September’s Assignment

Submission deadline: September 30, 2009

Welcome to our new Hands On! section here at Canadian Scrapbooker! I’m so excited to be working on this new adventure and I promise we will have a lot of fun on the way!

As I mentioned in my article in the Fall 2009 issue of Canadian Scrapbooker, each month, I will offer some tips and techniques on the basics discussed in the current issue, plus I will post an assignment! You are invited to share your completed assignments here in our blog – each assignment completed and uploaded earns you a chance to win a prize from our sponsor.

This month’s sponsor is Rose Moka (www.rosemoka.com). Upload your photo assignment here for a chance to win this great prize package.

We’ve all tried to capture the action with our cameras – sometimes successfully, other times not! There are several methods to help freeze movement and create a sharp, clearly defined image. Using a faster shutter speed is one of the easiest methods.

When we shorten our exposure time, we minimize the time that the action has to be recorded, and as such, reduce the chance of blurring. Consider the following photos:

Fig 1: Photo by Jessi Lute, using a Canon EOS Digital Rebel Xsi, 70.0 – 300.0 mm lens, f/22, 1/125 sec, no flash.

In the first photo, Jessi chose a relatively slow shutter speed, considering the speed of her subject. Notice how the subject is blurred – this is due to the fact that it is moving faster than the time lapse before the shutter closed again.

Fig 2: Photo by Jessi Lute, using a Canon EOS Digital Rebel Xsi, 70.0 – 300.0 mm lens, f/7.0, 1/1250 sec, no flash.

But notice what happened in Fig. 2, when Jessi decreased her exposure time to a mere 1/1250th of a second! She effectively froze time so that she could capture her subject in crisp detail.

Shortened exposure times are not just limited to sports. In the following photos, Holly effectively captured a waterfall scene at two different exposure times. In Fig 3, a longer exposure time of 1/15th of a second elicits a sense of serenity and movement, while a shutter speed of 1/120th of a second captures the drama and power of the water falling (Fig. 4)

Fig 3: Photo by Holly Attfield, using a Nikon D70s, 18.0 – 70.0 mm f/3.5-4.5 lens. f/29, 1/15 sec, no flash.

Fig 4: Photo by Holly Attfield, using a Nikon D70s, 18.0 – 70.0 mm f/3.5-4.5 lens. f/9, 1/200 sec, no flash.

So, are you ready for some Hands On Photography practice?

Your September assignment:

Using a fast shutter speed, effectively capture action or movement in a photo. Try stopping the action on a football field, or capture your child tossing leaves in the air. Use your imagination for your subject and composition, and don’t be afraid to try different settings.

Deadline: September 30th, 2009

Please submit your photo(s), along with camera settings, using our submission form linked above for a chance to be entered into our draw. A randomly chosen entry will be drawn on December 5th, 2009   October 1st, 2009.

Thanks for playing along this month, and be sure to join us on October 1st, when we will tackle the opposite side of the coin – slow exposure times!

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