leg. It provides a steady camera support for long lens use but is easy to
move rapidly from position to position. A chestpod does have three legs but
they are short and mounted under a swivel head which allows you to brace it
against your chest and provide firm support for your camera.
(2) Using electronic flash equipment to augment low-light level
conditions is another way to capture fast action on film.
Their inherent
speed of 1/1000 of a second or less will freeze action and allow you to
select a reasonable f/stop to maintain depth of field.
Be aware of the
electronic synchroflash speed of your camera.
Cameras with focal plane
shutters usually sync at 1/60th of a second or slower.
(3) The faster shutter speeds sometimes required to obtain sharp
images of subjects in motion become an important factor in choosing the film
which you will use.
Faster shutter speeds will probably require faster
films.
Over the past few years the selection available for use has
broadened considerably due to ongoing research and development by film
manufacturers.
(a) Film with International Standardization Organization (ISO) 400
speed once considered fast are now overshadowed by ISO ratings of 1600,
3200, and higher.
(b) Both color and black and white films come in these faster
emulsions. The advantage to you as the photographer is that you can make
action photographs under natural or existing light.
(c) Gymnasiums are notorious for poor lighting conditions.
Yet
with special care, a fast film, and a practiced eye, you can create dramatic
photographs. Under normal light conditions where the action is fast, such
as an auto race or a football game, you may wish to use the faster film to
obtain stop action photographs and still be able to select an f/stop that
gives you plenty of depth of field.
(d) Remember the "sunny f/16" rule. Set your f/stop at f/16 and
use the reciprocal of the ISO to determine your shutter speed.
Using a
color film with an ISO of 400 gives a reciprocal of 1/400 of a second.
Select the shutter speed closest to the reciprocal.
The closest on most
cameras will be 1/500 of a second. You will now be able to stop action and
obtain sharp images.
f. Blurring Techniques. Up to this point we have been directing your
attention to techniques used to stop or freeze action.
There is another
effective way to illustrate action. Why not create some blurring?
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