Weekly Asignment: Stop the Action

[PWS-Staff]

Chances are that regardless of what type or brand of digital camera you own, it is packed with a selection of scene modes and one of those modes is a Sports/Action mode. For this assignment, find a fast-moving subject and use the Sports/Action mode to get some action-stopping photographs. You’ll find challenging subjects all around you, from the local youth soccer league to the kids at the skateboard park. Remember to look for the peak of action and don’t get frustrated — it takes a lot of near misses to get a few great shots.

For this assignment, I visited the local seawall on Long Island Sound to see if I could stop the windsurfers’ incredible fast action. I used a 70-300mm Nikkor zoom lens and put my dSLR in the Action mode, which automatically chose the top available shutter speed for the relatively dim existing light of a cloudy day. I boosted the ISO to 1250 to get a faster shutter speed. But even shooting at 1/640 second, it was tough keeping windsurfer Mike Colombo sharply focused. To make it simpler, I waited until he was coming right at me to shoot. It’s always easiest to stop action coming toward you or going away from you. Taken at ISO 1250, f/6.3, 1/640 second.

From "Exposure, 2nd Ed.," by Jeff Wignall