Catching the feel of action

[Geoff Port]

Hi all, We engaged the local contractor to remove a stump (my favorite Claret Ash ) from the front yard. I thought it a great opportunity to take some shot to attempt to capture the feel of action and the sheer power of the machine. I took a series of shots staring at 1/25 sec at f4 and working my up to 1/125 @ f8. That the highest f stop my Powershot G6 has.
I started with slow shutter speeds to catch motion but obviously the shot was so overexposed it was of no value at all. The first photo here is middle range of the series but still burned out. I did manage to capture motion, action and reasonable exposure, (see second shot) but they are just photos and don't capture the real feel I would have liked.
I would appreciate some CC on how I could have improved on these type shots in the future keeping in mind that I use (for the moment) a Canon Powershot G6.
PS: I have sharpened, adjusted exposure a bit and smoothed. I focused on the writing on the blade guard to do the sharpening adjustment.

Geoff P


File Name: StumpMuncher2of2.jpg (Edit)



File Size: 352 kb - 1024 x 768
Camera Make: Canon
Camera Model: Canon PowerShot G6
Date/Time: 2012:06:22 13:56:48
Resolution: 1024 x 768
Flash Used: No
Focal Length: 11.2mm
Exposure Time: 0.033 s (1/30)
Aperture: f/8.0
ISO Equiv.: 200
Exposure Bias: 1.00
Metering Mode: pattern
Exposure: shutter priority (semi-auto)
======= IPTC Data: =======
Record Vers.: 4
Date Created: 20120622



File Name: StumpMuncher5of5-1.jpg (Edit)



File Size: 354 kb - 1024 x 768
Camera Make: Canon
Camera Model: Canon PowerShot G6
Date/Time: 2012:06:22 13:58:56
Resolution: 1024 x 768
Flash Used: No
Focal Length: 11.2mm
Exposure Time: 0.017 s (1/60)
Aperture: f/8.0
ISO Equiv.: 200
Metering Mode: pattern
Exposure: Manual
======= IPTC Data: =======
Record Vers.: 4
Date Created: 20120622

[ricktas]

You need to use the exposure triangle her, by combining the ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed.

So first thing is to make your aperture as small as possible. I notice both of these are taken at f8.. try f16 or even f22. A smaller aperture (larger number) means less light is getting in, thus you can slow the shutter speed down, to capture movement blur, but not over-expose the photo.

Make sure your ISO is as low as it can be, in these your ISO was 200, check your camera, you may be able to go to 100, or even lower. The lower the ISO the less sensitive the sensor is. For each doubling of the ISO, you double the sensitivity. For example at ISO 200 you might get a good exposure at 1/250th second. If you double the ISO to 400, then to get the same exposure you would need to double your shutter speed to 1/500th. Therefore going the other way, and using as low an ISO as possible, you can get longer shutter speeds.

Shutter Speed, to capture movement you need a suitable shutter speed. Now the thing here is that you need to work out what that needs to be. If you have it to slow, the guy working will be blurred as he moves around, if its to fast, the action of the stump grinder movement will be frozen. So now it is over to you, to experiment with your settings to get a suitable shutter speed to capture the scene as you see it, in your head.

Note that as you get your shutter speed lower, then camera movement comes into it as well. You will need a good tripod or a very stable surface to place the camera on, to make sure it doesn't move while the shutter is open.

[Epoc]

Hi Geoff, I think your expectations may have outgrown your G6. Time to look for a DSLR that gives you more freedom for creativity. BTW, I am surprised you cannot go beyond F8