Tip #4454 - Flash Action Photography
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Flash
Action Photography
Agreed, pictures
taken with flash aren’t as great as those taken under natural
light, but sunlight also brings harsh shadows with it. To precisely
light up those dark shadows, flash is a must. That is particularly
true of outdoor action photography, be it car racing, roller skating
or jet skiing. With the help of your flash, you can compensate for
those fast moving environments with some well exposed images. That
is achieved by using both the light of the flash to fill out the shadows,
as well as, the natural light in your picture's scene. And it doesn't
stop there! With slower shutter speeds, you can create some fantastic
effects.
Here are a few
out-of-the-box ways to capture action with flash photography. Try
them out today!
Sync Your
Flash Slowly
First of all,
you should start experimenting with your flash. Add a slower shutter
speed (slow sync flash, as they call it) for shots that capture the
movement of the scene in your viewfinder in its natural ambient light.
This will not only freeze certain details, but also make your pictures
look great. The more you try using this feature, the better you will
get!
Pan Your
Way During Exposure
In addition to
the above mentioned tip, try panning along with your subject as they
move by and you’ll capture some interesting effects. You can
capture blurred backgrounds, but the main subject will be supremely
in focus, but of course, frozen by the flash. That greatly helps when
you are trying to capture candid moments of bungee jumpers, boxers
and acrobats.
Zooming Helps Too
This is another
cool technique that could heighten the drama in your action shots,
while freezing your subject with your flash. Just try zooming your
lens in or out during the exposure to get a sense of movement in the
shot.
Experimenting Doesn’t Hurt
It’s great
to be creative. If you’ve used all the previous tips with some
measure of success, you are ready for this next technique. First though,
you need to check if your camera allows you to get the flash off the
camera (if you are using an external flash). Most cameras allow you
to rotate the camera into portrait mode and keep the flash above the
camera. Try some off camera flash techniques to lighten your subject
as they travel by from different angles. Putting the flash on the
top helps to eliminate shadows. You can compare your shots with the
landscape position (flash on top) and the portrait position (flash
on sideways) for shadows. When taking pictures of a person, the portrait
position is always the best to use.
And Finally...
If you have control
over the output of your flash (some point-and-shoots and most flash
gun units allow this), experiment with a variety of different levels
of output. You probably won’t need a full flash burst, so be
sure to pull it back a stop or two to get a more natural look.
I wish you the
best of luck. Remember, flash is where the action is!
~ Zahid H. Javali
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