Motion

Okay. Photography class assignment. This week, we're using shutter speed to capture motion, which sounds simple enough, right? Not so much. If you photograph a moving car, it just looks like a parked car. Same with lots of other things. We have to make sure the subject conveys motion and use the shutter speed as the tool to capture it. I've been a little intimidated by the assignment because I don't normally take pictures of moving things! I like things that sit still and behave.
At any rate, we're supposed to demonstrate are three basic types of motion photography.

With a fast shutter speed, you "stop" motion. So, this type of photo needs to freeze something in action that the eye would not normally have the ability to rest on. Here's what I have so far.




That one with the rhinestones is the one I really want. There are some problems with it. I'd like Emma's hands to be in better focus and to not have that dark shadow from my camera on the bottom one. At the same time, this is only Digital Photography I and I don't exactly know what I'm doing. Wink. I've tried to re-shoot this lots of times over the last few days and the sun and children just don't want to cooperate. I may keep trying if I find some time.

Then there's "blur" motion, when something in the photo is blurry because it's in motion. Probably your subject, but not always. It's best conveyed by including something stationary too, for visual reference, I guess. At least that's what I understand it to mean. I had lots of fun trying to take pictures of my brother playing the drums. It was interesting to try and frame that shot in a way that was aesthetically pleasing and well-lit. The butterfly one is a little over-exposed, but it's still pretty. The one of Emma's hair is not really what the assignment calls for, but I just like it.






And finally, there's "pan" motion, wherein you follow your subject in motion, keeping them in focus and blurring the background. This is the one that has challenged me the most. I only have a couple that I like so far, and I'm not really in love with them too much. My camera's aperture doesn't go small enough to slow down the shutter speed outside. I'm going to really have to keep trying on this part of the assignment, but I have a few more days. At any rate, I love Emma's face in this one:



and these alright too:






I can't decide if I like the cooler-toned one or the warmer-toned ones. I guess I can't hope for perfection with only an advanced point-and-shoot camera in my hands, but I'm having so much fun and learning so much in this class. I think I'm going to start saving up my allowance for a big-girl camera.