Photography is all about capturing a moment in time, and sometimes your subject may be on the move. Capturing motion can help convey that the subject is moving, but it can also convey the mood of the setting.

When capturing motion, it is important to take into consideration the shutter speed and aperture. Shutter speed is the measurement of time the shutter of your camera is open. It is represented in seconds such as 1/500s, 1/15s, 1 second, 10 seconds, etc. The faster the shutter speed, the shorter the time the image sensor of your camera is exposed to light. This affects how motion is portrayed in your shot.

Before selecting your shutter speed, determine the amount of motion you would like to capture. To “freeze” a fast-moving subject, try using a fast shutter speed such as 1/250 seconds or faster. A slower shutter speed such as 10 seconds can introduce blur into your image, resulting in a feeling of action. If you are using a slow shutter speed to capture movement of the subject, you may also want to use a smaller aperture to prevent an overexposed image.

Shutter lag is the time delay between pressing your camera’s shutter release button and when your camera actually shoots. Utilise the DSLR’s two-stage shutter release to lock the focus on your subject before taking the shot.

Continuous-servo AF mode constantly adjusts the focus to follow the subject’s movement as the shutter release button is being pressed and held halfway, useful for constantly moving subjects. Another way to capture motion is continuous shooting mode. This shooting mode works especially well together with Continuous-servo AF mode.

You can also switch your lens to manual focus, which helps eliminate any delay caused by autofocusing. This works best when your subject remains at the same distance away from the camera. Capturing motion requires practice and patience. Understanding how different shutter speeds, aperture settings, and focusing methods can affect your image would help you get the shot you are looking for.