Capturing a moving subject with still photography can be a daunting task. For years, I would attend my sister’s soccer games, shoot away, and come home with nothing but blurred images. I finally gave up and just started shooting her pre and post-game activities in order to get crispy shots but pictures showing her in action would have been so much more effective and visually pleasing. The following article aims to make sure that you do not make the same mistake I did and instead take some quality action shots.
You may have noticed that it seems like digital cameras are inherently bad at shooting action shots—you are correct. Due to the shutter lag, most digital cameras take an entire second to process and actually take a photo, while analog cameras tend to take a picture within 50 milliseconds. But, there are ways around the shutter lag. One thing you can do to try and make up for the shutter lag is to give yourself extra time when framing a shot, so that when you press the button the photo will be taken at the right time. Learning how to anticipate an action will lead you to take better shots that are more well-timed. The key to action shots lies within your ability to be aware of your subject, being able to anticipate what will happen next, and having your camera ready to shoot at all times. One tip that goes together with anticipating an action, is to pre-focus on a scene before the subject gets there. The pre-focus technique is especially useful in sports since you know where players will end up (i.e. focusing on home plate at a baseball game). The other, more expensive, option is to invest in a higher end camera that may offer less shutter lag which allows you to take more precise photographs.
A huge factor in taking successful action shots is to learn how to accurately use the shutter speed on your camera. Typically, the faster your shutter speed, the easier it is to capture faster motion. However, with a slow shutter speed you still have the ability to capture action shots though the use of the panning technique. Panning consists of tracking your subject, shooting the picture and continuing to move your camera in the direction that the subject is going. Once you get the panning technique down, you can gain the ability to have your subject in focus while the background is completely blurred, which can be a great effect.
Slow Panning BIF Shot. photo: pbase.com/danieltong
One last word of advice for shooting action shots on digital cameras is to avoid the act of “chimping.” Chimping is when you take a photograph and then immediately review the image on your LCD screen. When you are constantly reviewing your shots, you may miss a pivotal moment. Instead of constantly reviewing your shots, take as many shots as you can and review them later; the law of averages will rule in your favor and you will not miss a potentially great shot.
So, next time you decide to take some action shots, keep these tips in mind. Thanks for reading!
Tags: camera, digital camera, framing, photo, photograph, photography, shutter lag, shutter speed
