Ready....aim....ACTION!

A friend of mine was asking how to get decent action shots with her old 35mm SLR.  Film cameras seem very different from the new digitals, but the basic fundamentals are exactly the same:  Balance shutter speed, ISO, and aperture, depending upon what you want to accomplish.


Remember, when you close down your aperture (like going from f/ 5.6 to maybe f/11) then you must compensate by slowing down the shutter speed (from like 1/250 to maybe 1/60).  It's like a see-saw.  If you let in less light in one area, you have to use the other to let that light back in.  The slower the shutter speed, the more light that can enter the camera.  The bigger the f/stop, the more light that can enter the camera.


F/stops are confusing to people because the BIG opening is a small number, and vice-versa.


Okay, with that in mind, we're going to look at what different shutter speeds and different apertures can do for a photograph.


Let's try some action-stopping settings.  Using a fast shutter speed will stop action, but you must be careful not to underexpose your image.  There are two things that will let you have a faster shutter speed:
1.  A large aperture (between 1.4 and 5.6)
and
2.  A higher ISO (or ASA in filmspeak)
If you're using film, you'll want to buy some faster speed film, like 400 or 1000.  Remember that the faster the film, the grainier the image.


Higher ISO/ASA lets you shoot in lower light.  They used to call it "fast" film, even though the film had NOTHING to do with stopping action.  It simply allowed a camera to use a faster shutter speed since less light was needed.


Okay, here is one action-stopping image:

Shutter speed:  1/1000

Aperture:  5.6

ISO:  400

Focal Length: 200mm

Sometimes you might want to actually SHOW the speed of something moving by using a slower shutter speed and panning the camera to follow the moving object.  This does a good job of showing the action in a picture:

I don't have the metadata that gives me the pic info for this one, but I'm estimating that the shutter speed was probably about 1/30th with an aperture to compensate.  Most likely the ISO was around 200.  Just be sure to PAN the camera with the moving subject or you'll simply end up with a blurry blob.


Once you get the hang of it, it's really pretty easy.  But there is one more thing that factors in here:
The longer the focal length, the higher your shutter speed must be to stop any action.  Remember that a lens that magnifies 200X will also magnify the movement.


Never have your shutter speed slower than your focal length.  For example, if you're using a 105mm lens, keep your shutter speed above 1/105 (on most cameras, the next step up would be 1/125).  This will need to be even HIGHER for stopping action.


The best and easiest way to get your action shots is to put your camera on "shutter priority".  (Usually marked as an "S" on your selection dial).  This forces the camera to shoot at a specific shutter speed and lets the camera choose the proper aperture to compensate.  

If you're using a DSLR, you can have the extra option of also letting the camera choose the best ISO to accomplish this.


If you're using a manual camera, open your aperture all the way, then adjust your shutter speed to the fastest setting allowable for the right exposure.


I hope this has been helpful!