That Half Second before shooting the Frame

[denizg7]

I am always stuck in that mere half second before I take that shot, wondering what I should keep my shutter release at.

You see sometimes I think If I capture a bicycle rider in the street, sometimes I like to use 1/4 of a sec to get a blur on the subject but sharp on the background.

I always get confused as to whether my subject should be in blur or fluid using 1000 of a sec.

Any suggestions welcome, I am an amateur , oh I also use a fast lens f1.4 and tend to shoot wide open if that helps.

[froyd]

I am not sure I fully understand your question, particularly what you mean by "fluid" in the third sentence.

In any case, 1/4 would give you a very blurry picture of a bike rider moving at average speed. The background might be blurry too because depending on the focal length 1/4 is a tough speed to handhold. You can probably achieve some blur and a sharp background at 1/15 and even 1/30 if the biker is moving fast. Those speeds are more likely to mask the effect of camera shake.

Alternatively, you could set a slow speed and track the subject with the camera, resulting in a semi-sharp biker and blurred background due to the intentional camera movement.

Finally, a higher shutter speed, say above 1/125 should be enough to give you a sharp biker and sharp background.

If you mainly shoot at f1.4 your shutter speeds will have to be fairly high and your film speed fairly low to work in bright light.

[Bob Michaels]

Originally Posted by denizg7

........................ I always get confused as to whether my subject should be in blur or fluid using 1000 of a sec. ....................

I think one must immediately do what seems right at that instant and not over-analyze it. There are so many of those variables that you cannot dwell on any one because that leads to dwelling on the next. Later you will realize some of those instant decisions were right and some were not. But your decisions become better and better with practice and you never stop improving.

Even if you shoot with a view camera and spend much time under the dark cloth analyzing the image on the ground glass, you will think of some way you wish would have done differently within 1/2 hour of tripping the shutter.

[denizg7]

yeah I guess you guys are right, I am just going to try over and over again and see which results I like better

[Juan Valdenebro]

If you like movement, use a tripod... That's how movements on your images will look better...

Cheers,

Juan

[dct]

In know that feeling, before and after you hit the shutter. In similar situations with a lot of motion I often take to images: One with a slower shutter speed (which I prefer) and one with 1/500s or faster. Later on, when I come to keepers decision, the results vary: Sometimes the blurred motion is the winner, sometimes not, but at least I have the choice.

[dave lackey]

I agree with Bob...shoot lots and you will grow into your own. The key, IMO, is not thinking. It is seeing. The technical parts you can work through before and after an image is made. Years after.

The more you shoot, the better you get. But remember, the better you get the harder you must work.

Or else, you get lazy. (paraphrazed from Albert King and his discussion with Stevie Ray Vaughn in 1989).

[skibeerr]

Oh, and then there's panning of course. Blurred background with sharp biker :-)

Have a plan............I know I don't.

[sreed2006]

May I offer the following general rule? If the scene behind the bicyclist is interesting, then the picture really is of the background with the passing bicyclist added for interest. If the background is not worth a photograph of its own, then make the bicyclist the main subject, and keep him/her sharp.

This was taken with a Rolleiflex set on a tripod and probably 1/15 second. I don't think it turned out especially well, but shows an example of the general rule given above.


Baptist Church, passing bicyclist by sreed2006, on Flickr

[denizg7]

Originally Posted by sreed2006

May I offer the following general rule? If the scene behind the bicyclist is interesting, then the picture really is of the background with the passing bicyclist added for interest. If the background is not worth a photograph of its own, then make the bicyclist the main subject, and keep him/her sharp.

This was taken with a Rolleiflex set on a tripod and probably 1/15 second. I don't think it turned out especially well, but shows an example of the general rule given above.


Baptist Church, passing bicyclist by sreed2006, on Flickr

your whole post just made me think much more clearly next time I am taking a shot. Whats more interesting the for front subject or the backround. And if the backround I can't shoot wide open all the time

thanks

[TXForester]

Don't forget about panning with the shutter speed in the middle ground. Instead of blurring the biker or completely freezing the action, a moderate shutter speed and panning will keep the bike and the upper part of the rider reasonably sharp and frozen while allowing the legs/feet to blur.