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| Kayaker at Brennan's Wave Missoula, Montana |
Capturing pictures of moving subjects can be challenging, regardless of the equipment we use. In most cases we want a sharp image of the subject doing something interesting. To achieve this with your smartphone camera, you need to use Burst mode.
Burst Mode
Burst mode tells your phone camera to take a rapid series of frames---faster than tapping the shutter button for each one. From this group of pictures you can select the best images and delete the rest.
To start burst mode on an iPhone camera, swipe left from the shutter button and hold. You'll see the phone count the number of pictures it has saved until you let go.
To start burst mode on an Android phone camera, swipe down from the shutter button and hold. The phone counts the frames until you release the button.
If you hold on the shutter button too long instead of swiping, the camera starts recording video. Let go and swipe again.
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| Burst mode photos of marathon runners Missoula, Montana |
From this series, my favorite image is the second frame from the left in the middle row, shown below.
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| Best frame from series |
Bright Light Helps
The brighter the scene is where you're trying to freeze action, the easier the camera can do this. Lots of light means the exposure times are short and this stops motion. If you are shooting on a cloudy day, at night, or indoors, there is less light, making it harder for the camera to freeze the action. You can still use burst mode in these situations, but you might need to take more frames until you get a sharp one.
Learn more about your phone's camera in Take Better Pictures with Your Smartphone, beginning September 30, 2024, at the Lifelong Learning Center in Missoula, Montana. Get more details and register at this link.