Unit 4 Activity 5

Unit 4 Activity 5: Mixture of Motion

     The following photos are a mixture of movement and stillness. You can see the movement in the objects that are blurred, and because the other subjects are not moving, you can see them in perfect clarity. 

     This assignment was more difficult than I expected. Capturing people in motion while making sure others are still is tedious work! 

Unit 4 Activity 4

Unit 4 Activity 4: Slow Shutter Speeds

Photo by flamed; check it out here

     This picture is a great use of a slow shutter speed. The main focus is of the woman standing still while a subway train flies by. The train is completely blurred, giving the illusion of movement. While the woman may be standing still, it still feels as if you can see the train speeding past her yourself. 

     The slow shutter speed requires a smaller aperture hole, or a larger f-stop number which gives the photographer free range with the depth of field. They are no longer limited to subject matter because they can reach their subjects from pretty much any distance. 

     Some of the technical difficulties that they may have encountered could have been camera shake. Using a slow shutter speed is great, until the still image that you want becomes blurred in the process. The photographer may have used a tripod in order to keep the camera stable while taking the picture.

Unit 4 Activity 3

Unit 4 Activity 3: Shutter Speed

Fast Shutter Speed Examples:

F 6.3/Shutter Speed: 1/500

F4.5/Shutter Speed: 1/800

F5.0/Shutter Speed: 1/800

F5.0/Shutter Speed: 1/1000

     For these images, the fast shutter speed eliminates any possibility for blur. Whether the subject is running, spinning, or jumping, the movement is captured in perfect clarity. To focus the camera, I made sure that I was in a position that would allow me to stay in one location while I took the picture, as opposed to moving the camera with subject.

Slow Shutter Speed Examples:

F22/Shutter Speed: 1/15

F22/Shutter Speed: 1/20

F22/Shutter Speed: 1/25

F20/Shutter Speed: 1/25

     These images show what a slow shutter speed will do to movement of a subject. In the first three, the subject is running and I panned the camera to follow her running. At the slowest shutter speed, everything is blurred, but as the shutter speed speeds up, there is a noticeable difference in what is clear and what is still blurry. Slow shutter speed gives the illusion of movement, while fast shutter speed is more effective in stopping action. I used the same focusing technique as stated under my fast shutter speed examples. 

Unit 4 Activity 2

Unit 4 Activity 2: Shutter Speed

By Michael Sheakley on flickr.com

     This image is a perfect example of utilizing a fast shutter speed. It is clear that there is a shallow depth of field, but why does this happen? When there is a faster shutter speed, the f-stop on your camera must decrease, or open up more because you need to let in enough light to expose the picture in a short amount of time. This limits the range of a photograph, however it makes for a very interesting shot!

     To me, this image doesn't really give you the feeling of movement just because the fast shutter speed captures a moment in time and freezes the subject. While you may anticipate the dice continuing to roll, there is no evidence of this captured in the image. For a better feeling of movement, it is best to utilize a slower shutter speed.
     One of the main problems the photographer may have encountered was timing. Who knows how many times he may have attempted to take this picture to get the final shot, but in the end it paid off. The only way to move past the timing problem is with trial and error, and lots of patients!

Resources:
Camera Shutter Speed

Unit 4 Activity 1

Unit 4 Activity 1: The Decisive Moment

Photograph by Henri Cartier-Bresson (1933 Spain)

Check out more of his photos here!

Henri Cartier-Bresson is known for capturing the decisive moment, which is part of the reason he is so well regarded. In this image above, children are playing happily in an alleyway, but the most significant part is that he has captured the moment when play is at its peak. The children look as if they will jump out of the picture and resume their game right in front of you. Henri has a knack for taking a picture at the exact time when you get the most feeling out of a scene. 

Lighting Assignment

Yay! Here are my final pictures for the assignment...