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Shutter Speeds Differences
The same scene captured at different shutter speeds can have a dramatic
effect on the outcome of the photo. The top photo uses a faster
shutter speed to somewhat pause the motion of the river while the bottom
photo uses a slower shutter speed to blur the motion of the water.
I don't remember the exact shutter speeds used but the
top photo was probably at 1/15th second while the bottom one was probably
at 1/4th second. A tripod is absolutely necessary to capture all
photos where the shutter speed is less than 1/30th second.
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A running brook at Zion National Park in Utah
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Slow Shutter Speeds - Panning
Following fast action by panning the camera (moving the camera along with
the movement of the subject) allows you to capture the subject while
blurring the background. This technique gives the photograph a sense
of speed captured in time. Usually 1/8 or 1/15 second works pretty
well.
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I caught this Beetle cab zipping by in Malaysia |
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Fast Shutter Speeds - Stopping Action
When panning with a fast moving object is difficult, use a fast shutter
speed to halt the action. Catching the action at the pinnacle can
freeze motion and gives it enough pause to stop the action without an
extremely high shutter speed.
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Competitors in the World Canine
Championships in Washington, DC |
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Close-Ups
On Close-up shots, use a macro lens and a tripod. If possible,
fuzz-out or darken the background by using a large aperture to minimize
the depth-of-field or slightly underexpose the photo.
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Some type of flower in some flower field in
Vancouver, BC. Maybe somewhere in Stanley Park? I don't
remember... |
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Scale Perspective
When photographing large or tall objects, give the scene some perspective
by including recognizable sized objects or people. The scale of the
photo can then be determined and the grandeur and size can be better
appreciated.
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Immense fern-covered trees in Olympic National Park in NorthWest
Washington State |
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People
Photographs of people are often difficult to take depending on the country
or location. Some people are resistive or unwilling to participate
and it's a skill that requires some patience. It's often best to
establish some rapport with the person(s) you'll be photographing and a
small tip can bring a warm smile and additional comfort level.
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A traditionally dressed Peruvian woman with her child at the Andean
village of Pisac outside of Cusco, Peru |
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Photo Journalism
If a picture tells a thousand words, then a well-composed and interesting
photo can tell thousands more.
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Several monks in southern Taiwan at Buddha Torch Mountain are
engaged in a clean-up effort after a major typhoon swept through the area |
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Silhouette
Dawn and dusk are great times to capture the silhouettes of your
subjects. The dark foreground subjects contrast nicely with the
brightly lit background resulting in very interesting silhouettes and
"cut-outs" of your subjects.
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Along the coast in Keelung, Taiwan |
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Sunsets
The lighting during sunsets can be spectacular and it's always a great
photograph that captures the waning moments of a large yellow ball with
soft warm colors radiating from its core.
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The sun sets lazily over the Baltimore Harbor |
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Nighttime Fireworks
Fireworks are tricky to capture well as too short an exposure leaves the
composition without much color streaking and too long an exposure leaves
too much streaks that are sometimes overly exposed. Many times it
depends on luck and the type of fireworks that have been shot into the
sky. I am not an expert in this technique and the photo here is one
of the best of many many I've taken through the years. Unfortunately
I do not know what the exposure settings are for this particular photo but
imagine it's probably around 1 or 2 seconds taken on a tripod.
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July 4th Fireworks in Washington, DC |
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Nighttime City
A long exposure shot from a tripod can capture the brilliance of the
lights emitted from a city skyline.
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Chicago city scene
illuminating the nighttime sky |
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Shimmering Nighttime Lights
Nighttime lights can have an added effect when their reflection is over
water which gives it a nice shimmering effect.
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The colorful
lights of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower in Shanghai, China makes a nice pattern on the
Huangpu River |
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Slow-Synch Flash
Play around with the various features and settings of an SLR camera. Here, the
flash fires first and I've asked the group to get out of the way while the
rest of the photo is on a long exposure to produce the ghosting
effect. Not very useful but fun to experiment with. The long
exposure also produces the streaking car lights. There is also a
technique called rear-curtain flash that fires the flash at the end of the
exposure before the shutter closes. Again, this is not that useful
but can be effective if your subject is coming towards you and you catch
them up close with the flash before the shutter closes.
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Streets of Keelung, Taiwan outside of National Taiwan Ocean University |
