a case for more activity

 

With fourteen grandkids, I feel very lucky to have ample opportunity to catch them on film.

And while I enjoy taking portraits of them – conventional static pictures of them at rest – I also like to capture them as they’re going about their youthful business.

Below are a few examples of each.

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Here I’ve asked Logan to give up a few seconds from playing in the sandbox and “hold still”.	In this shot I’ve caught Eden in the air just as she jumped onto the pavement as she emerged from the back door.
Both are pleasant enough pictures of each. But let’s look at a couple of other snapshots to see if there’s a different way to capture the kids.
Can you feel their joy as they slurp down the cold ice cream on a warm summer evening? For me, this is a more memorable picture.	Instead of another “smile please” snapshot, I was able to shoot Ezzie practicing her longboarding skills.

 

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You have a many choices when capturing kids. If you haven’t done so already, try shooting the young ones as they’re involved with their activities.

 

 

Written by Arnie Lee

 

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You don’t always have to stop the action

 

Sports and action photos are most often made with a higher shutter speed that “stops the action” and produces a tack-sharp image.

However by using a relatively slow shutter speed, you can emphasize the movement to create a totally different feel to the picture.

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This “stop action” photo was captured using a relatively high shutter speed of 1/500th second. The young girl’s face is sharp.	By changing the shutter speed to 1/15th second, the blurred image creates a definite feeling of movement.
Here, the movement is mainly the girl’s arm striking the tree. Her face is still relatively sharp with a 1/30th second exposure.	Using a relatively slow shutter speed and panning (moving the camera to follow the action), produces blur except for the main subject. It takes a little practice to produce this effect.

 

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Don’t hesitate to set your shutter speed to 1/30 or slower and let the action do the talking. Slow dancing can make for some interesting photos. Do you agree? Send me your comments.

 

 

Written by Arnie Lee

 

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Adding Action to Portraits

 

As a grandfather with a camera, I’m very often snapping away when the grandchildren are nearby. So it shouldn’t be surprising that I have hundreds (maybe thousands) of photos of these kids in my collection.

Yesterday, three of them were out playing in our backyard. Here’s a few snapshots that I took. I’m a big fan of trying to incorporate action into these portraits. You be the judge of whether the action helps to make the picture.

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My favorites are the candids. These are shots where the subject is totally unaware. When they’re preoccupied with having a fun experience, they may not know that you’re “spying” with your camera.
Obviously this is not a candid. Eden knows that I’m taking her photo	But here she is unaware that I’m snapping away
When it’s not possible to be totally candid you can use a semi-posed action shot. The action helps to avoid a face that’s preoccupied with the picturetaker.
This full length portrait of Logan shows little motion	Here the angle of the shot emphasizes his action on the slide
With a little patience, you can turn a static shot into a live action photo. A few minutes after taking the photo on the left below, she was being doing calisthenics – making the photo on the right much more exciting.
Here Ezra is clutching the wooden post that’s supporting the swing set	Here she’s showing me the agility that I wish I could still muster.

 

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While each of the left-hand photos are OK, I’ve learned that adding a little action to the mix can turn my snapshots into real “keepers”.

Do you agree?

 

 

Written by Arnie Lee

 

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