LESSON 4 The Right Shutter Speed – Panning and Freezing Action Video Stream: Freezing Action ​ PHOTO #1 Car in Sunflower Field © Bryan F. Peterson 2003 All Rights Reserved As you no doubt have learned by now, the aperture plays a very critical role in making a truly creative exposure. All the while, the poor shutter speed has been resigned to the role of "bringing the exposure to a close." It's sort of like the role of the bass player in bands throughout the world. Although the role is very important, you seldom hear from them. That's all about to change, at least in the arena of shutter speed. If ever there was a creative tool in exposure that could 'turn up the volume' of a photograph it would have to be the shutter speed! Only with the aid of the shutter speed can we FREEZE ACTION, allowing us to study ​ ​ at will the fine and intricate workings of an otherwise "too darn too fast to notice" subject. Only with the aid of the shutter speed can we IMPLY MOTION, calling further ​ ​ attention to the motion that was there and doing so in such a way as to turn up its volume. The most classic example of this is of course the waterfall, when photographed at shutter speeds of 1/2 second or longer. And finally, only with the aid of the shutter speed can we create anxious and hurried moments by PANNING an already moving subject. ​ ​ Today we will begin with a thorough look and understanding at panning and freezing action. Panning is a technique that is first reserved for subjects that are either ALREADY moving or that can be moved at your 'command' i.e. your dog ("fetch the Frisbee, boy!") or your model ("Okay, start pedaling the bike and don't forget to look at me and smile as you go by.") There are three rules that one must adhere to when panning. The first has to do with your point of view in relation to the moving subject. You must be at all times PARALLEL to the same subject and shoot it as it goes by. Trying to pan a subject that is moving at a 45 degree angle to you or God forbid a subject moving right at you is well, let me think about this, yeah that's it, it's a totally ridiculous idea! So don't try it as it will result in zero results! The second rule is choosing the right shutter speed. There are three to choose from, a 1/60 second, 1/30 second and a 1/15th second, but more often than not two of them seem to work the best in most panning situations, 1/60 second and a 1/30 second. I will occasionally use a 1/15 second but it is normally reserved for slower than normal moving subjects; a child, three years old, doing his/her best to pedal as fast as they can. And the third rule, the one embraced with zeal, is to NOT to use your tripod. Since you are panning moving subjects, you must be free to move. Using your tripod to pan makes about as much sense as eating spaghetti with your hands tied behind your back - Oh, it’s possible, but what a herky-jerky, hit-and-miss, and messy proposition. For the past two weeks, I've emphasized aperture and now for the next two weeks my emphasis will be on shutter speed. With the camera now forever set in manual mode, and with your creative emphasis on speed, you will first set your shutter speed to a 1/60 second and then call upon the aperture to bring the exposure to a close. This time and every time whenever and wherever you want to give the creative exposure priority to the shutter speed you will ALWAYS set it first and then bring the exposure to a close via the aperture. Let's take a look at this very simple yet powerful idea in action! Image Examples PHOTO #1 Car in Sunflower Field © Bryan F. Peterson 2003 All Rights Reserved I'm having the time of my life shooting sunflowers out in the middle of nowhere and the only noise that breaks the incredible silence is the occasional car that meanders along these back roads. It wasn't until I turned my attention away from shooting patterns and color that it occurred to me that an image of a car panned as it sped through the small paved road that divided this sunflower field might look kinda cool. And as often happens in cases like this, now that I WANTED a car, I waited and waited and waited for a car. Why is it when you're ready to go, you discover you were actually getting ready to wait? Just when I thought about packing it in, I heard a car approaching. I wasted no time in putting the camera to my eye and a quick RE-CHECK of my exposure, 1/60 second @ f/16, was still correct. Once the car made its entrance, I began to shoot and pan, to follow the car, doing my best to keep the car in the same point in the frame. And of course my finger was stuck to the shutter release button the whole time, while the cameras motor drive played "sweet music". Because I had loaded a brand new roll of film for this opportunity, I was in no danger of running of out of film at exactly the wrong time (boy how often has that happened, eh?). PHOTO #2 RAINY DAY BICYCLER © Bryan F. Peterson 2006 All Rights Reserved If not for the loud clap of thunder just outside my office door I doubt I would have got up from my desk and open the doors to witness the sudden downpour. Many of the people on the street below were quickly trying find cover, and I was just as quick to grab my nearby camera and 80-400mm lens and take advantage of this flurry of activity by simply panning the many hurried pedestrians below. This poor guy was doing his best to get out of the rain, as he sped by below on his bike, but not before I managed to fire off several frames of him as he passed by. Hand-holding my camera and lens, I set the aperture to f/11 and with the camera in Aperture Priority Mode, the resulting shutter speed of a 1/8 second proved sufficient in creating this 'anxious moment in the rain'. PHOTO #3 Chloe running in field of poppies © Bryan F. Peterson 2006 All Rights Reserved Fields of red poppies adorn the countryside throughout France every spring. Besides the obvious flower compositions that one could take, the fields are also a great backdrop to shoot motion filled imagery against; specifically panning shots. As my willing daughter Chloe ran through one such field, in celebration of a long awaited spring, I was quick to fire off numerous panning shots of her, as I hand-held my camera and 35-70mm lens. With my aperture set to f/22, I was able to record a correct exposure at a 1/40 second on this day of bright overcast. PHOTO #4 TAXIS ON BROADWAY Nikkor 17-55MM @ 20MM. © Bryan F. Peterson 2006 All Rights Reserved It doesn't take long at all to create some wonderful panning shots if you find yourself hanging out at Times Square in New York City. In a matter of only a few minutes, I was able to record more than my share of the famous Yellow Taxi's rushing down Broadway, against some color-filled backgrounds; the many large signs/billboards which Broadway is of course famous for. With my shutter speed set to a 1/15 second, I simply adjusted my aperture until f/16 indicated a correct exposure. And it was handheld, of course. PHOTO #5 Costumed Woman Nikkor, 35mm-70mm at 35mm. © Bryan F. Peterson 2003 All Rights Reserved Carnival comes to Lyon France every February. Started in Italy years ago, and now celebrated throughout Europe, it brings out the 'best' in people. Adorned with their costumes they parade around Old Lyon for much of the weekend and as they rush about, it's an obvious panning opportunity. With my shutter speed set to a 1/30 second, I simply adjusted my aperture until f/11 indicated a correct exposure and of course handheld. PHOTO #6 FISH MARKET DUBAI © Bryan F. Peterson 2006 All Rights Reserved Throughout the morning wheelbarrows filled with fish are rushed from seller to buyer at the Dubai Fish Market. This is clearly an opportunity to do some panning and for many shooters panning is embraced with zeal since the last thing you want to do is use a tripod when panning. Panning is all about hand holding the camera and lens and moving it in the same direction of your moving subject while you fire off any number of exposures. There is no one shutter speed that is called upon for panning, but with practice and experience you will make the discovery that shutter speeds of a 1/60, 1/30 or a 1/15 second will be called upon most often, depending on the 'speed' of your subject. As the wheelbarrow laden with fish sped past me, I simply moved in the same left to right direction while shooting with my Nikon D2X and 17-55mm lens at the correct exposure of f/22 for a 1/15 second.