Five Photographic Tricks to Freeze Moving Subjects

For me, it is very hard to photograph those rapidly moving subjects, especially on some fierce competition. Those athletes’ quickness and agility impress me a lot while my blur photos disappoint me a lot. Therefore I try to figure out some effective solutions to better capture those fast moving subjects. And I find below tricks on ehow.com, hoping you can learn something from here. And more importantly, never miss to capture those exciting moments.

photo by Mr. Physics

1.       Pick a fast shutter speed to freeze the action

The faster the object is moving, the higher the required shutter speed. However, with fast shutter speeds, images can appear dark. Use a flash if the object is close enough to illuminate.

2.       Pan your camera to capture the moving object while blurring the background

Turn on your camera’s auto focus and, with your finger on the shutter release, move the camera, keeping the object in the viewfinder and taking the photograph when you’re ready.

photo by longristra

3.       Set up a tripod with a slow shutter speed and focus on the background

The moving object in the foreground will become a motion blur. Experiment with various shutter speeds in order to capture the essence of the object, yet blur it beyond recognition.

4.       Increase the focal length to prevent blurring

Back away from the moving object and use the camera’s zoom feature so that the camera has time to focus and freeze the motion.

5.       Adjust your shutter speed when the object is moving

Fewer pixels in the camera’s sensor are involved with an object that is moving closer or father away, whereas a horizontally moving object involves more pixels, slowing down the reaction time of the sensor.