Freezing and capturing movment 365 #11

A fast shutter speed to freeze the movement of muddy water!

I’m 2 weeks into a photography course with amazing children’s photographer Stephanie Belton. Last week I learned how to use aperture settings to bring subjects and landscapes into focus; to see Steph’s tips check out my guest post on Love All Blogs Better Photo Project this week.

This week I’m not allowed to take my camera off the shutter speed setting, and I’m tasked with freezing and capturing movement. In theory it’s simple – a fast shutter speed means I can snap detail in sharp focus. In practice of course, nothing is as simple as it sounds. But The Bug obliged me with some stone-throwing in a muddy stream on our walk through Broxbourne woods today.

Even a muddy stream looks better if you throw stones at it!

Capturing movement turns out to be even more difficult, as a slow shutter speed just picks up all my hand tremors. I managed to perch my camera on one of the bare branches as GG ran through the woods in search of a climbable tree.

A slow shutter speed captures my moving subjectAfter the miserable wet winter, the sun seemed like a gift, and we soaked up the warmth, relaxing without the weight of winter coats. On the way home she declared:

It’s as if God is rewarding the people  of England for not moving to Florida during the miserable winter…

20 thoughts on “Freezing and capturing movment 365 #11”

  1. You’ve captured it so well. I went on a half day course that Sarah did (from a party of seven) and it was so helpful. I then spent ages one evening trying to capture the moon and I just could keep still enough. I love the way you caught the water droplets. Such a good photo!

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  2. I love this! Quick question if you don’t mind? What shutter speed was it on? Were you using a 50mm lens? I can’t really get to grips with it when I try it. Thanks! Amy x

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    • Hi Amy, the water splash at the top was 1/320 of a second, but I think it could have done with being even faster – some of those drops aren’t very sharp. The one of my daughter running through the woods is 1/4 of a second. My lens is just the standard 20-50mm lens that came with the camera. I know literally nothing about lenses!

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    • Ah but I love my iphone for instagram and I’ve had some amazing pictures off that too. My problem is remembering to switch and not get fixated with just the one device.

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  3. Taking the picture you want to capture is definitely hard work, but I think once you learn all the gadgets on the camera and their uses, it will be easy as pie. Either way, the pictures you have taken up Spring are lovely, and just reinforces my desire for Spring to return to our part of the world. We are still covered in snow with up and down temperatures.

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    • Catherine you wouldn’t believe the stress relief of the sun coming out this weekend! Even if I did fill my converse with bog water in the woods!

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  4. Haha, your daughter has a great sense of humour!
    And the photo of her running in the woods is fabulous, well done!

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  5. What a great saying! Just beautiful captures. I love the movement through the trees. I should do that too…force myself to keep my camera on one setting to capture the hang of things! You seem to be mastering your camera skills very well.

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  6. really like the one with your daughter rushing through the trees, it is just so different. If I had taken those water doplets I would be very happy with the picture, I think it is fab

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  7. My goodness, these pictures are great!
    I’m failing miserably at getting to grips with the manual settings on my new camera. Maybe I need to find myself a course! x

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    • Oh you must. It’s what makes the difference. I spent hours reading my camera manual, but none of it made sense until I started my course.

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  8. These are fab Helen…. I love the last one, it looks really ghostly – the figure has an eerie quality about it. X

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