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If you're getting tired
of taking photographs of the same old boring subjects, why not head on out to
where the action is? The real action. You need not spend thousands of dollars
traveling to Maui for the International Surfing Championships or to Spain for
the Running of the Bulls. There's plenty of exciting action going on just moments
from your front door.
If you doubt that, check
with your local Chamber of Commerce or State Tourism Department. Scan the entertainment
section of daily and neighborhood newspapers. Tune in to regional radio and television
broadcasts. There you'll find news of upcoming fairs, races, rodeos, sports activities,
rallies, and other events-everything from barrel racing and high school diving
competitions to baseball, football, and hockey games ... from offshore sailing
regattas to a neighborhood game of stick hockey.
Not surprisingly, many people
are hesitant to try photographing moving subjects. Decades of slow film and slower
lenses once restricted photographers to shooting stone-faced subjects standing
beneath the mid-day sun on a hot summer's day in August. Ahh, how times have changed!
Today's newer equipment and more sensitive films allow you to use faster shutter
speeds to get proper exposures. And fast shutter speeds "freeze" fast action,
providing you the opportunity to capture on film some things your parents could
only dream about. Here are a few other tips for getting in on the action.
If your camera features
an adjustable shutter speed, set it for 1/250 second for shooting subjects such
as joggers, bicyclers, and cars traveling slower than 25 miles an hour. For subjects
such as runners, sports activities, and cars traveling up to 50 miles an hour,
use a shutter speed of 1/500 second. For really fast-moving subjects such as airplanes,
motorcycles, and auto racers, use 1/1,000 second or faster. If your camera features
an automatically adjustable shutter speed, use a fast film of ISO 400 to 1000
to ensure the camera's ability to select a fast shutter speed for the proper exposure.
If you find yourself shooting
a slow film or if your camera has a limited shutter-speed range, try shooting
moving subjects as they come toward you rather than going from one side to the
other. Autofocusing cameras are especially useful in conditions like this. For
a more creative approach to capturing fast action, especially when shooting something
like a car race, try using a slower shutter speed of around 1/60 second and panning
with the action. Simply move the camera from one side to the other, keeping the
subject "frozen" in one spot in the viewfinder at all times. In the middle of
your pan, snap the picture. The results: a sharp subject standing out against
a dramatically motion-blurred background.
When freezing fast action
indoors (like at a hockey game or a party), use electronic flash. The short duration
of the electronic flash will accomplish the same thing as a fast shutter speed,
resulting in perfectly motionless subjects. Just be sure to check the flash manual
or the unit, itself, to see that the subject is within the maximum flash range
for your film speed and flash combination. The faster the film (or the higher
its ISO rating), the greater the flash range. When forced to shoot a slow film
indoors without electronic flash, try to anticipate the "peak of action".
That's the precise moment when a moving object stops moving in one direction and
begins moving in another. It's the pinnacle of a basketball player's jump shot
or the moment a race car veers to make a turn through a tight chicane. To capture
the shot at just the right moment, pre-focus your camera where you anticipate
the peak of action will occur and be ready fire.
It takes split-second timing
and plenty of practice to do it right, but peak-of-action shots are some of the
most exciting and spectacular of all action photos.
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