Time: Activity 3

Fast Shutter Speeds

For this assignment I was required to capture a running or jumping figure and vary the angle at which the camera was with respect to the figure itself; in this case, I used my neighbor's dogs. Both the visual effect and the difficulties of motion blur will be discussed as well.

Motion blur within these images occurred in the background due to the use of the technique of panning. This allows for the dog to be entirely in focus while the background is blurred. This creates a sense of movement as well as a sense of focus - it is clear what or who the subject of the image.

   

 

There are many crucial elements to these four photos and the most important is the focusing technique as well as the shutter speed I used. The focusing technique I used was to switch the camera from auto to manual mode and to follow the dogs as they ran around the yard chasing the thrown toy. I would try to focus most of the image before they began moving but once they did, I panned and refocused as necessary to keep the puppies in focus.

The shutter speeds that I used varied from 1/15 of a second to 1/125 of a second, so for the top two images a faster shutter speed was used (closer to 1/125), and for the bottom left image a slightly slower shutter speed was moved as the puppy was trotting towards me; the image to the bottom right, where they are indoors, was taken using a shutter speed between the previous two.

The visual effect of this photo set is one of speed and agility, as well as fluidity. Each image portrays a different sense of movement and allows for the audience to experience the pace and energy of the moment that is captured. The first two images create a sense of excitement while the last two images create a sense of calm and winding-down.