In honor of the Olympics, this week's assignment is
Action! Photograph images of action, preferably charged with emotion and excitement.
Good action shots require a slightly different skill set than "static" shots, and will probably require you to use the "servo" or "focus tracking" settings on your camera. (If you have any questions about using these settings, please don't hesitate to ask.) You will probably need to use a higher shutter speed in order to prevent motion blur, and might need to use a wider aperture as well (this helps isolate your subject from a distracting background).
Some general guidelines for setting shutter speeds are:
< 1/125 sec: Moderate action such as people walking
< 1/250 sec: Moderate fast action, runners at medium speed
< 1/500 sec: Fast runners, telephoto lenses, and wildlife
< 1/1000 sec: Fast action like racecars, track and field, birds
Don't forget to experiment with some of the techniques we discussed in the "motion" assignment (if appropriate) and pay attention to the things we've discussed in the other composition exercises (leading lines, placing the primary subject at a strong position in the frame, etc.)
As always,
have fun! Please upload your images to the "Action" album in the Weekly Assignments category of the Gallery no later than midnight Mountain Standard Time (GMT -07:00), 17 August 2008.
