Principles of Exposure: Capturing Action and Controlling Motion Blur

Object Frozen in Time

Ping Pong 

Despite me specifically getting up early to take advantage of natural light, the high shutter speed required for an object frozen in time (1/2000 second) meant that I had to not only use the lowest aperture of 4.5 F, but also a high ISO of 6400. 

This picture conveys the sense of anticipation and focus right before making a shot, with the ping pong ball's suspension in time and space emphasized by its shadow against the ping pong paddle.

Paper Airplane

Similarly I selected a high shutter speed for this photo to capture the resulting crystal sharp airplane frozen in mid air. I combined this with a very low aperture (evidenced by the blurry background) and reasonably high ISO to make up for the light lost in the fast shutter speed. The upward view of the frozen-in-time paper airplane, with the blurred sky and trees backdrop, gives a sense of the weightlessness and serenity of being in flight. The outstretched hand imitates the paper airplane, showing a sense of unity (suspended hope in the moment not long after the plane's release from the hand), linking the viewer's emotions with the flight of the plane.

Flying Bird Behind Tree

The photos I took of the birds on campus at lunch were among the most difficult to shoot due to the uncontrollable nature of the subjects and their sudden unpredictable movements. Being on continuous shooting mode was a must. A high shutter speed of approximately 1/2500 was necessary to eliminate all motion blur. The bright day, with this shot being pointed directly at the sky was useful: I didn't have to set the aperture too low - both the tree branches and bird are in focus. The clarity of both something static (and intricate) and something moving coveys the unity of nature in this brief moment in time. The clarity of the tree branches also shows the point of view of the bird as it flies towards them. The bird seems powerful and mysterious, untouchable above the tree of the land.

Object In Motion

Ping Pong 

Shutter speed: 1/30 second
Aperture: 8F
ISO: 200
Compared with the other ping pong photo (see above) a low shutter speed is used to capture the motion blur of both the ping pong ball and paddle (and the arm/hand which wields it). This lets in a lot more light and so a higher aperture setting can be used to limit the overexposure and also provides more clarity in the background of the photo (this clarity of the background emphasizes its lack of blur/motion in comparison to the moving components of the image). The shutter speed is so much slower than that of the other photo, that a significantly lower ISO can also be used to correct the resulting overexposure.
In comparison to the focus, concentration and stillness right before the ball is hit (in the previous ping pong photo) this photo shows the speed and vigor of hitting the ball, just moments after hitting it while the paddle is still moving and the ball has just hit the other side. Both the person who has hit the ball, the paddle and the ball are all connected by the motion blur (despite the ball being on the other side of the table), showing it was the actions of the ping pong player on the right that have caused the ball to hit the other side (the ball's trajectory has created a white trail behind it showing its path before it hit the table and right after).

Boardwalk Swings

This shot was taken pointed towards the sky on a very bright day, and this, in combination with the slow shutter speed, meant combatting overexposure was tricky. ISO was obviously set to its lowest setting and you'll notice the shutter speed isn't that slow because the blur isn't that intense. However the blur is still there and I like the fact that it's not that intense. It subtlety makes this photo look more refined and elegant and still contrasts with the clarity of intricate design on the central pillar of the amusement ride and the rest of the photo. The few people on the swings add to the joy and exhilaration that the blurred swings and vibrant colors create, like the upward view of the girl with outstretched hands in the right of the image: she feels on top of the world!

Boardwalk Fireball

Similarly to the previous image, I used a relatively slow shutter speed to achieve the blur on the spinning pendulum swing ride. With a low ISO and a very small aperture to limit the excess light (the far away tree is in sharp focus). Unlike other shots of this ride, I like that this one shows the ride near the top of its oscillation, as there is a less chaotic background, bringing attention to the blur. The blur captures the rotation of the ride specifically, more so than its rise-and-fall motion. I like the contrast in this image between the vibrant blue sky and the red (and other stark colors).

Tracking Motion

Car

I used a the lowest ISO on my camera (100) to combat the overexposure caused by the slow shutter speed. I used a relatively small aperture. This photo captures a car in motion, with the car itself lacking motion blur but its background having motion blur. I did this by panning the camera in unison with the movement of the car so that camera lens' and car's relative position remained the same even though the car was moving. The trees in the background remained static and so have motion blur. The motion conveyed in the photo is added to by the downward slant of the street in the direction the car is driving and the blur of the cars behind it, traveling in the opposite direction.

Bicycle

I particularly like the contrast between the heavy motion blur in the background and the clarity of the subject (Veronica + bike). The previous photo is a bit overexposed as I was fairly new at operating in manual at that point.
For this photo, it was a fairly bright day, outdoors, and I used a shutter speed of 1/30 second. I compensated for this high intake of light by using a low ISO and using a small aperture (the lack of narrow depth of field doesn't matter because the subject is emphasized by the background's motion blur instead). The color of the red bike and blue flannel shirt pop against the green background, and a sense of the subject being calm and in control is created while she whirs passed her surroundings with speed and skill.

Zoom Blur

Lamppost

To create the zoom blur I set my shutter speed to be relatively slow (so as the capture the blur) and put my camera on continuous shooting mode. I then turned the lens in order to zoom in and out, while I kept the camera itself as steady as possible. I think this photo is successful at capturing 'zoom blur' because the subject of the lamppost is cohesive and not too blurry, whereas the trees and building have the blur which creates a sense of zooming forward towards the lamppost. In my mind this photo is from the point of view of someone who is flying speedily forward and about to crash into the lamppost.