This final part of the Introduction looks at movement. Once again, there are two exercises.
Firstly, we are asked to position the camera in front of something moving such as water, keeping the background simple, and arranging for something or someone to be moving across the field of view. We then have to make a series of exposures (10-12 photos) at different shutter speeds whilst maintaining the correct reciprocal aperture, then compare the images noting the slowest shutter speed at which the movement is sharpy frozen.
A Nikon D7100 with 18-50mm f2.8 lens was used for these two movement exercises.
I initially choose to shoot moving traffic. There is an issue here however in that comparisions may not be consistent because the speed of different cars and their position of the car in the road will affect the resulting image. In the image below, the front of the car nearer the camera, just coming into shot, is more blur than the car further away. Whilst the speeding red car, which was initially shot for the panning exercise, produced a much more interesting image than a slow car captured at the same shutter speed.
f22 @ 1/15 iso 100 18mm f22@1/10 iso 100 29mm
Firstly, we are asked to position the camera in front of something moving such as water, keeping the background simple, and arranging for something or someone to be moving across the field of view. We then have to make a series of exposures (10-12 photos) at different shutter speeds whilst maintaining the correct reciprocal aperture, then compare the images noting the slowest shutter speed at which the movement is sharpy frozen.
A Nikon D7100 with 18-50mm f2.8 lens was used for these two movement exercises.
I initially choose to shoot moving traffic. There is an issue here however in that comparisions may not be consistent because the speed of different cars and their position of the car in the road will affect the resulting image. In the image below, the front of the car nearer the camera, just coming into shot, is more blur than the car further away. Whilst the speeding red car, which was initially shot for the panning exercise, produced a much more interesting image than a slow car captured at the same shutter speed.
f22 @ 1/15 iso 100 18mm f22@1/10 iso 100 29mm
As a result of the two above variances and the need to get a consistent approach to comparisons, it was decided to set up a more controlled exercise where the two variables - speed of object and distance from camera - would be standardised. As a result, a cyclist was set up to cycle at a constant speed of 8 mph and at a distance of 50 feet from the tripod mounted camera. This produced meaningful comparisions. In both the exercise illustrated below a range of photos were taken using shutter speeds from 1/500 down to 1 sec.
In the first photo the cyclist is pin sharp as he rides through the frame at 8mph. Even the spokes in the wheels have been frozen. As the shutter speed is lengthened, he becomes more blur. In the last shot, at 1/5 second he is barely visible. Probably the first shot is the lowest shutter speed at which the cyclist is sharply frozen. In the 1/125 exposure that follows, the image would probably be a bit soft if enlarged to 20"x16" for display. However, if one was photographing a cycling race such as the Tour of Britain, the capturing of some movement as well as sharp photos might be desirable.
f2.8@1/500 iso100 40mm f5@1/125 f11@1/25 f22@1/5
In the first photo the cyclist is pin sharp as he rides through the frame at 8mph. Even the spokes in the wheels have been frozen. As the shutter speed is lengthened, he becomes more blur. In the last shot, at 1/5 second he is barely visible. Probably the first shot is the lowest shutter speed at which the cyclist is sharply frozen. In the 1/125 exposure that follows, the image would probably be a bit soft if enlarged to 20"x16" for display. However, if one was photographing a cycling race such as the Tour of Britain, the capturing of some movement as well as sharp photos might be desirable.
f2.8@1/500 iso100 40mm f5@1/125 f11@1/25 f22@1/5
The final part of this exercise is panning. The same set up was used with a cyclist moving at 8mph some 50 feet from the tripod mpounted camera. We are again asked to shoot a range of photos (10-12) at different shutter speeds following the object and then consider which photo from the two series we like and why. In this exercise photos were again taken from 1 sec to 1/500. We started this time with the slowest shutter speed first. The lowest acceptable shutter speed was 1/5 sec. (which co-incides with the exercise above). At 1/500 the cyclist and background are frozen and the image is very similar to the 1/500 photo above. I think my favourite photo from the whole shoot is the first one in the series below at 1/5 as it conveys movement, and as the OCA manual says, "Sometimes the amount of sharp detail that you get in a photograph is less important than the overall impression." However, I shall ask the cyclist what his preference is as sometimes we are shooting for the client's desires and aspirations and not our own.
f13@1/5 iso 100 40mm f5.6@1/30 f4@1/50 f2.8@1/500
f13@1/5 iso 100 40mm f5.6@1/30 f4@1/50 f2.8@1/500
This exercise brings up to the end of the Introduction and I am now looking forward to starting "The Frame".