Skater: There is a whole art to photographing moving objects. For fast moving subjects like this skater I use 1000th of a sec, at F8 and use auto ISO so that is the fluxuating factor.

BrentHarder Loc: Southern California

There is a whole art to photographing moving objects. For fast moving subjects like this skater I use 1000th of a sec, at F8 and use auto ISO so that is the fluxuating factor. This gives me sharp crisp frozen action. Do you agree with my settings? Or do you have other ideas that might be even better? I'm open to learning from you! Please download this.

(Download)

travelerted Loc: Nashville, Tennessee

You certainly 'nailed' it Brent. Grizzly should be quite happy with the image too!

Andrea.Jarrell Loc: Mount Airy, NC

Don't know anything about settings but love it!

Nosaj Loc: Sarasota, Florida

Andrea.Jarrell wrote:

Don't know anything about settings but love it!

Very nice shot: good angle and sharpness.

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

I shot race horses back in film days. Seldom used higher than 400 ISO except for night races. I usually shot on TV at 1000 and hoped my f-stop would be somewhere around 8. Normally it was higher than that, which allowed me to get the entire field of horses in focus.

I wonder for your purpose of more separation between the skater and the background would help? Not sure. Just thinking outloud. It's very good!

tom kf4wol

BrentHarder wrote:

There is a whole art to photographing moving objects. For fast moving subjects like this skater I use 1000th of a sec, at F8 and use auto ISO so that is the fluxuating factor. This gives me sharp crisp frozen action. Do you agree with my settings? Or do you have other ideas that might be even better? I'm open to learning from you! Please download this.

Awesome...Sharp Great action.

Thanks for sharing.

tom

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

The 1,000/sec certainly froze the action very effectively here!

Occaisionally I opt to show some motion blur for action shots, to emphasize the movement taking place. Done well, motion blur can add a sense of speed and drama. Not everyone likes to see motion blur, however.

Jim Soholt Loc: California Central Coast

BrentHarder wrote:

...Do you agree with my settings? Or do you have other ideas that might be even better? I'm open to learning from you! ....

Brent,

Nothing to agree or disagree about, I think. Depends on whether you get what you want (or like what you get!).

Personally, I like the 1,000th and the "frozen action." Motion blur is cool but it's tough to get it where you want it and not where you don't. Again, it's about what you're after. A lower ISO, ergo a wider aperture, might help isolate the subject from the background. (I usually end up doing that in post, grumbling all the while. Can be painstaking.)

Great position of the 'boarder, gives the shot a nice tension. Is he in the middle of a sparkling maneuver, or is a big "OOUUCH" in the near future? Seems like you caught just the right instant to convey that.

Respectfully,

BrentHarder Loc: Southern California

travelerted wrote:

You certainly 'nailed' it Brent. Grizzly should be quite happy with the image too!

Thanks so much travelerted for checking this one out and your nice comment.

BrentHarder Loc: Southern California

Andrea.Jarrell wrote:

Don't know anything about settings but love it!

Are you an "automatic" kind of person Andrea?
My pro photographer son tells me to shoot in "manual".

BrentHarder Loc: Southern California

Nosaj wrote:

Very nice shot: good angle and sharpness.

Thanks a ton Nosaj. I appreciate your kind comment and checking in here!

BrentHarder Loc: Southern California

AzPicLady wrote:

I shot race horses back in film days. Seldom used higher than 400 ISO except for night races. I usually shot on TV at 1000 and hoped my f-stop would be somewhere around 8. Normally it was higher than that, which allowed me to get the entire field of horses in focus.

I wonder for your purpose of more separation between the skater and the background would help? Not sure. Just thinking outloud. It's very good!

I could use a smaller F stop number which would allow more light in and blur out the background. That's a good idea.

BrentHarder Loc: Southern California

tom kf4wol wrote:

Awesome...Sharp Great action.

Thanks for sharing.

tom

Tom, thanks for visiting this thread and your nice comments, I appreciate it.

BrentHarder Loc: Southern California

rook2c4 wrote:

The 1,000/sec certainly froze the action very effectively here!

Occaisionally I opt to show some motion blur for action shots, to emphasize the movement taking place. Done well, motion blur can add a sense of speed and drama. Not everyone likes to see motion blur, however.

rook2c4, it's interesting that you mentioned the motion blur. I was looking at the skater's right hand (located behind his hat) and it appears as if it has a little motion blur........either that or it is slightly out of focus. I agree with you about motion blur can add a sense of speed. I should have tried to do this on a few photos durring that session. I think panning with the skater as he moved along would be great.....to get him in focus but the background blurred. Oh well, maybe next time!? Thanks for the suggestion.

BrentHarder Loc: Southern California

Jim Soholt wrote:

Brent, br br Nothing to agree or disagree about, ... (show quote)

Jim, this skater was a pro..........it's ineresting that the pros are often times teenagers! The pros can flip their boards around in mid air and land back on them and make it look really easy. This guy was one of them. There was no OOUUCH to this particular shot. He landed it perfectly.
I agree with you about personal preference of which you would like .......motion blur or not. I think I should have experimented with the motion blur but it didn't even cross my mind. I love to experiment with photos........I would hope we all would. It's a way of expanding our horizons.