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How to Do Motion Shots

Photographing movement can challenge you as a photographer. You need to capture a clear image, but you also need to convey the sense of motion in that image. Over-blurring your photographs can make them into color or black-and-white swatches with no real definition. In order to maintain a certain amount of focus and clarity in your images while also showing movement, master some simple techniques.
  1. Subject in Motion

    • Focus your camera on the background in your scene, and set your shutter speed to 1/4 second or 1/2 second. As the person or object moves past your lens, snap the picture without moving the camera. The moving object will blur and the background will remain in focus. This contrast will emphasize the movement of your subject against the still background.

    Background in Motion

    • Set your camera shutter speed to a very fast setting. Try 1/500th of a second. Focus on the moving subject and move your camera with it as it moves past. Your fast shutter speed will capture the moving subject without blurring it, while the background will blur because of the moving camera. This will provide a sense of motion while keeping your main subject clear.

    Object and Background in Motion

    • You can blur both your subject and the background. Keep the person or object still. Move your camera past your subject while snapping the shutter. Set the speed to 1/8th of a second. This will blur both the subject and the background but still allow the viewer to make out details. The viewer will gain a sense of moving past your subject.

    Nature in Motion

    • Set your camera on a tripod and focus your camera on a still scene that features trees, grass or flowers. Select the “bulb” setting. This setting will hold the shutter open for as long as you press the button for taking pictures. Press and hold the shutter button without moving the camera. Hold the button down for a few seconds. Even the slightest breeze will cause the natural features to move. Your image will have a soft effect where you see leaves and grass, but images such as tree trunks and rocks will be sharp.

    Zoom Motion

    • You can provide motion by pressing the shutter while it is set on “bulb,” holding the camera steady and zooming in or out. The zoom will provide the motion and give you an image that seems to either be moving toward you or away, depending on the direction of your zoom.

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