Stopping Motion

Stock dog trial
Frenchtown, Montana

Getting a sharp, clear shot of moving subjects is one of the main challenges of photography. To accomplish it, you need to select a fast shutter speed, usually using Shutter Priority exposure mode. It also helps to set up Continuous Drive mode, so you can shoot a burst of frames, and to enable Continuous Auto Focus, so the camera tracks the subject as it moves closer or farther away.

I used all these controls to photograph the stock dog trials last summer. I set the camera to use 1/1000 second shutter speed, f/5.6 for aperture and ISO 200. Having plenty of bright light helped me achieve a good exposure at such a fast shutter speed.

Learn the essential camera controls for photographing action as well as many others in Getting to Know Your Digital SLR Camera held March 28, 2020, at the Lifelong Learning Center in Missoula, Montana. Click here to register.