Probably one of the most challenging and frustrating types of photography to master is action photography. It can also be one of the most rewarding though. Being able to freeze a split second in time that you probably missed with the naked eye can result in some amazing photographs. There are a lot of things that have to happen just right though in order to get that perfect shot.
Capturing Action shots with your Phone.
The camera technology available in smartphones these days is pretty incredible. I’m not gonna lie, if I’m just trying to get some cool action shots for social media or sometimes even for a little album of memories…I often prefer to use my iphone for many reasons. There are a lot of features that make it easy to get really great action shots.
Bursts~
For most phones, if you hold down the shutter button the camera will automatically take burst photos. This feature works great for action shots because instead of trying to pick the perfect time, you will quickly get several shots of the action and can pick out the best one.
Video~
Another way to guarantee you get just the right moment in an action shot with your phone is to take a video. This method is great if you are wanting both a video and still shots at the same time anyway and also ensures you capture every single second of the action. To choose your still action shots from the video, simply hit the play button and then hold your finger down on the film strip at the bottom. Slide through the strip as slowly as needed until you find the moment you want to capture and then take a screen shot (this can be tricky and you might want to practice how to best accomplish this). Once you get your screen shot you can crop it down to the desired image size.
Light/Shutter Speed
In photography, shutter speed or exposure time is the length of time when the film or digital sensor inside the camera is exposed to light, also when a camera’s shutter is open when taking a photograph. The amount of light that reaches the film or image sensor is proportional to the exposure time. As far as I know (at least for iPhones) you cannot directly adjust the shutter speed on your phone camera. You can however control the lighting which can in turn adjust your shutter speed. When you shoot in areas that aren’t well lit your phone will compensate by slowing the shutter speed to let in more light. This will result in blurry action shots. For sharper shots, shoot in well-lit areas when possible or increase your exposure (slide up that little sunshine icon on your iPhone or tap it on android) to allow more light into the camera.
Shutter Priority Mode
On your DSLR camera the Auto “Action Mode” is called Shutter Priority Mode. It is marked with and “S” on your Nikon camera and “TV” on Canon (which stands for “Time Value” because “S” would be too obvious). When using this mode you can choose your shutter speed and ISO and the camera will adjust the aperture. Remember our friend the Exposure Triangle from Lesson 2?
If you look at shutter speed, the faster your speed (best for action), the less light will be allowed into the camera. Therefore, your ISO will need to be higher and/or your camera will adjust your aperture to be smaller (or wider open). Using this mode is an easy way to get some good action shots in good light. This may be the best option for you if you are trying to capture action shots of soccer, baseball, football or other outdoor sports and activities. As you may have noticed though, my daughter is a competitive gymnast. Meets are indoors and usually the gyms are poorly lit (at least for action photography). Also, flash photography is prohibited in gymnastics because the flashes can be distracting which is dangerous for the gymnasts while they are practicing or competing. In this type of situation, Shutter Priority mode can be tricky because your camera will most likely set a very small aperture which can make it difficult to focus on your subject. Once you learn to shoot in manual mode (choose ALL settings on your own) you can meet somewhere in the middle and then, if needed adjust your brightness with some basic editing (we will cover both of these in future lessons).
So when and why would we want to use a long exposure (slow shutter speed)? Well, slow shutter speeds are used for when you want to capture the motion, instead of freezing it. When working with slow shutter speeds you will want to use a tripod because the exposure time is long and it will be nearly impossible to hold the camera still throughout the entire exposure which will result in the whole image being blurry instead of just the motion. Photographers often use slow shutter speeds for waterfalls, to catch headlights and taillights of traffic in motion, and for fireworks. It is also useful in very low light settings when you are photographing a still object but need more light.
Focus
In Lesson 2 I discussed focus in general. The same rules apply in action shots however your subject will be (obviously) moving so you will have to adjust your focus along with them. This will happen every time you hold the shutter button down halfway prior to taking your shot. If you want to be able to take a lot of shots quickly without refocusing for every shot you might consider changing your camera settings to allow for something called “Back-Button Focus“. Back button focus is not only helpful in action photography, but ALL photography because you can quickly take several shots and only refocus when you want to. The way it works is be removing the focus actuation from the shutter button and instead assign this function to a button on the back of the camera. Now when you shoot, you’ll press your back-button to lock focus and then press the shutter to take the image. This is especially helpful for moments like when my daughter is competing on the balance beam and I know her distance from me is going to be the same throughout her routine. I only need to set the focus once and then can raise the camera whenever I want and shoot. The focus will stay the same and the shutter button will immediately capture the moment instead of trying to find the focus. I have set my focus button to use the AF-ON button on the back of my camera. Your camera’s manual (or google) will tell you how to reset this for your camera.
Continuous Shooting Mode
Continuous shooting mode on your camera works in the same way that “bursts” work on your phone. By holding down the shutter button, your camera will take several shots continuously which can help you capture just the right moment in action shots.
Homework:
- With your phone, try the different action techniques listed above (pets and kiddos make great subjects).
- Move your camera to Shutter Priority Mode and practice some different action shots. Adjust the ISO and Shutter Speed and see how it changes your aperture. Don’t forget to watch your focus.
- Post your images in the facebook group!