29.01.2012

TOAP Level 4.

Introduction.

Movement.

Exercise 1. Shutter speeds.  Demonstrating how different shutter speeds will allow or freeze movement in a shot.

Equipment: Olympus E3 with 14-54 lens.  Tripod mounted.

The subject I chose was people walking their dogs.  I was hoping to show the slower movement of the human legs as against the more rapid movement of the dogs legs.  I was attempting produce the feel of the painting, “Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash”, by Giacomo Balla.  See attached.

I started at 1/4sec. and carried on, at one stop increments, to 1/250sec.

The 1/4 sec. was far too blurry for what I was trying to achieve.  The body of the dog was far too elongated and one of the human’s legs had effectively disappeared.

The 1/8sec. shot was right for was I was after.  I thought the result I wanted would have come at a faster shutter speed.  The rear leg of the owner is firmly planted and his front leg is pushing out and striding forward.  His arm is swinging boldly and the whole impression is one of purposeful motion.  The dog on, the other hand, is clearly distracted by me and is looking in my direction.  He is a blur of legs and fur without the same purpose as his owner.  I have attached this picture.

At 1/15sec. the shutter has frozen the movement of the dog’s but allowed the forward movement of the dig to become blurred.  The movement of the owner is now less pronounced with blurring to his body and moving leg.

At 1/30sec.  the movement now looks merely annoying and unplanned.   

At 1/60sec.  the action is all but stopped with only a hint of movement in the owners moving leg.

At 1/125sec. the result was pretty much as at 1/60sec. with hardly any movement.

At 1/250sec. all movement was effectively frozen.

The picture taken at 1/8sec. is the nearest the to the effect I was after, and the most pleasing on the eye.

1/8 sec.