What Drives an Image, Part Two:
Slow Shutter Speeds & Pan
Workshop at the Ranch
May, 2003 Edition
Welcome to the May edition of Workshop
at the Ranch. In this issue we will continue with our series What
Drives an Image by taking about the use of Slow Shutter Speeds
and the Pan and where they are used in the market place. Frozen
action is made possible by using High Shutter Speeds usually 1/500th
of a second or faster. The use of Slow Shutter Speeds and Panning
with the action or an individual subject is nearly a forgotten
art and as I will explain, a revenue generating skill. So........let......us.....slow.....down......and.......see......what......happens...............
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A classic Pan at 1/60th of a second.
A hand held Nikon 600mm at ISO125. The background was dreadful
and a Pan would blur the background and allow the skijumper
to be showcased. It took several
attempts to accomplish one strong image where the subject
remained tack sharp against the blur of color. |
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Same basic technique as the skijumper.
A hand held Nikon 400mm and a Slow Shutter Speed of 1/30
of a second. With thin overcast and empty stands in the
background I was compelled to go for the Pan. It is the
combination of the blur with color as a backdrop for the
diver that brings the viewer in for a closer look.
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Low sunset light and a Nikon 600mm
lens with a 2X converter mounted on a Wimberly Head on a Bogan
Tripod. The Wimberly Head allows me to Pan and Rotate in a
serpentine mannor............what? That is, I can swing the
camera and lens both vertically and horizontally at the same
time thus allowing me to Pan in a curving fashion to follow
the cyclists around the banked curve of the Velodrome. |
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Again, using a Wimberly Head to steady
the Pan movement, a Nikon D1H , an 80mm-200mm with a 2X
converter with a Slow Shutter Speed of 1/15..............Who
uses this stuff? you might ask
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The Pan American Games is a great
multi-sport gathering perfect for the PAN. Great color and
easy access venues provide many opportunities to accomplish
beautiful images. The stock agencies of the world sell thousands
of these kinds of images each year. |
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The Olympics is a difficult event to have originality in.
Hundreds of photographers all shooting the same athletes.
Here the Slow Shutter separates me from my colleagues and
the editors are thrilled to look at something unique.
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This image has resold a dozen times
or more. This is a simple scene that is timeless and published
multiple times each Olympic year because it says "Olympics"
in a unique and generic way. Shot with a Nikon F3, 300mm f2
and a 2X converter from the top of the Olympic Stadium in
Barcelona, Spain. |
The pages of today's magazines are
filled with smash mouth, stop action, sports images. These images
of a touchdown catch, a play at the plate, seldom last more than
one publishing. To make a living in the photography industry you
must be more than quick on the shutter. Today's photographer must
have images that are creative and unique. While editorial magazines
do use these pictures it is the advertising agencies that use
them on a regular basis for commercial use. The commercial usage
rate is anywhere from 5 to 25 or more times the value as an editorial
image and can resell multiple times as opposed to yesterday's
sports news.
Uniqueness , creativity , longevity
, revenue accomplished with Slow Shutter Speeds and the PAN. Combine
this with last months Workshop on how
COLOR drives an image and you will find your pictures taking
on a new and exciting look that will start you on a journey beyond
the editorial sports page.
I hope you have enjoyed this edition of Workshop
at the Ranch.
Adios, Dave
| Each month I will be teaching techniques and sharing
information about photography. I hope to address not only
how images are made, but also aspects of business and the
industry. I hope you find the time to log on each month here
at "Workshop at the Ranch" If you have a question
or comment about an area of photography not covered yet in
Workshop at the Ranch, contact me
to suggest a topic for a future issue. |
*For additional examples of photographs using
various lighting techniques see the Sports
Scene
For another truly unique lighting style with
instructions on it's implementation, check out LightPainting
Techniques in the January edition of Workshop at the Ranch
or for more on artificial arena lighting techniques, see Arena
Lighting, February's Workshop at the Ranch.