The shutter speed of your camera indicates the amount of time the shutter is open and taking in light. The longer period of time the shutter is open, the more light the camera gathers. Using shutter speed is important in any type of picture, but it's especially important in an action shots. Shutter speeds are measured in seconds and can be anything from 1/2000th of a second to 15 seconds.
Instructions
1. Use a fast shutter speed to stop the action in a picture. If you are capturing a moving object, set your camera to a shutter speed of no slower than 1/200. Because the shutter speed is open for a short period of time, the action in the picture will be stopped.
2. Increase the light in the picture. Fast shutter speeds take in less light and therefore the pictures will tend to be dark, especially in low-light situations. You can increase the light in a picture by using your flash, but the best method is to set your ISO, which is the sensitivity your camera has to light, to a high number such as 200 or 400.
3. Look for the action to stop. Because fast shutter speeds can lead to dark pictures, it's best to set the shutter speed as slow as you can and still stop the action in the picture. One way of doing this is to look for brief periods where you subject is moving slower. For example, when trying to photograph a golfer, look for the brief moment he stops his swing just after the backswing and just before his forward thrust.
4. Change your position. You can also increase the amount of time your shutter can be open and still stop the action by choosing your position well. Position yourself in a place where the action is coming directly at you as opposed to moving across your field of vision.
5. Try to convey action without movement. Look for signs of action, such as a racer holding a clinched fist up into the air in celebration.
6. Show motion lines in the picture. Pictures are a snapshot in time, but motion lines give the picture a sense of movement and action. To show motion lines, switch to a slow shutter speed of 1/20 or slower. The moving object will be blurry but the blurriness will contrast with the stable objects in the picture and convey motion.
Tags: shutter speed, action picture, motion lines, shutter open, stop action