Catching the Moment: Shooting Fast Objects

Last time, our lesson was focused on the concept of Depth of Field. The Depth of Field is one of most important element in photography when talking about the topic of focusing. In order to properly understand the said concept, we looked at examples and visualized how it works.

The Depth of Field pertains to the distance of the nearest object to the farthest one in the frame, usually the background. Knowing about the Depth of Field is fundamental knowledge, more so if you are starting to explore your creativity already in photography.

We mentioned that the DOF is affected by two elements which are the aperture and the focal length. As the aperture widens, your focus point actually narrows in while the focal length affects where exactly your DOF is.

Still in the topic of focusing, today we will be focusing on shooting fast objects. Shooting fast objects sharply and with perfect focus is not an easy thing to do so that’s what we are discussing today.

Adding up to Your Resume

If you have been reading up on these lessons since the first section, by now you should be able to properly use a camera and shoot photos with confidence. However, as we keep on saying, learning does not stop so what we will be doing today is to elevate that by focusing on different subjects.

Although you should be able to shoot with perfect exposure now, shooting some scenarios may still pose as a problem such as when you are shooting fast objects. Shooting fast objects can be quite tricky because, not only can they test your exposure, but they can also be hard to catch.

The surroundings of an object can be easily worked with given that you now have proper knowledge on exposure but keeping the subject sharp and focused might not be the easiest thing to do. So that is what we’re adding to your resume for today.

Shooting Fast Objects

When you are shooting fast objects, you have several things to consider. Ultimately, shooting fast objects will lead you using a faster shutter speed and a slower or a narrower f-stop.

If you’re familiar with the terms I just said and why they are your primary changes when shooting fast objects, congratulate yourself because you just used your knowledge on the exposure triangle.

If you recall, the exposure triangle is not just used to expose your image properly since the three elements inside it have their own secondary effects. For shutter speed, the faster it is the more likely you are to catch fast subjects mid action since your shutter shoots as a shorter time frame.

If you are shooting at a slow shutter speed, your subject will move faster than it and will be way out of position already by the time that your shutter closes.

On the other hand a narrower f-stop, perhaps on the regions of f/8 or f/11 will give you a wider focus point and with that, you are more likely to catch your subject. Think of your aperture as a net for focusing where the smaller the value is on your f-stop, the larger your DOF or net becomes.

However, when shooting at a faster shutter speed and a narrower aperture, you are letting in lesser light. This brings us to the next point of discussion: light.

In order to shoot a fast object you will need light, and yes, you will need all of the light you can get. Shooting fast objects rely heavily on the shutter speed and the aperture which means that your exposure will be compromised.

If you can use your flash, then that would be good. However, more often that not, you will not be able to do so and this is where your skills will be put to the test.

Based on experience, fortunately, in these situations where you would not be able to use your flashlight will usually provide. I’m talking about an arena setting where the fast objects are your athletes.

Light in stadiums are very high since the athletes themselves need it to see clearly. Furthermore, other outdoor sports are often done under the sun as well and we all now that natural light is the best kind of light you can get.

With that said, the last thing left to do is to pick your spot and make sure you adjust properly with the amount of light you have. Adjusting to the light around you is a skill we have been talking about already so be sure to keep on practicing it.

Conclusion

So that’s it today for our lesson on shooting fast objects. Shooting fast objects is a relatively tricky scenario, more so if you are not given the right amount of light.

However, with the help of your exposure triangle and your better understanding of the Depth of Field, you now be able to adjust accordingly. Increasing your shutter speed will give you a higher chance of catching a great position for your subject whilst a narrower aperture will give you a wider depth of field that acts like a wider net that can catch the moment.
Still in the topic of shooting in different scenarios, the next lesson will be focused on shooting in low light. Shooting without much light is another tricky situation so be sure to read up on that one too.

Also, don’t forget to share this lesson to your peers to help them reach another level of understanding photography as well.