Moving Objects

dan.rpo · Dec 11, 2008

Plan on taking pictures of moving objects tomorrow, however, it will be at night and I do not want to use flash....what should i have my settings set to to get the moving objects stationary in my shots? (without blur and yes i have a tripod)

Josh66 · Dec 11, 2008

At night with no flash? It just wouldn't be possible with my gear...

How much ambient light will there be?

You're going to need a shutter speed around 1/60th or faster (might be able to get away with less, depending on what the object is, and how fast it's moving), all of your other settings will have to be whatever will allow you to get that fast of a shutter speed.

Hope your camera has high ISO (mine only goes to 1600, I don't think that would be enough for this) & good performance. Get some good noise reduction software too.

Flash Harry · Dec 12, 2008

Look, Flash is a photographers tool, it makes the difference between getting a usable shot or ending up with a blurred mess, never mind what's said on here I'd rather have a well lit portrait or other shot with flash than a raccoon eyed or totally blurred image, most of those that are against flash just don't know how to use it. H

tirediron · Dec 12, 2008

1/250 @ f8. Of course the exposure will be totally black so you won't see anything, sharp or soft. To paraphrase 0|||||0, you can't get there from here.

Flash Harry · Dec 12, 2008

tirediron said:
1/250 @ f8. Of course the exposure will be totally black so you won't see anything, sharp or soft. To paraphrase 0|||||0, you can't get there from here.

Add 1 flashgun, shoot completed. H

kundalini · Dec 12, 2008

or have a beverage and just watch the moving objects go pass......

moving subject + nighttime shooting - flash = no image without blur

DWS · Dec 12, 2008

unless you have the mother of all cameras, use flash

jcolman · Dec 13, 2008

It sounds to me like you're not very familiar with your gear so much of what I'm about to post will probably go over your head. However, just in case you do understand a bit of photography lingo, I'll give you some tips.

First of all, what are the "moving objects" and what is their direction of movement? If, for example, you're talking about people walking towards you and you're working in a pretty bright ambient light situation, it is possible to get a pretty sharp image. Use a fast lens, say a f/1.4 or 1.8, no longer than 80mm. Set your camera to ISO 1600 or faster and shutter speed to 1/60 sec. If the people are moving across the frame, pan your camera with them while shooting. This will blur the background but the people will be sharp.

If you're talking about trying to freeze faster subjects like cars, use the trick above and keep your fingers crossed. You may get lucky and get one or two shots but most likely you'll be disappointed.

eyeye · Dec 13, 2008

what are you going to be photographing?

dan.rpo · Dec 13, 2008

im not against flash, i just dont have another flash besides the one on the camera......i will be NYC taking night time pictures with use of a tripod and factory flash only. I want to take pictures of the city streets, buildings, rockefeller xmas tree...anything worthy of a shot, meaning everything in NYC. i just want to know the basic settings for capturing a shot, of lets say, Times Square, at night time. yes, times square has more lighting than other places, so as for a second example, looking down a city street. ?? and yes, im a beginner.

edit, i only have the kit lens and the average filters one would buy for their lens.

Josh66 · Dec 13, 2008

dan.rpo said:
i just dont have another flash besides the one on the camera......

Same boat here.

If you absolutely have to 'stop motion', use the pop-up flash. That's the only way you're going to do it. Tripod & long exposure is the way to go for everything else.

jcolman · Dec 13, 2008

Set your camera to ISO 1600. Set your aperture to it's widest settings which will probably be f/3.5. Set your shutter speed to 1/2 sec and go from there. A flash won't do any good for lighting up buildings, streets, etc. You probably don't know how to use your histogram so just look at the pics as you take them. If they look too dark, use a slower shutter speed until you're happy with the results. You won't be able to "freeze" any action but you don't have the gear to do that so don't worry about it. Your pop up flash will give you poor results so don't even bother with it. The light from it will be flat and harsh.

Good luck.

dan.rpo · Dec 14, 2008

^which is why i said "without flash" in my original post heh....thanks all..i will post in the general gallery a few days after i get to go..however, what kind of flash would be used to stop motion on a night time city street like the example i gave? without washing out the background and the rest of the ambient lighting coming from signs/building/cars etc.

jcolman · Dec 14, 2008

dan.rpo said:
^which is why i said "without flash" in my original post heh....thanks all..i will post in the general gallery a few days after i get to go..however, what kind of flash would be used to stop motion on a night time city street like the example i gave? without washing out the background and the rest of the ambient lighting coming from signs/building/cars etc.

Any decent flash units, either speedlights (like the canon 580EX) or studio strobes can do the job. The trick is placement and using multiple lights. Placing a flash near or next to the lens will front light the subject and tend to give you that "washed out" look. By placing the flash units away from the camera and to the side, you light the sides of the subject, giving a more pleasant look to the pics. Using multiple lights will give you even better results.

anubis404 · Dec 14, 2008

If you're completely against flash, go get a 50mm F1.8. A cheap, good, and fast lens. The pictures still won't be great, but they'll be better. What camera are you using?