Creative Shutter Speed: Master the Art of Motion Capture

Chapter 3. How I Took These Pictures

For years I've been intrigued by how to reveal movement in still photography. How do you create, for example, the ideal picture of a white-water kayaker, a photo that would need to show ber arms in motion and the action of ber paddle churning round like the blades of a windmill. And how can a single, still photo be made to show the powerful pedaling—and some of the sweat and desperation—of a come-from-behind bicyclist as be races to overtake the leader only twenty feet from the finish line?

In addition to revealing physical movements of the world around us, motion photographers are also challenged to draw out some of the delight, surprise, humor and deeper emotions we all associate with movement. Because humans are intensely emotional creatures and movement is the most intensely perceived of all the external events of our lives, there can be no denying our emotional ties to movement. Whether it's the beart jumping at the sight of a loved one's windblown hair or the brain calculating the trajectory of cars flying through a busy intersection we must cross, movement does indeed move us.

The world of sports is a popular and rich source of movement and emotion for photographers: sports events positively drip with action-friendly adrenalin, an all-natural fuel additive that gives contestants a boost of both speed and determination.

Fortunately, photographers themselves don't need to be on the offensive line or on the back of a bucking bronco to feel swept ...