, the more frozen your photo will probably be. If it is darker and you want a frozen photo you will need to use the flash. Otherwise it will be blurrier.
Click on Photos to Enlarge
These two photos show how motion blur can be used in a good way. In the photo on the left, the cars in the background are almost invisible in their blur while the headlights are still visible. This shows a good amount of movement. In the photo on the right, while the people are a little blurred, it works because you can see how much fun they are having jumping in the air! The movement helps the image to give the best possible mood.
Click Photo to Enlarge
Above is an example of how motion blur is done incorrectly. The people's faces are completely blurry and it is very difficult to see even what is going on. Bad motion blur...
Click photos to Enlarge
Here are a few places where the motion has been completely frozen, but still show exceptional motion. There is no question that each person is in motion when their photo is taken. I used very quick shutter speeds and either lots of sunlight or a flash.
Assignment 5
This week I think we will focus on movement and motion. I will post shortly a small instructional on photographing movement. Feel free to email me at info@pbkpix.com with any questions regarding camera settings and such.
Please submit 2 photos. It is going to be up to you as to whether you want to stop the motion or allow it to blur. I don't mean to turn in a blurry picture just because it is easier, but take both and turn in the one that you think shows motion the best!
This assignment is due July 17. After this one, the assignments may take a short break because I will be out of town for almost 2 weeks, or I may just make one assignment that will have more time. Either way I will let you know!
Note: Although the photos here are all people, anything in motion works. I just happen to take a lot of photos of people. Animals, cars, bikes, pool balls or anything else you can think of can be in motion.
Please submit 2 photos. It is going to be up to you as to whether you want to stop the motion or allow it to blur. I don't mean to turn in a blurry picture just because it is easier, but take both and turn in the one that you think shows motion the best!
This assignment is due July 17. After this one, the assignments may take a short break because I will be out of town for almost 2 weeks, or I may just make one assignment that will have more time. Either way I will let you know!
Note: Although the photos here are all people, anything in motion works. I just happen to take a lot of photos of people. Animals, cars, bikes, pool balls or anything else you can think of can be in motion.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Assignment 4
I haven't posted my submissions for Assignment 4 yet. There are a couple people who asked if they could turn them in late because of booking time with models, which, after 4 years of school in photography, I totally understand! I have a few photos here and will post the rest this weekend when I have them all.
Consider this a "Free Week" because I won't post the next assignment until this coming Sunday to be due two weeks from that day.
Consider this a "Free Week" because I won't post the next assignment until this coming Sunday to be due two weeks from that day.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Assignment 4 Again
I just wanted to post the official assignment, since I did a preview of it before. Due June 26, 2011 at 12:00 noon. Please submit 3 Portraits based on the 3 lessons I posted. One should be a headshot, one a 3/4 length and one a full-length. They may all be the same person and same location, but can't be simply different crops of the same photo.
It can be hard to find models for portraits, so if you are having trouble try a trade. If you know someone else who may want to participate in this assignment offer to model for them if they will for you. Also, the model can be any age, so if you have a cousin/niece/nephew/child who will cooperate, that is perfectly fine too! I'm sorry to say that FurKids (aka pets) don't count for this particular assignment, while I do agree that they can be people in certain senses. :-)
Please remember to submit your photos via e-mail to info@pbkpix.com. I have been getting some photos sent to my personal e-mail, which is fine, but they tend to get lost and mixed up with all the other stuff that comes to that address, and I don't want to miss some photos!
It can be hard to find models for portraits, so if you are having trouble try a trade. If you know someone else who may want to participate in this assignment offer to model for them if they will for you. Also, the model can be any age, so if you have a cousin/niece/nephew/child who will cooperate, that is perfectly fine too! I'm sorry to say that FurKids (aka pets) don't count for this particular assignment, while I do agree that they can be people in certain senses. :-)
Please remember to submit your photos via e-mail to info@pbkpix.com. I have been getting some photos sent to my personal e-mail, which is fine, but they tend to get lost and mixed up with all the other stuff that comes to that address, and I don't want to miss some photos!
Portrait Lessons - Full-Length
A full-length portrait shows the full body of a person from head to toe. The most important 2 things to remember when doing these is (1) be conscious of your angles as to not make the subject look larger than they are and (2) be aware of your crop. You don't want to take a photo of a subject straight-on because this will flatten them out as well as making them appear wider. You also don't want to crop too close to the head or feet so that you leave enough room that the subject isn't scrunched into your photo. Here are a few examples.
The rule of thirds is very useful when it comes to full-length photos. Leaving extra space in the photo makes the subject feel less scrunched into the frame, but you have to decide where to leave the space. Place your subject's eyes according to the rule of thirds and the composition will look 100% better!
Although a full-length photo has to show the subject from head to toe, it does not have to have them standing up or fully stretched-out. Sitting, crouching, kneeling and laying can still make for full-length photos.
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