Photos of Moving Subjects: Focus Tips to Blur or Freeze Motion (VIDEO)
We’re all faced with a choice when it comes to photographing fast-moving subjects, whether they’re birds in flight, sports subjects, shots of rambunctious kids or pets, or vehicles passing quickly through the frame. One option is to freeze the peak moment of action as it occurs, while the other is to intentionally blur the subject to create a unique, visual representation of speed.
This super quick tutorial is presented by the folks at Great Big Photography World, a great source of imaging information on a wide range of subjects of interest to beginners and experienced photographers alike. The popular YouTube channel also provides access to a supportive network of experts who share your passion for photography.
Today’s unnamed instructor breaks down various techniques for capturing the look you’re after, and it’s all about selecting an appropriate shutter speed and dialing in the best focus mode for the specific task at hand. As he says, “this photography tutorial will give you practical easy-to-follow tips to level-up your skills and instantly capture better photos.”
This eye-opening lesson begins with an overview of how shutter speed impacts motion blur and sharpness. When your goal is freezing a subject, the faster it moves the higher your shutter speed should be. And that means paying attention to how aperture and ISO settings impact exposure at the speed you select.
When sense of movement is the name of the game, however, it’s necessary to reverse the approach you take, and you’ll learn a few easy techniques for using motion-blur creatively for stunning effects.
Our instructor also explains when autofocus works best, and why focusing manually may be preferable in certain situations. The lesson also includes a discussion of focus mode options; namely AF Single (AF-S), and AF Continuous (AF-C). The decision of whether or not to use a tripod or shoot handheld also factors into the equation.
As with most tasks in photography there’s no one “correct” solution to these challenges, which is why the instructor recommends that after understanding the basics you should “experiment with different shutter speeds to see how motion blur and sharpness changes in your shots.” Bottom line: This four-minute explainer is well worth your time.
There’s plenty more to learn on the Great Big Photography World YouTube channel, so browse through their selection of instructional videos.
Then check put the related tutorial we featured with another accomplished pro who demonstrates how to choose the best camera settings for capturing awe-inspiring photographs of flying and perched birds when shooting in Manual mode.
