Photographing motion: settings and tips

In order for you to photograph movements correctly, you have to take some settings on the camera into account. In this practical tip, we will explain how you can optimally photograph moving subjects.

Photographing motion: the exposure time

The exposure time you set has a huge impact on the result:

• Before you take pictures, you should therefore consider whether the image should contain motion blur later or whether the subject should be frozen in motion.
• To "freeze" the movement, you should choose the shortest possible exposure time in the settings of your camera.
• You have to find out yourself which exposure time is optimal for your subject. As a guideline, however, you can remember that the movement of a car that drives 50 km / h should be captured well with an exposure time of 1/500 second.

Photographing motion: aperture and ISO

Depending on the selected exposure time, the settings for aperture and ISO are also:

• The shorter the exposure time, the less light hits the sensor of your camera.
• So that the image is still well lit, you should open the aperture accordingly.
• You may also need to increase the ISO or even use additional light sources.

Photographing movement: blur

With the exposure time, your photos will shake faster. Therefore...

• ... you should take care to keep the camera as steady as possible when taking pictures.
• With particularly short exposure times, you should use a tripod to actually prevent camera shake.
• We have put together tips for buying a tripod for you in this practical tip.