Creative Photography Tricks With Shutter Speed

Creative photography tricks are great for adding that professional look to your photos. Once you learn how to do a few of these tricks, you'll see a great improvement in your photos.

Learning how to stop action is a great skill you'll use over and over again in your photography.

There are just a few ways to do this - only one if you are using a simple point-and-shoot camera.

This first method works for both the DSLR user and the point-and-shoot. Match your movement to your subject. This is called PANNING. Panning is where you physically attempt to move your body to keep your subject in the viewfinder as it moves by. This is done in a smooth fashion, never jerky.

For example, if you were trying to photograph a runner in a track meet, you would lock your viewfinder onto him a good 50ft before he gets to you. Then, using a smooth body-twisting motion, follow him in your viewfinder until he is right where you want him and gently squeeze the button to take the picture as you are still moving. The result, if you got it right, is that the runner will be in sharp focus but the background will be very blurred due to your motion. This is a great creative photography trick that anyone can master with a little practice.

Another way to stop action requires a camera that can vary its shutter speed. A digital single-lens reflex camera would do the trick. When you can change the speed of the shutter you have the power to stop action. That's exactly how high-speed cameras work to show a water droplet falling or those crash test dummy shots. High speed refers to high shutter speed.

On a DSLR camera, shutter speeds of 1/4000 second or faster are possible. Typically, most photos are taken in the 1/100-1/250 second range. However, as you increase your shutter speed your ability to freeze the action increases.

For example, using the same situation with the track runner, but a higher shutter speed of say 1/1000 second, rather than having to pan to keep the subject in focus you could just wait until he was in the proper position and squeeze the shutter. The odds in this case are much greater that your subject would be in sharp focus because it is not complicated by adding your own body motion to the mix.

Another benefit of using the high shutter speed creative photography trick is that both your subject and the background are in focus. Compare this with panning where the subject is in focus but the background is blurred.

Whatever effect you desire, the ability to alter shutter speed can add a new dimension and quality to your creative photography.