Adjustments in shutter speed have a direct effect on exposure. However, changes in the shutter speed also impact the way that moving things in a photograph look. In this exercise I explore the impact of shutter speed upon the way in which a moving object is recorded in a photograph.
My first task was to find a moving object. As I stood by the side of a road watching cars drive past me I could not help but think that this subject was less than inspiring. I took time to come up with some alternatives but real life pressures meant I was unable to explore those ideas at this time. Thinking outside of the box I realised that movement does not have to be restricted to the horizontal plane. What I needed was a constantly moving subject that I could record at various shutter speeds and I found this in the form of a water fountain at my local park.
I specifically chose an overcast day. In order to record images at a long exposure I would have to find some way to reduce the amount of light hitting the sensor of my camera over any given period of time. Using a small aperture is one way to do this. Using neutral density filters is another, however I do not currently have any such filters. An overcast day provided me with the low light levels I needed. These low light levels would of course have a negative impact on my ability to shoot at high shutter speeds. I compensated for the low light levels by using the largest aperture possible and increasing the ISO setting of my camera, when shooting at higher shutter speeds.
Results
Below are the photographs I took at various shutter speeds. The impact on the way in which the moving water is recorded is clear to see. Please note you can click on any of these photographs to see a larger version which is labelled with the shutter speed used.
In order to take these photographs I set my camera up on a tripod in order to keep the framing consistent in each picture. All images were taken with my Canon 50d camera with a Canon 70-200 f/4 L lens attached. The image stabilisation mode of the lens was disabled due to the use of a tripod.
I started with a relatively slow shutter speed of 1/2s. I then continued to take pictures of the scene doubling the shutter speed before taking each picture. Doubling the shutter speed is the equivalent of reducing the exposure by 1 stop. To compensate for the reduced amount of light hitting the sensor as I increased the shutter speed I could have increased the aperture by 1 stop each time I doubled the shutter speed. However, my camera has a mode in which it automatically adjusts aperture to achieve a correct exposure as the user adjusts the shutter speed manually. This feature is called the shutter priority mode (labelled Tv on the camera) and I decided to utilise this feature. Each time my camera was unable to increase the aperture any more, due to having reached the maximum aperture of my lens, I would increase the ISO by 1 stop in order to increase the sensitivity of the sensor and to allow me to continue shooting at faster speeds.
The first image taken shows no detail with regards to the individual drops of water or the splash the water makes as it lands back at the base of the fountain. Instead the water rising and falling has taken on a soft veil like appearance and the water splashing at the bottom of the frame looks like fog or cotton wool. In the second photograph the streaks of water are slightly more identifiable. The rising and falling water appears more like strands of hair than a veil and the splashing water at the base is slightly more distinct. At 1/15s the rising and falling water is still appearing as streaks however the waves and splashes at the base of the fountain, which are moving more slowly than the rising and falling water, are far more discernible. At 1/60s the water at the top of the fountain, which is moving more slowly than the water rising and falling, is also starting to become more visible and clear. In addition to this, separate drops of water are starting to become apparent. By 1/250s there is very little discernible streaking effect in the picture however the fastest moving water is still slightly blurred. At 1/500s all but the very fastest and smallest drops of water are clearly visible with no streaking effect. At 1/1000s and above the water is frozen in time and there is no movement visible in the photograph at all.
My favourite photographs are the first photograph taken, with its veil like almost supernatural look, and the photographs taken at 1/1000s and above where every details of the water can be clearly seen and forms interesting shapes. Analysing these photographs it has become apparent to me that shutter speed, when the subject is moving, can be manipulated to artistic effect. Technically each of the photographs I took were correctly exposed however they each portrayed a different story.
My first task was to find a moving object. As I stood by the side of a road watching cars drive past me I could not help but think that this subject was less than inspiring. I took time to come up with some alternatives but real life pressures meant I was unable to explore those ideas at this time. Thinking outside of the box I realised that movement does not have to be restricted to the horizontal plane. What I needed was a constantly moving subject that I could record at various shutter speeds and I found this in the form of a water fountain at my local park.
I specifically chose an overcast day. In order to record images at a long exposure I would have to find some way to reduce the amount of light hitting the sensor of my camera over any given period of time. Using a small aperture is one way to do this. Using neutral density filters is another, however I do not currently have any such filters. An overcast day provided me with the low light levels I needed. These low light levels would of course have a negative impact on my ability to shoot at high shutter speeds. I compensated for the low light levels by using the largest aperture possible and increasing the ISO setting of my camera, when shooting at higher shutter speeds.
Results
Below are the photographs I took at various shutter speeds. The impact on the way in which the moving water is recorded is clear to see. Please note you can click on any of these photographs to see a larger version which is labelled with the shutter speed used.
In order to take these photographs I set my camera up on a tripod in order to keep the framing consistent in each picture. All images were taken with my Canon 50d camera with a Canon 70-200 f/4 L lens attached. The image stabilisation mode of the lens was disabled due to the use of a tripod.
I started with a relatively slow shutter speed of 1/2s. I then continued to take pictures of the scene doubling the shutter speed before taking each picture. Doubling the shutter speed is the equivalent of reducing the exposure by 1 stop. To compensate for the reduced amount of light hitting the sensor as I increased the shutter speed I could have increased the aperture by 1 stop each time I doubled the shutter speed. However, my camera has a mode in which it automatically adjusts aperture to achieve a correct exposure as the user adjusts the shutter speed manually. This feature is called the shutter priority mode (labelled Tv on the camera) and I decided to utilise this feature. Each time my camera was unable to increase the aperture any more, due to having reached the maximum aperture of my lens, I would increase the ISO by 1 stop in order to increase the sensitivity of the sensor and to allow me to continue shooting at faster speeds.
The first image taken shows no detail with regards to the individual drops of water or the splash the water makes as it lands back at the base of the fountain. Instead the water rising and falling has taken on a soft veil like appearance and the water splashing at the bottom of the frame looks like fog or cotton wool. In the second photograph the streaks of water are slightly more identifiable. The rising and falling water appears more like strands of hair than a veil and the splashing water at the base is slightly more distinct. At 1/15s the rising and falling water is still appearing as streaks however the waves and splashes at the base of the fountain, which are moving more slowly than the rising and falling water, are far more discernible. At 1/60s the water at the top of the fountain, which is moving more slowly than the water rising and falling, is also starting to become more visible and clear. In addition to this, separate drops of water are starting to become apparent. By 1/250s there is very little discernible streaking effect in the picture however the fastest moving water is still slightly blurred. At 1/500s all but the very fastest and smallest drops of water are clearly visible with no streaking effect. At 1/1000s and above the water is frozen in time and there is no movement visible in the photograph at all.
My favourite photographs are the first photograph taken, with its veil like almost supernatural look, and the photographs taken at 1/1000s and above where every details of the water can be clearly seen and forms interesting shapes. Analysing these photographs it has become apparent to me that shutter speed, when the subject is moving, can be manipulated to artistic effect. Technically each of the photographs I took were correctly exposed however they each portrayed a different story.
