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Action Photography - Ways You Can Improve Your Action Pictures
Also called "processor lag" this is the time that it takes between the time you press the shutter release and the time the camera actually takes the shot. Press the shutter too early and you'll end up with a picture that's completely different than what you were expecting. Despite all of their advantages, compact digital cameras are slower than traditional film cameras. This article provides some tips for working with shutter lag, as well as some tips for how you can take great action photos. 1) Be Ready to Shoot – While you can't know if your child is going to make that soccer goal, try to anticipate when things are most apt to happen. Even professional sports photographers with fast cameras have to still anticipate actions so they can be in the right spot at the right time. By having a better understanding of what you're photographing, you'll be better able to anticipate the actions and get better shots. So, if you plan to take pictures of your child's soccer match, learn the rules of the game so you'll know what to expect. If your child's performing in the Nutcracker, watch a rehearsal or two. 2) Shop Around before purchasing a new compact digital. Unfortunately, there isn't just one camera spec that will tell you how fast the camera will capture the picture from the time you press the button. Others things like the quality of the sensor and the ISO setting (if in dim light) can also slow down the processing time. So investigate what other people are saying in photography forums and read all of the manufacturer's specs online. 3) Spring for a DSLR (Digital Single-Lens-Reflex). They are more expensive than compact cameras but they are super fast. These cameras do not have shutter-lag issues, and if you're shooting action indoors, you can ramp up the ISO without your photos being marred by the digital noise that you'll get when doing the same with a compact. Digital Photography Tips You Can Use with Any Type of Camera Whether you have a compact, DSLR, point-and-shoot film camera or camera phone, try these professional tricks. Zoom in on Faces – Don't always focus on the action. Capture those expressions of determination, triumph and even defeat (especially if it's an opponent!). Tell a Story – Look for shots that tell a story of the event. For instance, take a picture of a team huddle or a group of runners stretching before the big race. Freeze! – To freeze the action, set your camera to sports mode or set your Shutter Speed Priority to a high setting. As an example of different settings, freezing action in a soccer tournament requires a shutter speed between 1/250 to 1/500 while taking photos of your pet sitting still requires 1/125. Blur the Background – Take a cue from the sports photographers, and blur the background by decreasing the camera's depth of field. If using a camera that has Aperture Priority, you can do this by simply decreasing the f-stop number. The lower the f-stop, the more background blur. Pan - This is a good alternative for digital compact users where dim light underexposes photos taken with sports mode/fast shutter speed. Panning works with automatic focus, but it only works when the action is moving in a fairly straight line. Here is how to pan the camera: Set the camera to Auto focus. With feet planted firmly on the ground, move the upper half of your body while following the subject with your camera. Just before you think the action will occur, start pressing the shutter release button half way down and continue following the subject until you've pressed the button completely down to get the shot. Auto focus too slow on your camera? Focus on an area with a lot of contrast like a number on a uniform. Auto focus works better with more contrast. Play around with panning and see what kinds of different effects you can get. If you want to put more emphasis on the movement, you may want to consider blurring the movement to make it look like it's moving faster. Whether of a sporting event or your dog, action shots are really fun to take once you get the hang of it. And once you master the digital photography basics (like compensating for shutter lag) it makes it all the more fun. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Autumn Lockwood is a writer for YourPictureFrames.com. Your Picture Frames offers a large selection of quality picture frames in a wide variety of styles, sizes and colors like our natural wood picture frames and beautiful brown picture frames. |
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