Capturing Movement

Capturing Motion

Capturing Motion

Lesson Objectives

1. Use a fast shutter speed to freeze motion

2. Use a slow shutter speed to create motion blur and suggest movement

3. Experiment with the PAN technique

4. Use flash to freeze motion

5. Use long exposure to produce light-writing

6. Produce a short stop-motion film

It is a very old cliché that photography can “capture a frozen moment”. This ability to ‘freeze’ motion, can sometimes produce images which appear static and lifeless.

As photographers we can use different techniques to either freeze motion, or to suggest movement which can make images more ‘life-like’.

Some methods of capturing movement that we will investigate:

Freezing motion

Motion Blur

Panning

Flash

Cinematic Film & Video

Stop Motion photography

Dagguerre c.1840

This very early photograph required an exposure time (shutter speed) of several minutes. Only one person who was standing relatively still appears in the image … can you find them?

Why do the horses, carriages and other people present not seem to show?

Jaques Henri Lartigue, c. 1910

Do you think Lartigue used a fast or a slow shutter speed?

Jaques Henri Lartigue, c. 1910

Answer: Fast shutter speed (e.g. 1/250 of a second)

Robert Capa, c.1936

Fast or Slow shutter speed?

Photographer Unknown

Fast or slow shutter speed?

Henri Cartier Bresson, Behind the Gare St. Lazare, 1932

A famous photograph demonstrating what the photographer Cartier Bresson termed ‘the decisive moment’

The shutter speed was probably about 1/30 of a second.

Motion blur using the Pan technique

Camera rotated during exposure

2010 Student’s photographs

Using a SLOW shutter speed

Flash

Some early equipment for producing a quick flash of light.

Harold Edgerton, c.1940

The ‘electronic flash’ that we use today was developed in the 1940’s.

The flash lasts for only about 1/1000 of a second. Because of this, flash lighting can freeze motion

Incorrect flash synchronisation

Many cameras will only work properly with flash with shutter speeds up to about 1/250 of a second. If you get pictures where some of the image is black this is usually because you have set too fast a shutter speed.

photo by Eliot Elisofon, 1952

How might this photograph have been made? (Hint: think about how the flash was fired – once or lots of times?)

Light-Writing using a small torch and long exposure time of several seconds.

The subject is the artist is Pablo Picasso

This photograph was made using flash AND a slow shutter speed at a disco / party. The short flash has ‘frozen’ the dancers motion, while the slow shutter speed has allowed the red disco lights to create an additional blurred image.

In this example the shutter speed was ¼ of a second

Chris Monaghan

Edweard Muybridge

When we view images one after the other our brains can interpret this as a ‘moving image’.

This illusion relies on image persistence.

Stop Motion photography

Is a technique where individual photographs are taken, moving the objects between shots. The images are then viewed one after another, like a cinematic film. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_HXUhShhmY

Note: For ‘jerky’ movement move the objects quite a bit between each photograph – for ‘smooth’ motion only move the objects a little between each photograph.

Time-lapse photography

is a cinematographic technique whereby each film frame is captured at a rate much slower than it will be played back (for example only take a photograph every 10 seconds, but play the images back at 24 frames per second).

When replayed at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus ‘lapsing’.

See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrGcd6PN7EE

Assignments / Experiments

1. Produce an image with light writing - use torch, darkened room and tripod.

2. Take a photograph outdoors using a fast shutter speed to freeze the motion.

3. Take a photograph indoors using flash to freeze the motion.

4. Take a photograph using a slow shutter speed to create motion blur

5. Take a photograph using a slow shutter speed and the PAN technique

6. Produce a simple stop motion film with about 15 to 20 images – use the image review to scroll through your images to view the film. Hint: use a tripod!

Finish NO LATER THAN XXXXpm

Delete poor images, keeping only the BEST EXAMPLE for each.

Download onto your USB for printing.

Did you cover all the lesson objectives?

1. Use fast shutter speed to freeze motion

2. Use slow shutter speed to create motion blur and suggest movement

3. Experiment with the PAN technique

4. Use flash to freeze motion

5. Use long exposure to produce light-writing

6. Produce a short stop-motion film