Photography: Shutter Priority II

Tonight was my second-to-last photography class, and we went over last week's assignment: still in Shutter Priority mode, we were to capture action with slow shutter speeds. This means that the moving object/person should blur, and also that we would want to take our pictures at night. Slow shutter speeds let in LOTS of light, so trying to shoot in daylight will get you white pictures, unless you do lots of other highly technical adjustments (and now I'm just trying to sound like I know what I'm talking about). I found, in comparing my pictures with some of the others tonight, that it works best to have something stationary in the frame that is in focus--it makes the blurred part look better and more purposeful. I was pretty frustrated this week, mainly because I couldn't think of any really great ideas to do in the short time, and besides, I had two sick kids tying me down! (I mean that in a loving, my-kids-are-my-life way.) All my fretting was pointless, though, because... well, I thought everyone else's pictures sucked more than mine, and I actually got a couple of very cool ones after all. Ha!

Settings for this kind of photography: Shutter Priority mode, ISO 200, camera on a tripod, manual focus. Start your shutter speed at 5 seconds and go from there!

First, the other night I took Noah out in the backyard, handed him a mini light saber, and started shooting.

Okay, so he wasn't exactly thinking creatively with the light saber.

Here's what you get with some coaching and extra light sabers!

My favorite picture!

 The other scenario for my nighttime shooting happened Monday, after Chris' softball game. Jamie was kind enough to stay at the house pretty late so that Chris and I could drive up to Six Flags and shoot the Judge Roy Scream and new Skyscreamer, illuminated.

The picture isn't that interesting except for the cool airplane streaking through the sky! The pic is actually overexposed...

I don't love this one, but it shows a car streaking through the intersection. I should have sped up the shutter a little to show more of the car. (Rangers Ballpark in the background)

Look closely... lights are green, yellow and red! I caught the whole spectrum with a slow shutter speed.

More next week... in Manual mode! Wahoo!