VIDEO: CAPTURING MOTION BY MOVING THE CAMERA WITH THE SUBJECT
By attaching a camera to my rake, I captured the motion of raking leaves. (1:02)
Ask any commercial photographer to name the most vital tool of the trade, and the answer will be duct tape. Sure enough, on this particular shoot, duct tape was king. I was shooting for a company called Flex Solutions, and they wanted to convey their speed and efficiency. With my tripod at full extension (as we can see in the first shot), I was able to jam the lower 18 inches of its legs between the slats of the central pallet. After wrapping the legs and portions of the pallet in duct tape, I securely mounted the camera and lens to the tripod head, and we were set to go.
As the lift truck driver drove down the product-lined aisles, I walked alongside the lift truck at a hurried pace, firing the camera with an attached cable release. I’d set the camera to Aperture Priority mode at f/22, so my exposure times varied between 1/4 sec. and 1 second (the light values varied as the lift truck ventured down different aisles, causing the different shutter speeds). The second shot you see here was one of seven that turned out well.
The setup, with my tripod duct-taped to a pallet.
One of the resulting shots.
12–24mm lens, f/22 for 1/2
sec.
TIP: GIVE YOURSELF A HAND
Here is an idea for capturing e-motion-filled images that you can use without even leaving home. Spend an hour or a whole day shooting your hand on the move. While holding the camera with one hand, photograph your other hand at various slow shutter speeds, such as 1/15 or 1/8 sec. You will be pleasantly surprised at the results.
How about your hand opening the fridge? Getting a drink from the cooler? Serving some cake or pie? Playing air hockey? The possibilities are endless!
At the vegetable market in Lyon, France, I followed my
hand as it “flew” across the table of vegetables with a 10-euro
note to pay the vendor.
12–24mm lens, f/16 for 1/15
sec.
After getting my cup of coffee at a café in
Christchurch, New Zealand, I followed my hand as it looked for an
outdoor table to put down the coffee.
12–24mm lens, f/16 for 1/8
sec.
I came upon a wall of graffiti and several empty spray
cans. Within minutes, I was shooting my hand as if I were the one
doing the graffiti.
12–24mm lens, f/11 for 1/15
sec.