looking to shoot moving objects

[canonnoob]

okay I know this is sort of a noob question, but this IS a forum and we are all here to learn but I plan on shooting some moving objects ( ex. water falling, vehicles, motocycles, athletics, etc...) And I want to know whats the best way to go about this? I have a rebel Xt, 18-55m lens, 100-300mm, and im soon to get the 28-135mm IS lens. Any suggestions on how to do the best at this? Im not super technical yet so please dumb it down for me... :)

Thanks guys and gals,
Dave

[TheHoff]

Maybe a good place to start would be to ask "how would you do it now?" So if someone has an idea of your current skill level, they could give an idea of how to improve it... rather than just throwing out random tips on how to shoot something moving.

[canonnoob]

lol touchee. basically i started really messing with it tonight, and dang it, now i cant remember how i did it exactly...

[canonnoob]

lets say...from the begining... just for times sake...

[TheHoff]

For every sport or quick-moving event there is a minimum shutter speed you need to freeze the action without motion blur. Usually that will start around 1/250 for people moving, then up to 1/500 for people running, and 1/1000 and 1/1600 for really fast people sports... up above that for motorsports and the like.

To go with those fast shutters, you'll need wide apertures and or high ISO speeds.

IS this too much? It is hard to know... You can put it in TV mode, set the shutter at 1/500 or faster, then put the ISO high enough to get a proper exposure. Not sure how else to explain it without knowing where you're at.

[canonnoob]

nope what your saying makes perfect sense.. i get that.. maybe ill run out ot my car and get my camera and upload a couple of the photos from tonight to give you an idea of where im at..

[TheHoff]

Yup that is a good idea.

If that makes sense to you then there is no reason you shouldn't shoot in M - manual mode. Set your ISO, shutter high enough, and aperture wide enough ONCE ... check the exposure again if your lighting conditions change. Manual mode will keep your exposures consistent across your frames without the meter being fooled by light or dark areas of the frame.

So to summarize... put it in M. Set the shutter speed high enough. Dial around the aperture until you get a proper exposure. If it isn't a good combination, change the ISO until you get what you need.

edit: read the stickies here on histograms or even better, start looking to buy a handheld meter (people will really think you're a pro then ;))

[canonnoob]

HAHA... YEAH cause thats what I like people to think I am with my little XT... woot..

[canonnoob]

Here hoff... The best shot of the night.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f177/davidlwelker/Water/028.jpg

[canonnoob]

Here:
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f177/davidlwelker/Mishaps/083.jpg
I tried to isolate the cars body still, and the tires and the background blurry...

[TheHoff]

Hey, you were in manual, alright.. I think your shutter was a bit too long there and you just didn't get a good pan. I'm no expert on panning, I'm sure there are some in the Transportation forum here... I think you could've gone to 1/30th, still got motion, and had more luck with sharp pans... but yea, this technique takes practice and more shots to get one sharp one.

[Khaled]

The fountain one would've looked nicer if you used tripod + longer shutter exposure :)

Hint: Buy a tripod for night photography.

[canonnoob]

i have a tripod just didnt have it with me lol i was laying on the ground keeping it still as possible... lol but i agree i need to have a tripod with me at ALL times lol

[canonnoob]

The fountain one would've looked nicer if you used tripod + longer shutter exposure :)

Hint: Buy a tripod for night photography.


can i show you one more of the fountain to see what you think?

[Khaled]

Yeah go for it :)

[canonnoob]

Here... nothing added to it... and really off center but oh well
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f177/davidlwelker/Water/023.jpg

[Khaled]

For 1.3 seconds hand held, I'd say this photo is not too bad at all.

I'd like you to mount the camera on a tripod, then use the camera timer or a remote to fire the shot. Use shutter prioroty and leave it for 5 seconds, then see how it looks.

If Tv mode doesn't work for you, then Manual 'M' mode would be your best choice. Set your ISO to 100, your shutter speed to 5-10 seconds, and then play with your Aperture 'f number' to whatever makes the photo stands out.

That's what I did here .. :)

http://www.pixelpro.com.au/Landscape.html

EXIF Summary: 10s f/10.0 ISO200 28mm
http://www.pixelpro.com.au/Landscape_files/Media/IMG_4003/IMG_4003.jpg

[canonnoob]

how can you tell what i did in my photo... like do you have all your stuff written down as far as your iso, focus, Aperture (sp?), and shutter speed?

[FlyingPhotog]

how can you tell what i did in my photo... like do you have all your stuff written down as far as your iso, focus, Aperture (sp?), and shutter speed?

That info is embedded in the image and there is software that will allow folks to see it.

[canonnoob]

That info is embedded in the image and there is software that will allow folks to see it.

hmm and this software would be what?

[Khaled]

I use Macintosh where I can drag and drop any image into the dock, and then this program will show you the EXIF data of any photos. Give me a second, I'll find one for Windows..

[canonnoob]

alrighty :D

[Khaled]

Google (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=safari&rls=en-au&q=exif+viewer+for+Windows&btnG=Search) has returned many results. Get whichever suits your taste :)

[canonnoob]

thanks so much.. this well help greatly

[FlyingPhotog]

hmm and this software would be what?

I see Kahled got a list together but Opanda is one that is popular...

[canonnoob]

Thats the one i downloaded....