Alpha Photography Blog

Here we get into a technique which is easy to apply and creates some fantastic results.

Slowing down the shutter speed shows the movement in a subject - here is a step-by-step guide…

This technique is particularly useful if you want photos that are different. It’s easy to play with, trying out different exposures - especially if you’re working in digital.

To do this, you will need to work in Manual mode, with the two variables being aperture and shutter speed. You will also need a tripod and cable release to do this (a remote control that is connected via a cable to your camera). If you don’t have a cable release, then just use your camera’s timer function to actually take the photo. To ensure there is absolutely no camera shake, you don’t want your hands anywhere near the camera when the photo is actually taken.

1. Set your Shutter Speed

The first step is to set one of the variables, in this case it’s to establish what shutter speed will capture the most movement.

This level will depend on the amount of available light. If you’re in broad daylight, this technique will be a little more complicated, unless you have a Neutral Density filter to reduce the amount of light.

Where you’re working in a low light environment, you will need to adjust the shutter speed proportionately. For example, say it’s dusk and there is still a little bit of light in the sky, try starting with a shutter speed of around 1/6 second. Where it’s almost completely dark, you may need a shutter speed of around 1.5 seconds or longer.

Because every lighting situation is different, you’ll have to try out different shutter speed settings to see what will achieve the outcome of capturing movement.  As a rule of thumb, anything faster than 1/10 second probably won’t show much movement.

For comparison-sake, take a look at this photo which was taken with a shorter exposure time. Y ou can see some definition in the flames - notice the 2 stray flickers of light off to the top right?  Using a faster shutter speed freezes the movement, making everything look sharp, rather than soft.

Now let’s take a look at the same subject taken with a longer shutter speed. The fire looks much ‘warmer’ now. The flames are blending into one another and it creates a much more cosy feel.

This photo was taken with a shutter speed of around 2 seconds. It could have been a little longer to emphasize the effect - it just depends what you want to achieve.

2. Set the Aperture

The next variable is the aperture. This will depend on two things - available light, and the shutter speed you’ve already set the camera at.

In the first step you chose a particular shutter speed. Now, relying on the camera’s light meter, set the appropriate aperture, so the frame is correctly exposed. This could be around f4.5, or f8.0.

Generally, in low lighting situations, the aperture needs to be wider (which is a smaller f number), to be able to correctly expose the frame. Make sure the exposure meter is in the middle of the scale, and then using either a cable release or the timer function, take the photo!

You can use this technique with all sorts of subjects:

• Waterfalls

• Moving cars at dusk/night

• Ferris wheel

Use your imagination and have fun with photographing using a slower shutter speed!

Trackback URI | Comments RSS