Motion in Photography

Freeze Motion / Blur Motion

Objective

• The student will create freeze motion and blur motion images by adjusting the shutter speed while photographing moving objects.

• The student will digitally add artificial movement to images.

Photography Problem

• Students will work with the shutter priority settings on their cameras to create freeze motion, blur and panning photographs.

Shooting Criteria

• Student will shoot a total of 36 images.– 18 images (freeze motion)– 18 images (blur or panning motion/light writing)

• Students will record a shot sheet documenting their shutter speeds and image descriptions.

Thinking Artistically While Photographing Motion

• Carefully pick the location that has the best viewpoint for action.

• Be conscious of what is in the background of your photograph.

• Choosing a plain or visually neutral background will add emphasis to the subject.

• It is important to focus on timing, the critical moment at which your photograph best captures its subject, by taking a lot of pictures quickly.

Rhythm and Movement

• Recorded Movement vs. Implied Movement• Implied lines, such as a path, will encourage

viewer’s eye to travel in a specific direction.• Repeated elements in a photograph create a

sense of rhythm.

NOTE

• When photographing a living subject while moving it is best to have them moving towards the center of the image. To keep the viewer’s eye on the image.

Shutter Speed

• Shutter speed is measured in seconds or in most cases fractions of seconds. The bigger the denominator the faster the speed (ie 1/1000 is much faster than 1/30).

ISO

• When shooting freeze motion in low light you may need to increase your ISO to 800 – 3200 to get enough light to create your image.

• This increase may result in lots of grain and low saturation of color.

Aperture (F-Stop)

• Remember from our last project that your f-stop effect your depth of field while shooting.

• The lower the f-stop the more it limits the depth of field.

Freeze Motion

• Stopping the action or movement of the subject at a given point or position.

• Use fast shutter speeds: 1/500, 1/1000, or faster.

• Aim and focus the camera at the point in the scene where action is to be frozen; keep the camera aimed at that point and release the shutter when the subject is properly framed in the viewfinder.

Blur Motion

• Use slower shutter speeds: 1/60, 1/125 • In bright light use an ISO of 100.• Aim and focus the camera at the point in the

scene where the action is to take place; keep the camera aimed at that point and release the shutter just before the subject reaches the point where it is properly framed in the viewfinder.

Four Types of Blur

• Camera Motion Blur• Subject Motion Blur• Out-of-Focus Blur• Depth of Field Blur

Camera Motion Blur

Nothing is very sharp because shutter speed is too slow and there is camera movement causing blur.

Subject Motion Blur

Subject blurred from motion but the background is in focus.

Focus Blur

The camera isn’t focused on the subject and results in soft indistinct blobs of light and dark that lack details.

Depth of Field Blur

Only a narrow area at the point of focus is sharp and the rest of the image is blurred.

Panning The Camera

• Moving the camera in the same direction and at the same speed as a moving object.

• Causes the moving object to appear in focus, while the background appears blurred.

• Use slower shutter speed: 1/30, 1/60

• Decide where the subject is to be at the moment of exposure; start moving the camera a few moments before the subject reaches that point, releasing the shutter just as the subject reaches it, follow through with the movement.

Light Writing

• Use long exposures to capture the blurring of light.

• The camera documents all the paths of the light as you move the light source throughout the frame.

• Use a tripod or rest your camera on table to control blur.

• Use slower shutter speed: 8 – 15 seconds

Check this out How COOL Is This!

• www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXYK46mKXR4Jan 17, 2011

• - 4 min - Uploaded by ffacker

A quick photography tutorial on how to create light writing through long exposures featuring ... views; Long ...

History of Light Painting

• The first artist to explore the technique of light painting was Man Ray in 1935.

• He worked in several different media, and thought of himself as a painter above all else.

• Contribution to light painting photography came in his series “Space Writing”.

History of Light Painting

• He opened the shutter of his camera and used a small penlight to create a series of swirls and lines in the air.

• Until in 2009, Man Ray’s light writing photographs were though to be created by a photographer by the name of Ellen Carey. A mirror was held up to the work and art historians realized that the light drawing was actually Man Ray’s signature.

Pablo Picasso Draws a Centaur

Dean Chamberlain

• A photographer that was known for his unique light painting techniques.

• Models will sit for his photographs for up to five hours while he paints around them.

• He has created portraits for musicians such as Paul McCartney, Madonna, David Bowie, and Duran Duran.

How to Save Your Files

• lastname_firstname_motion1.jpg• lastname_firstname_motion2.jpg• lastname_firstname_motion3.jpg

Turn them into the class Dropbox!