You don’t always have to stop the action
Sports and action photos are most often made with a higher shutter speed that “stops the action” and produces a tack-sharp image.
However by using a relatively slow shutter speed, you can emphasize the movement to create a totally different feel to the picture.
 This “stop action” photo was captured using a relatively high shutter speed of 1/500th second. The young girl’s face is sharp. |
 By changing the shutter speed to 1/15th second, the blurred image creates a definite feeling of movement. |
 Here, the movement is mainly the girl’s arm striking the tree. Her face is still relatively sharp with a 1/30th second exposure. |
 Using a relatively slow shutter speed and panning (moving the camera to follow the action), produces blur except for the main subject. It takes a little practice to produce this effect. |
Don’t hesitate to set your shutter speed to 1/30 or slower and let the action do the talking. Slow dancing can make for some interesting photos. Do you agree? Send me your comments.
Written by Arnie Lee
