Motion

We've just launched a new assignment called Motion. If something is moving, show us. But which is best — freeze, blur, or pan? To get some tips about shooting motion, please see the Photogs 'n Motion TipsFlick and Actual Info.

Sometimes, the technique is pretty straight forward, like in the picture at left. The monks (in Lo Manthang, Nepal) were dancing during a festival. Since people don't normally stand around with one foot in the air, it is pretty clear that the monks were moving.  I had lots of nice sunshine, so freezing them with a fast shutter speed was easy.

Later in the day, about the time the drummers showed up, the light got very dull. I could have frozen this drummer, but the colors would been subdued and uninteresting. So I used a slow shutter speed, panned with him, and popped a fill flash to bring out the colors. That he is moving is pretty plain to see.

Freezing is easy — just use a fast shutter speed. Blurring and panning take practice. So go out and practice, and submit the ones you like. Move us.

Get Closer (or crop)

I apologize for the long delay. I've been in Africa for the past while and beyond the reach of the internet. (Not a bad thing to do every once in a while.)

So... I've been looking through the Stranger and Depth Galleries and been very impressed with a lot of the work. But one thing I have noticed over and over is that many of you are not getting close enough to your subjects. Now mind you, this is one of the hardest things to do when we are photographing people we don't know. Most photographers are (believe it or not) pretty shy. We don't want to be a nuisance, don't want to bother people by sticking a lens in their face. And there is the legitimate concern that if you get closer, the situation you want to photograph might dissolve — your presence will disrupt it.

There's an old saying in photography: "Get close. then get closer." It often means the difference between a snapshot and a photograph.

Cary and I really like this image taken in Toronto by Terry Doyle. The colors are great, it's graphically interesting, and the pairs on the left and right reinforce the isolation of the man on the bench. But the manhole and pavement in the bottom of the frame aren't really doing much for us — it's wasted space. Same with the left of the frame — we can't really see the signs there, and the window frame provides a nice boundary. So...

If you can't get close enough, there's nothing wrong with a little cropping. Especially if your camera makes large files, you can crop and still get excellent quality. Here a took the liberty of cropping Terry's photo. Everything that worked before still works — just a tad better. Our eyes are not distracted by the empty space, and the loneliness of the man in the middle is stronger.

When you see something that strikes your picture-making fancy, get closer!

Depth 1

We like Megan's picture of this violin player in Chicago, which is in the Assignment: Depth Gallery. The soft tones of browns work well with the very shallow depth of field, in which only the scroll, pegs, and peg box are sharp. The image immediately evokes music, which is abstract. Details of the rest of the violin and the musician are not really important — they, like the music we imagine him playing, are left to our imaginations. The technique fits the subject

One thought: It would be interesting to see four frames of this situation. This one, one where his hand is sharp, one where the bow in the middle distance is sharp, and one where his face is sharp. Then compare them side by side to see how they each work differently, how they each evoke something different.

That said, this is a good one. Nicely done, Megan.                                                                                  ©2012 Megan E. Doherty