There’s only one problem with still photography.  They’re still…and sometimes, you want to show motion.

Showing motion in photography can be one of the most difficult aspects of the two-dimensional visual medium.  It’s that feeling of action and energy or motion and movement that can elude, and often frustrate, many photographers.

If you’re trying to capture the action and excitement of your child riding a bicycle you’ll want to use a shutter speed that helps illustrate the motion.

This means using a slow shutter speed.

Slow shutter speeds aren’t just for those times when you may be in a low-light situation; indoor photography, sunset photographs, nightlife scenes or nighttime photography, slow shutter speeds can also be used to get creative and beautiful photographs that can really put the action in your “still” photographs.

Whether you are trying to show the silkiness of a waterfall or the movement of the stars at night, a slower shutter speed adds artistic drama while offering a creative solution to the dilemma of incorporating motion into the “still” photograph.

How do you figure out the best shutter speed to show motion?

It’s a question that I get asked several times a year.  It requires a few more questions to ask yourself:

How fast is your subject moving?

Is it your grandson running around the back yard at 7 mph, or is it a train running at 70 mph?

How close are you to your subject?

Are you a few feet away where your subject can quickly move out of frame or are you 100 feet away where more time may be needed to show the movement?

What lens are you using?

A wide angle lens will provide a larger plane of coverage perhaps requiring a longer exposure.  Telephoto lenses tend to recognize movement much easier.

All of these variables mean that there is no real default slow shutter speed to best capture motion with your camera.  Most experts will probably quote somewhere between 1/60 sec. to 1/15 sec. and that’s a good range to begin your experimentation.  Part of the beauty of motion photography is the unpredictability of the process.

Remember

Different conditions present challenges that will be unique to your camera, lens, and subject and distance to subject.  You’ll never be absolutely sure of what you’ll end up with, but with enough practice and participation you’ll begin to get a feeling of where to set your shutter speed for the desired results.

Photographs:

Motion Blur Bike by Mike1970Vintage of Mark’s Mutterings

_MG_6574 “Annie Spring” by Michael Menard of Michael Menard Photography