Focus on subjects that has movement

[NimArt]

Hi all

 

First I should say that I have Canon 7D with 17-40L,f4 and 70-200L,f4.

My question is that:

Imagine for instant you want to shoot at a fashion show ,who the models are walking toward you and get back one

by one, now my question is that :

1. Which shutter speed is the proper speed for the human who is walking to freez the movement ?

 

2.Which autofocus mode do you suggest for the proper and very good focus on the models who are walking toward

you, to freez their movement ?

I used the 70-200 lens with f/4 and the shutter speed between 160-200 sec,and ISO 200, but some of my photos has

not the good focus and freezing at all, but some has .

 

thanks in advance

Nima

[sattler123]

<p>Bump up the ISO to at least 800. Use continuous shooting mode and AI Servo for focus. Make sure your focus points are not selected automatically by the camera - use center-only focus point instead, or center point with expansion. If none of this makes any sense to you, grab a glass of wine and read the 7D manual:-)</p>

[NimArt]

<p>Thank you Juergen, yes they all makes sense, but don't you think ISO 800 has a lot of noise on the photos?</p>

 

[NimArt]

<p>Thank you Juergen, yes they all makes sense, but don't you think ISO 800 has a lot of noise on the photos?</p>

 

[William Michael]

<blockquote>

<p><strong><em>1. Which shutter speed is the proper speed for the human who is walking to freez the movement ? </em></strong></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Direct front-on walking, Fashion Show, Professional Models, No Flash; 200mm lens on APS-C camera: No Monopod; No IS lens –<br>

Answer: Tv = 1/4o0s<br>

Time the shutter release to the moment of least movement, a Professional Model will stop for you, for split second.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p><strong><em>2.Which autofocus mode do you suggest for the proper and very good focus on the models who are walking toward you, to freez their movement ?</em></strong></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Considering the above assumptions:<br>

Answer: Centre AF Point; One Shot; Set AF to “*”</p>

<p>If you are NOT working with Professional Cat Walk Models or you ARE working with Flash then please describe more fully the shooting scenario, as the answers are different.</p>

<p>WW</p>

[bueh]

<blockquote>

<p>but don't you think ISO 800 has a lot of noise on the photos?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Better noise than blurry pictures. With such a slow lens you have to make compromises. William's recommendation covers my experiences: get around 1/400 sec with a telephoto lens and you will get blur-free pictures if you shoot at the moment the model stops (and you have sufficient practise holding your camera steady). If the subject moves, better shott with 1/1000 sec or faster.</p>

[alan_bryant1]

<p>Typical walking speed is about 3 miles per hour. That's 15,840 feet per hour, which is 4.4 feet per second. People walk on two feet, and since each foot is stationary half the time, the moving foot is traveling approximately twice the speed of the person walking (ie, when you walk, the one foot in motion is moving forward faster than you are, while the other foot is stationary on the ground). Allowing a little fudge room here, we can assume that top speed for a foot is about 12 feet per second during a normal walk.</p>

<p>That allows us to estimate travel time during various exposures:</p>

<p>1/30 - Foot will move about 5 inches (120 mm)<br>

1/125 - Foot will move about 1.2 inches (30 mm)<br>

1/500 - Foot will move about 1/4 inch (7 mm)<br>

1/1000 - Foot will move about 1/8 inch (3.7 mm)</p>

<p>Select a shutter speed based on your tolerance for blur. I personally find that a little blur in a walking picture is fine, but I don't do fashion photography. And if the shoe is something you want to highlight, it probably needs to be sharp.</p>

<p>If you catch the model standing, you can get by with a much longer exposure. However you have to time it right. A lot here will depend on your desired keeper rate. If you just need some pics to be crisp, you can be a little sloppy and still get some good pics. If you need 100% keepers you've got no choice but to keep the shutter speed high.</p>

<p>Another factor is where you're shooting from. If you're at the end of the runway, most of the motion is directly toward you. That will reduce the apparent motion of the foot and allow you to use lower shutter speeds.</p>

[jaydesi]

<p>You can also use noise-reduction software to clean up the noise on a proper exposure. If your shot isn't underexposed, you won't lose much sharpness during noise reduction at ISO 800.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>Excellent advice. Although they can be low light, fashion catwalks are not normally athletic events.</p>

<p>In general, you can use slower speeds when things are coming toward you. Things moving at 90º to you require the fastest speeds to freeze motion. As noted, models will pause at various times in their progression, and you can anticipate those moments and shoot even slower at those times.</p>

[danielransom]

<p>One trick wedding photographers use when shooting a wedding party walking the isle is to focus on a non moving subject somewhere along the path. In this illustration, a pew or railing. In a fashion shoot, perhaps a runway marker, or a member of the audience. You can use auto focus for this. Use just the center focal point. Then switch your cam to manual focus, and don't touch the lens. When the subject model comes parallel to your marker, take the pic. Make sure you are in the same position you were in for auto focus, are shooting fast enough to capture the motion, and have a generous depth of field. I find I can capture most walking motion between 1/160 and 1/250. The rest of the settings can be worked out on sight.<br>

This will limit you to one chosen place at a time on the runway, but is effective, without having to to rely on AI Servo.</p>

[Brad_]

>>> One trick wedding photographers use when shooting a wedding party walking the isle is to focus on a non moving subject somewhere along the path. <P>

 

Great advice. Though not a wedding, that's how I snagged <a href=

"http://calibersf.com/2010/12/14/highjumper/">this shot</a> - focusing on the trashcan...

[NimArt]

<p> Thank you ALL of you for your nice and useful advices on my question.thank you very much and was so useful. regards,Nima</p>

[tonmestrom]

<p>I've shot pro fashion shows way back. The simple answer is use a flash because noise is not an option. As for blurry photos you can actually use that as a technique to your advantage. Slow shutter speeds in combination with a flash can give great looking results. Or you can use a slight panning and create something looking like this.</p>

<p>btw William is right, if it's a fashion show of any substance models know exactly where to look and where to stop for a photo but you have to be fast.</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

[William Michael]

<p>Thanks Ton.<br>

For clarity, I was so specific about the Tv = 1/400s for two reasons:<br>

. The first was to answer the question of front on walking pace and around 1/400 or 1/500 will do that most of the time.<br>

. BUT the second was to reflect the fact that the longest lens was 200mm, possibly on an APS-C body shooting hand held (sans flash) and no IS was mentioned – i.e. I was also addressing camera shake.<br>

Also, as I was not necessarily referring to the freezing of the Subject Movement, as I mentioned I assumed Professional Models anyway; and so, for example if shooting from the Catwalk edge with the 17 to 40 you could pull 1/200s easily, provided the Shutter Release timing is correct, however you would have to be careful with <strong><em>flowing garments</em></strong>, as they will still be moving.</p>

<p>The most common "stopping" points are:<br>

the entrance;<br>

halfway on the catwalk on the entrance walk;<br>

the end of the catwalk - usually twice, once at the arrival and once before the exit walk; <br>

about halfway on the catwalk on the exit walk, usually this is engaged with a turn.</p>

<p>As Ton mentioned most Pro Fashion Shows allow for Flash, but the Tv selected can still be <em>slow enough to allow for some ambient bleed using a long shutter drag.</em><br>

<em>That's one of the reasons why the Professional models maintain the split second pose for the Pit Photographers, even though they are using Flash.</em> The Flash's main job is for <em>Subject Illumination</em> and <em>(close to) Correct Colour Rendition of the Garment</em>, not Subject Freeze: for example with Flash I have shot at around 1/30s, to allow for Ambient Light Bleed, in the background.</p>

<p>WW </p>