How to "Stop" Motion...

[Lockeseven]

When I'm taking a picture in motion such as a person running for example, how do I freeze all the motion in a single shot without any blur? I'm using the kit lens that came with my D3100, an AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR.

 

[Village Idiot]

Use a faster shutter speed or a flash with a short enough of a flash duration that it will stop all motion.

 

[Michiyo-Fir]

You need to make sure that you have good lighting first.

The next thing is to make sure you have a quick shutter speed (probably between 1/1000-1/8000) depending on how much light you have.

You can try the 3D auto tracking function on your camera as well to make focusing a bit easier. I haven't used this function much so I'm not sure how well it works.

 

[ChefStaller]

I am still learning but this guys videos helped me a whoooooooole lot with understanding alot of concepts of photography, i suggest going through all 13-14 vids.

 

[Flash Harry]

1/250-1/500 sec will be more than enough, show me a human who will be blurred at 1/1000-1/8000 and I'll get my kryptonite out. Any more posts with outrageous replies and I'll start blogging about this site being top of the BS league. H

PS. All on camera flash duration is short enough to freeze motion, regardless of manufacturer.

 

[MohaimenK]

Funny I have this on another screen paused as I watching 30 sec at a time since I'm at work. LOL

 

[kundalini]

When I'm taking a picture in motion such as a person running for example, how do I freeze all the motion in a single shot without any blur? I'm using the kit lens that came with my D3100, an AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR.

Think about that for a minute...................

Okay, now do you really want to stop ALL motion? Need another minute?.....................

Your subject, yes, I can understand that part, but if you stop ALL motion, it will be a very static shot. If you're photographing a runner, the non-essential background having some blur to it adds to the impact and gives a sense to the context of your image.

Just my 2¢.

Plus what some of the others said (like Harry).

 

[cnutco]

1/250-1/500 sec will be more than enough, show me a human who will be blurred at 1/1000-1/8000 and I'll get my kryptonite out. Any more posts with outrageous replies and I'll start blogging about this site being top of the BS league. H

PS. All on camera flash duration is short enough to freeze motion, regardless of manufacturer.

Nice.

Like kundalini said, it is nice to have some shots with motion blur too. Then you will be able to pick from the two. 9 times out of 10, if the shot is set up correctly, you will prefer the motion blur.

 

[Derrel]

The angle of the motion in relation to the camera axis is the single most critical factor. Runners coming directly AT or away from the camera can be stopped pretty well with slower speeds. Action coming toward or away at angles needs a bit faster speeds. Runners moving directly across the film plane demand the absolute fastest shutter speeds. This all relates to how much the subject is actually traversing, in relation to the film plane. Also, the image size of the object in motion is a factor, as is the distance from the camera to the moving object (the two are closely related).

If you shoot automobiles crossing a big bay bridge from 3/4 mile away, the small-appearing cars will be "frozen" at 1/60 second, because they are tiny specks in the overall composition. However, from 100 feet away, the same automobiles will require a speed of around 1/2000 second or faster to be "frozen". Why? Mostly image magnification or 'image size on film' (or image size on-sensor these days).

Using a kit lens, the first thing to do is to elevate the ISO setting to 800 to 1,000 under a wide range of circumstances, because the widest aperture will likely be only f/5.6, so you need some advantage to get the shutter speed up to the "fast" range, which begins at around 1/400 second and goes upward from there. Then, shoot the moving person coming head-on toward the camera, or at an angle coming toward the camera. If the person is running at right angles, swing the camera along with them, and release the shutter as you swing the camera. This is called panning or tracking with the subject.

As Kundalini mentions...often times a shot with just a little bit of blurring on the extremities looks preferable to a truly frozen shot. However, really,really fast shutter speeds like 1/4000 to 1/8000 DO HAVE a certain appeal to them....every single little thing is stopped...there's an almost eerie super-real look to human expression and movement at ultra-high shutter speeds. I used to shoot a lot of track and field, and that sport allows a lot of experimenting as to exact speeds and how action is rendered. In some events "fast" is 1/800 second, whereas in the hammer, discus, and javelin, 1/800 is really quite a "slow" speed, due to the speed of the equipment.

 

[Lockeseven]

Thank you guys for all your answers, I'm so happy that I joined this forum. Your expertise and knowledge is very much appreciated =)

 

[gsgary]

I also like shot`s with a bit of motion blur but when printing onsite at events they do not sell, like Harry said you don't need ultra fast shutter speeds and you get great expessions on the faces of runners this is 1/640 @f2.8

but sometimes 1/640 gives you very slight blur (left arm)

 

[pgriz]

Looks like the spam filters need tightening... ^^^

To the OP - lots of very good advice, but you will benefit the most by experimenting. Trying out various shutter speeds, with and without panning, will give you an intuitive feel for the shutter speed appropriate to the situation. Frozen action shots work when it is clear that the subject is moving (ie, a jump, a throw, or blurred background), but adding a bit of motion blur to other subjects really helps in conveying the idea of movement.

 

[Corvphotography]

1/250-1/500 sec will be more than enough, show me a human who will be blurred at 1/1000-1/8000 and I'll get my kryptonite out. Any more posts with outrageous replies and I'll start blogging about this site being top of the BS league. H

PS. All on camera flash duration is short enough to freeze motion, regardless of manufacturer.

Couldnt agree more.