Tom Clark - Digital Photography Composition For Dummies

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24mm, 15 sec, f/11,400

Figure 16-3:Streaking car lights in Miami at night show a way to use motion blur.

The longer your shutter speed, the more drastic the streaks in your image will be. Longer shutter speeds mean that you need to be more accurate when you track your subject, however.

Combining flash vlith motion blur

Because your flash provides light for such a brief instant, it tends to freeze motion in photographs. This makes for an interesting tool when combined with a slow shutter speed. Mixing flash with available light is a common technique; it requires that you balance the intensity of the two light sources to achieve the contrast you desire.

Sometimes your flash acts as the key light and sometimes it acts as a fill light. When using your flash to freeze motion during long exposures, the flash is your key light and creates a clear image of your subject that's frozen in time. The available light causes motion blur. Because the flash lasts only an instant

and your shutter is open longer, the exposure continues to take place while the subject is moving. The result is a clear image of the subject with motion streaks behind it suggesting movement. You get the best of both worlds. (For more information on lighting, refer to Chapter 10.)

24mm, Wsec.J/5.6, 200

Figure 16-4:Drawing with light during a long exposure is a good way to have some creative fun with friends.

When using this technique, understanding how your camera works is important. The flash can sync with your shutter in the following two ways:

At the very beginning of the exposure (when the shutter curtain first opens):This sync setting, called the front curtain sync, isn't appropriate for combining with motion blur. If your subject is running across your frame, the flash lights her, and the motion blur occurs in the direction she's running. She then looks like she's running backward in the photograph.

At the end of the exposure:Most cameras allow you to set the flash to sync with the end of the exposure just as the shutter curtain is closing. (This setting is called the rear curtain sync setting.) The blur is then captured first; when the subject is at her final point in the exposure, the flash captures the clear image of her. The result is an image of someone running with motion blur behind her.

Check your camera's owner's manual to find out what sync options you have.

Figure 16-5 shows examples of using the rear curtain sync setting combined with a slow shutter speed, a flash, and a moving subject. Forward motion is emphasized and a clearer depiction of the subject is created.

All photos: 50mm, Ifflsec, f/8, 200

Figure 16-5:The rear curtain sync setting provides a creative motion blur that more clearly shows the subject.

Life doesn't always stand still for you to get the photograph you desire. In many instances, you'll be faced with subjects that are in constant motion. Being prepared and knowing what you want and how to get it are necessary skills for creating great compositions in these scenarios.

In the following sections, I discuss capturing great images of children at play, successfully photographing the family pet, and getting the shot during sporting events.

Kids rarely stand still, so photographing them can be a challenge. However, the cool thing about children who are playing or engrossed in something is the possibility that they won't even notice you're taking their picture. Even if they are aware of it, chances are they won't pay much mind to it — that is, as long as you don't interfere with what they're doing.

When you photograph children playing or otherwise in motion, you have to be able to capture images as you see them, and you can't ask children to stand still for too long. In fact, you may even get more realistic images if you don't interfere with their natural actions at all. As a result, you need to be prepared to act fast. The more practice you have with your equipment, the better you can predict its results in different circumstances.

Here are the main things to consider when photographing children:

Have fun with it.Kids sense when you're taking something too seriously, and it could ruin their mood. You don't want to create a lawless scenario and allow things to get too carried away, but it's wise to keep things interesting enough to avoid temper tantrums.

Vary your angle.Get low angles so that some of your images are on the same level as the children. Doing so brings your viewers into the heart of the action. Also, try getting up high for a different perspective. A bird's-eye view could be an interesting take on children at play. Too many images from your own eye level start to become boring. For more on perspective and camera angles, head to Chapter 8.

Remain conscious of how your composition looks overall.As you're photographing children, things will be happening quickly. However,

that's no excuse to have a pole sticking out of a kid's head, or to have your subject constantly positioned in the center of the frame. For a refresher on arranging visual elements in a frame, see Chapter 5.

Make sure your focus is clear.Use a method of focusing that you're comfortable with and that allows you to achieve sharp focus on your pint-sized moving subjects. In the earlier section "Focusing on moving subjects," I suggest continuous focus as the best automatic setting for shooting moving subjects.

Look for interactions between the children, or expressions created with their hands.Children reveal their emotions more freely than most adults, even when they're shy.

Switch back and forth between freezing the motion and allowing for motion blur.Most of the time people want clear photos of their kids, but sometimes an image with motion blur tells the story better and is appreciated.

Photographing your pets is similar to photographing children at play. They tend not to hold poses for very long, and they have short attention spans. So many of the techniques discussed in the previous section apply. For instance, getting down low (on the same level as the animal) is a great way of showing a perspective that's more personal and reveals more specific details. And taking multiple images gives you more options to choose from. This way it's more likely that you'll find an image that exudes the personality of your pet.

Animals tend to give sincere facial expressions 100 percent of the time. All you have to do is choose a location with scenery that speaks to your pet's personality and has nice lighting. (For more information on lighting, head to Chapter 10.)

Animals may not do what you tell them all the time, but unlike humans, they act natural even when the camera is out. Watching and waiting for the right moment is one method for getting great images of your pets. You can't ask them to redo something cute that has already come and gone though, so don't hesitate to take the shot. If you see a great moment, grab it. Then, if your composition isn't perfect, you can always tweak the crop and exposure in postproduction. (I discuss photo-editing software in Chapter 18.)

The image in Figure 16-6 is a snapshot that captured a fleeting moment. This type of shot shows the personalities of the dogs and can be enjoyed for a lifetime.

50mm, 1/8 sec, VIS, 800

Figure 16-6:Unlike humans, animals act natural even when the camera is out.