Photographing motion

[A_Vile_Sum]

Hello all!

This is my first post and I am very excited. I apologize for any errors.
I am fairly new to photography and have no formal training. However, I have been asked to photograph some athletic training sessions and have run into a few problems. The facility is not very well lit and the training is at very high speeds. As you can Imagine there is a great deal of blur to combat. Such as the following. Here are the specs
Shutter- 1/13
Apt- f 5.0
focal length- 34mm
ISO-800

when I tried a faster shutter speed the image would darken anything slower blurred terribly. I would appreciate any input. And I thank you for your time.

​

 

[Chris.]

well your problem is your exposer... 1/13 of a second is far to long for capturing motion shots. Try 1/200 of a second or shorter next time. And to compensate the darkness, adjust your aperture and iso. Also as for the blur; odds are you are panning while you take the shot. This can cause a blur in the background of the moving object. Next time dont pan if you dont want the blur.

 

[icassell]

Indoor action photography can be difficult and can be demanding on your gear. You did not mention what lens you are using. You need much faster shutter speed than you are using (probably > 1/250 sec, depending on your desired result) and you may well be limited by the maximum aperture of the lens.

Your background is also blurred, likely a result of trying to hand-hold the camera at that slow shutter speed.

You can try cranking your ISO way up, but you will start seeing a great deal of noise as you do.

Good luck!

 

[Dao]

If flash is not allow, the only way I can think of is use a fast prime lens.

I will say you need at least 1/250 shutter speed. But that is about 4 stops of light from the photo listed. In order to get there, you may need a F/1.4 lens

F/5.6 -> F/4.0 -> F/2.8 -> F/2.0 -> F/1.4 with ISO800

 

[musicaleCA]

f/1.4 would be one hell of a bear to use though; the DoF is very shallow, and more so if he's using a crop sensor. Without accurate, fast AF Servo (not sure what Nikon's term for it is), that might be very difficult without careful and meticulous planning (and AF like that only comes on higher-end bodies anyway...grr).

 

[Samanax]

A Beginners Guide to Capturing Motion in Your Photography

See Rule #68

 

[A_Vile_Sum]

thanks for all the help. The suggestions and links were very helpful. I am trying again in the morning so I will keep everyone updated on the progression.

 

[A_Vile_Sum]

I am using a Nikon D60 that I bought off a friend. What other types of lens should I try to invest in? Maybe a telephoto so I don't have to worry about getting run over by an athlete?

 

[Jeff Colburn]

Take a look at the volleyball picture here The Creative Cauldron - Article called Your Television Could Be Ruining Your Photograph's Composition

I shot this with Tri-X, using an 80-200 zoom lens, no flash. I pushed the Tri-X to ISO 800, and was shooting at about f 8 at 1/60. One reason that there is almost no blur is that I shot at the peak of the action. In many sports, there are moments when the action stops or slows, like a pole vaulter as they clear the bar, a runner going over a hurdle, etc. This is a good time to take a shot if low light is a problem.

There are only so many things you can do in low light to get your picture; high ISO, fast lens, flash or shoot at the peak of action. Each has its pros and cons, you just have to decide what will work for you.

Have Fun,
Jeff

 

[gsgary]

well your problem is your exposer... 1/13 of a second is far to long for capturing motion shots. Try 1/200 of a second or shorter next time. And to compensate the darkness, adjust your aperture and iso. Also as for the blur; odds are you are panning while you take the shot. This can cause a blur in the background of the moving object. Next time dont pan if you dont want the blur.

Panning is the only way he is going to get the shot with the equipment he has, panned correctly the runner will be mostly sharp and background blurred you will need to up your ISO so you can get about 1/125 or spend a lot of money on fast lenses
This is the sort of effect you will get, this was at 1/60 (i don't have any athletic shots done this way)

 

[pezuzaine]

well your problem is your exposer... 1/13 of a second is far to long for capturing motion shots. Try 1/200 of a second or shorter next time. And to compensate the darkness, adjust your aperture and iso. Also as for the blur; odds are you are panning while you take the shot. This can cause a blur in the background of the moving object. Next time dont pan if you dont want the blur.

Panning is the only way he is going to get the shot with the equipment he has, panned correctly the runner will be mostly sharp and background blurred you will need to up your ISO so you can get about 1/125 or spend a lot of money on fast lenses
This is the sort of effect you will get, this was at 1/60 (i don't have any athletic shots done this way)

That picture is awesome. Can you tell me exactly how it was done?

 

[musicaleCA]

Er...he told you in the post. Shutter speed 1/60. Pan with the subject. *scratches head*

 

[c.cloudwalker]

This is the sort of effect you will get, this was at 1/60 (i don't have any athletic shots done this way)

And you probably won't have any athletics shots done that way. Every parts of the bicycle that are moving are blurred. The only reason his legs are not blurred is because this guy is going downhill and not pedaling.

Sorry but this is not the technique for athletics. The OP will get better results following the advice of Jeff Colburn.