Project 52, Week 45, Action Shots

November may not be the best time for me to get action shots as my state is frequently cold, wet, and dismal at this time of the year so who wants to go outside?  But there are many opportunities for interesting and experimental indoor action shots. (Like dropping an olive into a martini and capturing the splash, or dropping a red cherry onto a bowl of vanilla ice cream - you'll have to be fast to get that shot at my house before it disappears.)

There are basically two types of action shots in still photography: 

1. Freeze the action - the subject and background are sharp and in focus
2. Blur the action (which is not the same as a blurry photo!) - the subject or the background is  blurred.

Things to Consider:

• Fast shutter speed freezes motions, sometimes so much that there's no hint of motion at all.  You may want to compose the shot so that the motion is implied. For example, a picture of a person jumping in the air or a running horse with feet off the ground.
• Show shutter speed creates "motion blur" creating a sense of motion. 
• Motion blur: the moving subject or the background is purposely blurred instead of sharp  (Tip: if it looks good - say you composed it that way on purpose)
• Panning: Tracking a moving subject with your camera - either you and the camera move with the subject or you stand still while following the subject with the camera.  Subject should be in focus while everything else is blurry. 
• When photographing something like a race or marathon, you may want to set up the composition ahead of time.  Perhaps even have someone pretending to be a racer on the race path/track so you can decide where to position you and the camera in advance.  After all, you can't very well make the actual racers go back and do it again just because you missed the shot! 

Suggested Readings and Examples:

1. Understanding Shutter Speed – A Beginner’s Guide by Nasim Mansurov; beautifully illustrated article on shutter speed
2. Back to Basics: Five Tips to Freeze Action and Motion by Tiffany Joyce at Beyond MegaPixels; short illustrated article
3. Tips for Action Photography by Tiffany Joyce and Steve Russell at Beyond MegaPixels; short illustrated article
4. Photo Composition # 2: Images that Mean ACTION! at BigNoseBird.com; short illustrated article 
5. 10 Tips for Capturing Action Packed Moments by Jim Harmer on ImprovePhotography
6. Basics of Photo Composition by Connor Walberg on Action Photo School (APS); illustrated article on composition and framing
7. Motion Blur Photography by Erik Kerstenbeck; illustrated short article
8. Master the Art of Action Photography in 8 Easy Steps at APN Photography School; illustrated short article
9. Mountain Bike Photography Technique by Seb Rogers on DPReview; illustrated article includes panning, lens choice, and lighting as well as composition
10. Blurred Panning Techniques at The Global Photographer; short illustrated article
11. Panning in Composition by Scott Simmons at Learn Outdoor Photography; very short article with 1 photo
12. Capturing Motion Blur in Camera Explained by Tiffany Muellar at Light Stalking;

Photos for inspiration:

1. 28 Extreme Action Shots by Lee Milthorpe at Smash & Peas; 26 (mostly crazy) shots with a few tips
2. 15 Stunning Images Using Blur to Portray Movement by Darren Rouse at Digital Photography School
3. 40 Awesome Examples of Action Photography by Bill Jones at Photo Argus

YouTube Videos:

1. Splash Photography Technique - No Flash needed a 5 minute video from LearnMyShot
2. River Landscape Photography: How to photograph Moving Water a 5 minute video from LearnMyShot
3. DSLR Tips: How to blur action shots for a feeling of speed a 6.5 minute video from LearnMyShot
4. Shooting A Strawberry in the Water-Creative Photography Ideas and Images with Bryan Peterson a 2.7 minute video from PPSOP.
5. Digital Photography 1 on 1: Episode 15: Panning a 6.5 minute video from Adorama TV

Project 12, Month 11, Movement

Movement is on the composition project timeline for this month.  This includes moving the subject or the photographer as well as composing pictures of moving subjects.

