ON DEMAND: Action and Motion Photography (3-part series)

Any living being, animal or human, that looks good standing still looks even better in motion!   From wildlife to skiers or whitewater kayakers, action work has been a huge part of my assignment and stock imagery repertoire for over 30 years.   The world of action photography is a challenging and exciting way to sharpen all of your technical and creative photography skills.  Fast breaking situations where there might not be a second chance require accurate motor skills, the ability to change camera settings on the fly and quick creative decisions that lead to impactful images.  Successful action imagery captures the decisive moment or the feeling of power, energy and motion.  This 3-part series webinar will show you what you need to do in order to consistently create action images.  We don’t learn by simply watching webinars.  We learn by doing.  Participants will be given assignments and are encouraged to practice and share one image for critique.

Session 1:   How do I get a sharp shot?  Developing motor skills and optimizing camera settings for maximizing focus accuracy in any action situation.   Using AI-Servo or Continuous AF modes, using subject or face detection and how well it works.  How and when to use tried and true, old school focus when modern technology fails.  Practicing changing focus points and settings on the fly.  Explanation of participant assignment for critique.

Session 2:  Exposure and composition for action.  Critique of one image per participant from session 1 assignment.   Best exposure settings and practices for creative effects, such as showing movement or freezing action.  How to anticipate and capture or orchestrate peak action and decisive moments.   Choosing the right shutter speed for different action situations and subject(s) distances from the camera.  Working with more than one subject in the frame.    Explanation of participant assignment for critique in session 3.

Session 3:  Critique of one image per participant from session 2 assignment.   Creative composition and design for action photography.  Shooting from a participant’s point of view, lens choice and favorable angles, what to look out for and avoid for human subjects.   Working with water, snow and bad weather.  Time permitting:  introduction to mixing artificial lighting for visual separation and creative effects.