Nature Photography Photo Workshop

7.3. WORKING WITH MOVING SUBJECT MATTER

When you photograph moving subject matter you have two choices: freeze the motion or let it blur. Unlike the human eye, the camera can freeze motion in a photograph or render the blur of motion over a period of time. Fast shutter speeds stop motion; slow shutter speeds reveal motion blur. For example, a shutter speed of 1/500 sec. is fast enough to freeze the motion of many natural objects you'll encounter (except possibly animals), while a shutter speed of one full second is long enough to show significant blur in the photo.

7.3.1. CONTROLLING SHUTTER SPEED

Because most of the time you'll be shooting in Aperture Priority or Manual exposure mode, the first key to controlling the shutter speed is to pay attention to the metered shutter speed the camera recommends based on the exposure values for the available light. If the camera-recommended shutter speed is appropriate for the picture you want to make, you don't need to do anything else. However, there will be many situations in which the metered shutter speed is either faster or slower than what you want. See in 7-12 how a slow shutter speed can allow elements in the scene to blur as they move during the exposure.

If the metered shutter speed is too fast, you can lower the ISO or use a polarizer and/or graduated neutral density (ND) filter, or both. Lowering the ISO decreases the sensitivity of the sensor, so longer shutter speeds are required to produce an equivalent exposure. Adding ...