Photographing Movement on Film

Photos that capture movement beautifully have the power to affect us. There's something about the way the human body or moving objects, when photographed on film, can make very impactful images.

In this tipster, we're sharing a few tips and tricks for photographing movement on film. We're also sharing some inspiring images from community members which exemplify these tips. Let's get into it!

Adjust your camera settings

Your camera settings will ultimately depend on what kind of effect you will achieve in your image and how much movement you capture with your camera.

For example, a slower shutter speed such as 1/125 to 1/15 will capture motion blur, which often times adds a dramatic or mysterious effect to a photo, while a faster shutter speed such as 1/125 to 1/500 will result in a clearer image with suspended movement.

Meanwhile, with aperture settings, you can also experiment with how much of the background you want in focus or blurred. A wider aperture such as f/1.4 to f/2.8 will lead to a shallow depth of field (background blur) while a narrow aperture such as f/16 or f/22 means the lens lets less light in, leading to a deep depth of field with less or no background blur.

All of these will impact how your images end up, how in focus your subject will be, and how much movement you'll be able to capture. If you want to compare different results and have a few frames to spare, one way to learn more about what works when photographing movement in different situations is to switch up your settings and look at how each setting compares with one another.

Experiment!

You can also experiment with photographing movement by using different cameras or photographic styles and principles. Make use of leading lines, silhouettes, rule of thirds and photographic principles to emphasize your subjects, or even techniques such as chrono photography which captures the different phases of a movement, then layering them on top of each other.

Experimental cameras such as the ActionSampler, SuperSampler, LomoKino and the Sprocket Rocket are also some of many cameras which can let you explore your creative side when photographing motion. Whether it's capturing a series of movements, photographing in panoramic mode, or using multiple exposures, these cameras' creative features put the focus on storytelling and immortalizing spontaneous moments on film.

Observe your surroundings

Whether it's the sunflower bending towards the sun, the ebb and flow of the tides according to the moon, or even the busyness and lull of our everyday routines, things are constantly moving all around us, and when photographing movement we can also make use of other subjects and creatures aside from us humans.

Other animals such as birds and our paw friends, or even landscapes and objects all around us, can make for great subjects on film.

Definitely one of the most important tricks to photography is to keep an observant eye and an open mind. We hope that these photos from our community members inspired you to get out there and experience our ever-changing, ever-moving world and of course, to celebrate it through film!

Do you have any other tips for shooting motion on film? Share them with us below!

written by sylvann on 2024-09-14 #tutorials #movement #tipster #motion-blur