You've probably seen those pictures of athletes where where the subject is in fairly sharp focus but the background is blurry with streaks denoting speed. Perhaps you've seen a waterfall that looks like flowing milk. Or you seen a picture with a car totally frozen in place during heavy traffic. These are a result of creatively using the shutter speed of the camera. High shutter speeds, such as 1/500th, 1/1000th, 1/2000th or higher (remember these are fractions of a second) create a stopped motion. Conversely, slower shutter speeds such as 1/15th, 1/4, or even whole seconds, creates a sense of motion through blurring of some part of the picture. Exercise: This is best done on a lightly clouded day that isn't too dark or too bright. Find a street where you can photograph cars passing. For example, a park near a busy street. Go and set up your position in a undisturbed place with a good view of the cars. You'll need to do lots of exposures to get the shots. First set your shutter speed as high as you can for the light - hopefully around 1/500 to 1/2000 - with the aperture as open as you can set (i.e. ƒ1.8). Choose a moving car. As the car passes, keep it in your viewfinder, turning yourself at the waist to constantly point your camera at the car. Take lots of pictures of several cars passing, while changing the shutter speeds. Note your settings for each shot, so you can compare each image to your notes. Following your subjects in this way is known as "panning." Now, set your shutter speed as low as you can - I'd suggest around 1/30, remembering to set the aperture as high as you can for the light. Repeat the above panning motion to keep the car in the viewfinder. Take lots more pictures, remembering to keep turning yourself at the waist as the cars goes by.
6th Grade
Answer the 6th Grade Quiz
