Exercise: Photographing movement - shutter speeds - manual

The aim of the this exercise was to highlight the differences in shutter speed when capturing movement.  You can freeze an image with a fast shutter speed or use a low speed to achieve a motion blur which may give an added impression of movement. (As demonstrated below, in the latter shots).

The exercise called for 10 - 12 photographs to be taken, ranging from the highest shutter speed to the lowest.  When I did this exercise, I had to manage the failing light outside, so I kept my aperture wide at F4, and had to raise the ISO to 6400.  My images were therefore grainy. My camera's highest shutter speed is 1/8000 but I started at 1/1600 because of the failing light.   I the  found this a useful, exercise, as  it helped to consolidate my knowledge so far about the three elements which affect the digital film (Aperture/Shutter Speed/ISO).

Photograph 1: f4 1/1600 ISO 6400 freezes motion

Photograph 2 f4 1/160 ISO 6400

Photograph 3 f4 1/100 ISO 6400

Photograph 4 f4 1/50 ISO6400

Photograph 5 f4 1/30 ISO 6400

Photograph 6 f4 1/15 ISO 6400

Photograph 7 f4 1/10 ISO 4000

Photograph 8 f4 1/8 ISO 4000

photograph 9 f4 1/6 ISO 4000

photograph 10 f4 1/5 ISO 4000

The first photograph, shows how a fast shutter speed (1/1600) freezes motion.   There was a noticeable difference in the blurring of motion around 1/125.. but more noticeably with the shutter speed at 1/100.   I particularly like the artistic blur of the the last two photographs.. and because I had dropped the shutter speeds considerably, I was able to lower the ISO to 4000.  My son actually looks like he is moving across the screen. I found the fast shutter froze the action but it did not give me the sense of any movement, I much prefer the blur of motion which the lower shutter speeds captures.

I will repeat this exercise, with more available daylight and see if I can achieve more clarity with a lower ISO.