5 tips for photographing a moving animal

Our models don’t always stay still. Unfortunately, this often results in blurred photos. To prevent this from happening, just follow these five tips from pros.

1-READY TO SEIZE THE MOVEMENT

The first thing to do when capturing a moving subject is to be prepared to release your camera at any time. So get ready: with the lens cover removed, the camera within reach, turned on and set for the light conditions.

We also think about planning our framing. We think about the background to be in the right place. Because a sharp picture is good. But if the composition is successful, it’s even better!

2-ONE REMAINS STABLE

This is an essential condition to avoid blurring, especially when the subject is moving. If our subject is moving and we are moving too, we will never get a clear picture. It is all the more difficult because we rely on our reflexes to capture the right moment when our subject moves quickly. So we can easily get carried away and move, even just a little, at the moment of shooting.

The stabilizers integrated in our camera can help us, but they will never replace a good tripod. Nothing is more stable. If you don’t have one, you can still try to be as still as possible by holding your camera with both hands (one on the body, the other on the lens) and squeezing your elbows against your body.

3-WE SET THE SHUTTER SPEED

Shutter speed is THE setting to understand when taking pictures of moving subjects. It is the time during which we let the light pass to the sensor of our camera.

To freeze the movement of our subject, we must increase our shutter speed. The faster our subject is moving, the more we have to increase it. For example, to photograph a car on the highway, we choose a speed of 1/2000. For a child running, 1/500. For a person walking, 1/250.

4-WE PLAY WITH THE EFFECTS

Blur is not necessarily bad for a photo, especially when it is intended. You may want to use it to give an impression of movement and speed. This results in very vivid photos.

To achieve this, we simply set our camera to a low shutter speed. By choosing a lower speed (say 1/50), our photo can be sharp and keep a slight blur in certain areas. On the arms of a child throwing water into a swimming pool, for example.

5-AUTOMATIC MODES ARE USED

With a moving subject, you can forget about manual focusing. The continuous focus mode will be much more effective.

If you don’t want to break your head with all the settings, you can simply select the modes dedicated to shooting moving images or the “Sport” mode. They will automatically give priority to speed and continuous focus. You can also try the “Burst” mode, if you want to maximize your chances of getting the right shot.