Things to Consider:

• Fast shutter speeds freeze action  (You can consider any shutter speed over 1/250 seconds as fast)
• Slow shutter speeds create blur and create a sense of motion (You can consider any shutter speed under 1/60 seconds as slow - and you'll need a tripod or other stabilization to avoid "camera shake")
• Learn to balance shutter speed, aperture, and ISO for proper exposure.
• A sense of movement can be created through proper composition. For example,
• Lines
• Subject placement
• Shapes (for example, S-curve)
• When shooting moving subjects, compose the scene so they face the center of the frame. 
• Leave more space in front of the subject than behind them
• Give them room to move.  Don't have them bumping their noses on the edge of the frame
• Remember to break this rule when appropriate.  You may want to create a sense of where they have been or (what they are running from!) by leaving more space behind than in front. 
• Don't hesitate to move the subject when possible to get the best picture.  This is done to remove distracting elements, to add interesting elements, and/or to improve lighting.
• Move you! Just taking one step in one direction may improve the composition.  When composing the perfect scene remember to move you - up, down, left, right, and all around - to find the best angle of view and to get the best lighting,

Suggested Readings and Photographic Examples:

1. 10 Tips for Stunning Action Photography by Jim Harmer at Improve Photography
2. Composition and Movement by Richard D. Zakia at Masteringphoto.com; short illustrated article
3. Composition - Creating Movement and Exposure Basics - Shutter Speed at Stoke Dasoul; very short article
4. Photographing Sports and Action at Geoff Lawrence.com; well illustrated, comprehensive article
5. Introduction to Shutter Speed in Digital Photography by Darren Rouse at Digital Photography School; short, but fairly comprehensive introduction
6. Leaving Space Behind Moving Subjects - Composition by Darren Rouse at Digital Photography School; short, well illustrated article
7. Moving Into The Frame; The Dynamic Motion, Gesture, And Intent  by  Jim Zuckerman at Photographic; short illustrated article
8. Moving Subject by Chandra Avinash at Nuvvo; short illustrated article on panning
9. Taking a Picture of a Moving Subject with Your Digital Camera at Dummies.com; 10 short tips
10. The Best Way To Learn Sports Photography by Simon Bray on Phototuts+; 10 tips; illustrated

YouTube Videos:

1. Shutter Speed from Michael the Mentor; 3:14 minutes; simple and clear explanation
2. DSLR Basics: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO from PhotoExtremist; 9:58 minutes; good explanation of the exposure triangle - begins with Shutter Speed
3. Photography Tutorial on Shutter Speed with Corey Reese from Corey Reese; 5:33 minutes; good examples for capturing the motion of a stream
4. How to Photograph Action from about.com; 2:08; brief explanations for shooting action shots
5. Digital Photography - Photographing Outdoor Sports from FroKnowsPhoto
• Part 1, Get Out of Auto, 3:51 minutes;  how to set ISO and aperture priority mode
• Part 2, Shutter Priority, 4 minutes
• Part 3, Anticipation, 3:38 minutes; anticipating action 

Project 52, Week 44, Triangles and Squares

This is a lot like last week's project except the object is to compose pictures with triangles, squares, rectangles, cones, cubes, cuboids, boxes, pyramids, and etc (any geometric shape except circles).

Things to Consider:

• The shape or form can be the main focus or take a supporting role.
• The object/element can be an actual shape/form or it can be implied.
• Search magazines or online for photos and paintings and try to identify shapes used by the artists. (See Power of the Triangle, comment # 10)

Suggested Readings and Examples:

1. Power of the Triangle at Jake Garn.com; illustrated article on how the simple triangle can improve your photography; also read comment # 1 by Steven Rose. 
2. Photography and Triangles by Coastline Studios at Sickles Insight 
3. How to Photograph a Box by Tinnesee at Squidoo
4. The Triangles of Photography by Rolando Gomez at Lens Diary; illustrated article; warning - skimpy bikinis.
5. Triangles stock photos and images at Fotosearch; over 10,000 images (you can search here for other geometric shapes and forms)

Other stuff:

1. Retired postman and 115,000 post boxes by Lyle Brennan at Mail Online; illustrated article
2. 7 Wonders Photography Series: The Pyramids by Nina Krimly at junkie.net; pictures of pyramids