"Without movement, the life is only lethargy" - Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Our whole live is in a constant movement as is everything around us. Peace is a relative term, often the fruit of illusion, a mirage that depends on the point of view. We think that the stone lying close to us is not moving, but actually it is part of the earth, which orbits the sun ...
All that movement and changes make us feel alive, fuel our emotions and intentions, inspire our desire for development. The faster the water moves in the stream, the clearer it is. When it stops, it turns into a swamp.
Movement and change have been the subject of tens of thousands of philosophical reflections from antiquity to the present day, and the problem of the inability to “freeze” a certain moment has always plagued people. “ If ever I to the moment shall say: Beautiful moment, do not pass away!” – exclaims Goethe, using his character Faust. “Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day Fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.” – as sung by the famous Pink Floyd… Each and every one of us has dreamed of “stopping” a certain moment, but unfortunately none have yet succeeded. The only way, perhaps, is to capture it from a photographic image on the photosensitive material of our camera.
Capturing moving objects in a static frame is a challenge, similar to transmitting a sense of three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional sheet of paper. We must use some kind of illusion, visual deception or psychological suggestion. In three consecutive articles, I will analyze the different methods used for achieving this effect.
Capturing motion with low-shutter speed by tracking ( panning efect ) .
With this popular method, the goal is to get a combination of moving and stationary objects in the frame so as to create a sense of movement. The moving object should be sharp and the background blurred. In this way the viewer "feels" the speed and the illusion of movement is strong. It is only applicable if the subject is moving parallel to the camera. There is no way you can apply this method if the movement is against you. It will be good if the background could be clear and contrasting, filled with different objects - trees, buildings, etc. . A blue sky or a monochrome wall is not a good backdrop for this kind of photography.
For this purpose we need to shoot at a relatively low shutter speed - for slowly moving objects (walking person, slowly moving bicycle or car) the speed can be 1/15 - 1/20sec. We must stand still and move the camera parallel to the moving subject. At such a slow shutter speed, it is important that the camera does not flicker and does not deviate vertically, nor does it speed or lag behind the main subject. Otherwise, we will blur the whole scene and lose the contrast between the sharply drawn object of motion and the background. At higher travel speeds - car, train, etc., the shutter speed may also be higher (shorter exposure time) 1/40 - 1/50 and even 1/ 100sec. It is worth noting that the term "Shutter Speed" is photographic jargon. It is more correct to say "Exposure time". 1/40sec is a time span. The faster the shutter speed or the shorter the exposure time, the movement will not be felt, because the background will be less blurred. Low shutter speed (long exposure time) enhances the effect, but also increases the unsuccessful shots. In this regard, it is advisable to make several shots in a series in order to choose the best one.
Appropriate camera settings: Speed priority mode with auto ISO (S - speed for Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Fuji and Sony, Tv - Time value for Canon, Pentax, etc). You select the shutter speed, the camera selects the aperture and ISO.
Here are some examples:
Camera Sony A99, 24-70/2.8 , S1/15, F11, 100ISO
The movement of the carriage was relatively slow, and although I did not have time for repetitions, I risked with a low-shutter speed. I managed to make only two shots and both proved to be successful.
Camera Sony A900, 70-200/2.8 , S1/13, F11, 1600ISO
Unlike the gradual and predictable movement of a car, motorcycle or any other vehicle, capturing a ballet with panning is very difficult. Movements are fast, often unpredictable, and not just horizontally. It takes dozens of shots to get 1-2 good ones. For me personally it's worth it because of the impressionistic and almost magical feel... In this case, the background is black, but the two figures behind the main one, moving at different speeds, create contrast
Camera Sony A7Rmk3, 28/2 , S1/40, F11, 100ISO
Here the movement of the car is faster and the shutter speed is higher, respectively. There is a risk of blurring people as they move separately in the car itself. The series of photos lets you choose the best shot.
Camera Sony A7mk3, 24-70/2.8 , S1/25, F13, 100ISO
Top view photo of an arc motion. A complex situation that requires very precise tracking. The background is away from the moving car. The relative angular velocity of motion of the camera towards it will be low. If the background is close the situation will be the opposite and the effect will be much stronger. Exposure time should be optimally long (low-shutter speed) to convey clearly the feeling of movement. In this case, 1/25 is a compromise. At a faster shutter speed (short exposure time) I will get a sharper car and almost no blur in the background. At slower speeds, the background will blur well with the movement of the camera, but the risk of not having a sharp shot with the car is high and no repetition is possible.
Camera Sony A7mk3, 28/2 , S1/30, F11, 250ISO
The low vantage point, combined with the trees at the back, creates an interesting kaleidoscopic effect. The orange bus enhances the color contrast
Camera Sony A99mk2, 24-70/2.8 , S1/30, F5, 100ISO
The cars were moving between small villages in Austria, the weather was rainy and the field through which the country road was passing did not offer a good backdrop to highlight the traffic. In order to make this shot, I had to get past the column, get as far as possible, and find a place with buildings in the background that would create contrast. The reflection in the wet asphalt further enhanced the dynamics. You can see the whole scene and shooting process here from 1:20 to 2:20: https://youtu.be/0AUA1hJP1Ng
Camera Sony A99mk2, 24-70/2.8 , S-1/30sec, F8, 100ISO
This is a difficult shot because people's movement is very slow. I had to shoot at extremely low speed 1 / 5sec to recreate the feeling of movement.
Camera Sony A7mk3, 24-70/2.8 , S-1/30sec, F5.6, 160ISO
The following series of photos were taken during an evening stroll in Genoa. The camera is the Sony A7Rmk3, equipped with the Sony 28/2 lens. Speed priority 1 / 20 -1 / 30sec with Auto ISO. My goal was to recreate the typical Italian atmosphere with the fast little mopeds whizzing by me every second.
To be continued ...
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