When it comes to capturing good action shots – whether a teen’s latest skateboard maneuver or Fido’s latest antic – one of the most important digital photography basics to consider is shutter lag.
More accurately called “processor lag,” this is the time that passes between the moment you press the shutter release button to the moment the camera actually gets the shot and you see the green light. Press too soon, and you end up with something completely different than what you expected.
Despite all of their advantages, compact digital cameras are slower than traditional film cameras. This article provides some tips for dealing with this lag, as well as tips for how to take more exciting and memorable action pictures.
1) Be Ready – Always try to anticipate the movement before it happens. Even professional sports photographers with speed-of-lightning cameras try to anticipate the action, just so they can be in the right spot and point the camera in the right direction.
To better anticipate the likelihood of that great shot, gain a basic understanding of what/whom you are photographing. So, if you plan to take pictures of your child’s soccer match, learn the rules of the game so you’ll know what to expect. If your child is dancing in the Nutcracker, watch a couple of rehearsals before you start taking pictures.
2) Before you get a new compact digital camera investigate what you really want. Unfortunately, you just won’t find a camera manual that tells you the amount of shuttter lag (or processor lag) that the camera experiences. Other factors can slow down the processing too, like the quality of the sensor and in dim lighting, the ISO setting. So investigate what other people are saying in photography forums and read all of the manufacturer’s specs online.
3) Spring for a DSLR (Digital Single-Lens-Reflex). They are more expensive than compact cameras but they are super fast. These cameras do not have shutter-lag issues, and if you’re shooting action indoors, you can ramp up the ISO without your photos being marred by the digital noise that you’ll get when doing the same with a compact.
Digital Photography Basics to Use with any Type of Camera
Whether you have a compact, DSLR, point-and-shoot film camera or camera phone, try these professional tricks.
Zoom in on Faces – Don’t always focus on the action. Look for the movement and expressions that represent the picture you’re trying to take like the smile of victory or the disappointing look of defeat!).
Tell a Story – Look for shots that tell a story of the event. For instance, take a picture of a team huddle or a group of runners stretching before the big race.
Freeze! – To freeze the movement, set your camera setting to “sports” mode or set your shutter speed priority to a high setting. For an example of the difference in settings: freezing action in a soccer game requires a shutter speed in the range of 1/250 to 1/500, while freezing the tiny movements of a pet that appears to be sitting still, requires 1/125.
Blur the Background – Take a cue from the sports photographers, and blur the background by decreasing the camera’s depth of field. If using a camera that has Aperture Priority, you can do this by simply decreasing the f-stop number. The lower the f-stop, the more background blur.
Pan – This is a good alternative for digital compact users where dim light underexposes photos taken with sports mode/fast shutter speed. Panning works with automatic focus, but it only works when the action is moving in a fairly straight line. Here is how to pan the camera:
Set the camera to Autofocus. With feet planted firmly on the ground, move the upper half of your body while following the subject with your camera. Just before you think the action will occur, start pressing the shutter release button half way down and continue following the subject until you’ve pressed the button completely down to get the shot.
Autofocus too slow on your camera? Focus on an area with a lot of contrast like a number on a uniform. Autofocus works better with more contrast.
Play around with panning and see what kinds of different effects you can get. You might want to show some blur in the action to emphasize the speed of movement, such as with a race car.
And once you get an action shot you love, don’t forget to share it with others by putting it in a photo frame. Most action pictures go best in simple metal picture frames but wood photo frames with simple wood moldings also look good as they both don’t distract from the action photo.
Whether you are shooting a sporting event or taking photos of your dog playing frisbee, action photos are really a lot of fun once you get the hang of it. And once you master the digital photography basics (like compensating for shutter lag) it makes it all the more fun.
