Assignment 1: Creative Use of Shutter & Aperture

1. Shoot a sport - Freeze the action

ISO 1000 f1.8 1/1250s
50mm

I really like to photograph sports (in this case: stunts) to freeze the action. The frozen action makes it possible to see something we can't see because of the speed of the movements executed. 

2. Pan a moving object

ISO 100 f16 1/40s

50mm

I think it is very interesting to have a sharp moving object with a blurry background. It gives an impression of movement in the photo. But instead of taking the picture with a high shutter speed, we took it at a slow shutter speed.

3. Shoot a night scene

ISO 100 f5.6 5.0s

50mm

In this picture, the speed isn't there. On the contrary, the shutter speed is at a long exposure. This long exposure allows us to capture those trailing lights of a car passing by the camera. The results of this kind of photo depends of the exposure we give.

4. Shoot a portrait with a shallow DOF

ISO 100 f1.8 1/2000s

50mm

The shallow DOF gives a blurry background in the picture. That allows us to focus more on the subject (in this case, the person). I tried to take the picture during the night, but the results weren't successful because the tripod I have is not that good. Because it is very light, when I release the shutter, that gives a little shake that makes the tripod move. With this picture, I was a fast shutter speed. That makes the picture sharper in that case.

5. Shoot a landscape/cityscape with a deep DOF

ISO 100 f22 0.5s

50mm

I took many shots of landscape and cityscape during the last week. I wasn't very happy with the result because I'm not happy with the tripod I have now. Just now, this was my best landscape but it is still a little bit blurry. Maybe if I had increase the ISO, I could have use a faster shutter speed.

I prefer to take picture with a fast shutter speed and a shallow DOF instead of a slow shutter speed and a deep DOF. Of course, it doesn't mean I won't take pictures with these criteria because all those types of pictures (fast vs slow shutter speed, shallow vs deep DOF, panning vs freeze the action) gives something special to the photos depending of the situation.