Capture drama by freezing motion while conveying subject movement
Work with fast shutter speeds
Making use of rapid shutter speeds, where the
sensor is exposed to light for only a fraction
of a second, has the potential to capture
incredible action images. These settings
require a very different approach to camera
work than longer exposures, however, and it is
important to pick the right subject, adjust your
composition and ensure a good understanding
of how other camera parameters influence
photographic success.
A fast shutter speed can be considered
as any exposure above 1/500 sec, since this
is the baseline value for allowing handheld
images at super-telephoto focal lengths while
maintaining sharpness. The key characteristic
of an image shot with a short exposure is
frozen motion, resulting in the resolution of
extreme detail in the subject. This has theIntentionally exceed the camera’s maximum flash synchronisation speed for an attractive light falloff
Cheat flash sync speed
1
Set up wireless system Although
your camera and flash may be able to
communicate wirelessly, using a third-party
trigger may be necessary to enable the
maximum flash sync speed to be exceeded.
Alternatively use a third-party flashgun. Opt
for radio triggers for maximum reliability.4
Increase shutter speed you can
do this in Manual, but shutter Priority
mode will allow you to focus on exposure
duration while the camera controls the
aperture. if the maximum sync speed is
1/200 sec, try around 1/250 sec to start with.2
Adjust light output calculate the
ideal balance of ambient and artificial
light for a perfect exposure. Turn the flash
power down if it is too bright and blows
highlights on your subject. A setting of 1/8
power is a reliable starting point, and then
increase or decrease as required.5
Take a test shot shoot an image
and observe the effect of darkening at
the bottom of the frame, caused by the flash
failing to illuminate the shot evenly. The aim
should be to introduce a subtle effect, so
adjust exposure and flash output accordingly.3
Select exposure choose an f-stop
that enables you to increase the shutter
speed above the maximum flash sync –
usually around 1/200 sec. Begin with f8
and adjust as necessary, stopping down if
your speed becomes too high. increase isO
instead if you require shallow depth of field.6
Push to the extremes if the
uneven lighting is not clearly visible, try
pushing the shutter speed higher to find the
maximum setting before the transition from
light to dark becomes too sudden. Adjust the
light position and height to vary the effect.effect of suggesting to the viewer of the image
that this detail is of importance and that they
should examine it closely. This factor is often
of benefit, but as we will discuss later, it is a
fact that can also have negative consequences.
Other than controlling intense lighting
by minimising exposure of the sensor, a
fast shutter speed is most useful when we
need to draw attention to a single action or
movement of the subject. This can be seen in
many wildlife or sports photography images
where the photographer has focussed on
the organic motion of their subject within
the frame and made this a point of interest
in itself. By rendering a usually fast-moving
object as static in the composition, we can
present it to the audience in a way they never
see it in the real world. Detail is often revealedthat is usually missed in a quick, fleeting
glance, much like a macro lens reveals hidden
features in a small subject.
Although this can produce photos with
intrigue, there are a number of practical and
technical considerations to master before
we can attempt truly creative images. The
most critical is getting sufficient light into the
camera to enable a short exposure duration.
Unless shooting in open sunlight in the middle
of the day, it will almost always be necessary
to increase the sensitivity to a minimum of ISO
800 – a common standard for professional
sports photographers. Secondly, the freezing
effect may not be appropriate for all areas
of the image, requiring an adaptation to our
technique to introduce selective sharpness
and suggested motion on a local level.all images© Peter fenechTechniques