Newbie.... technical issues for action shots?

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kittten1982

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HI all

I'm a complete newbie and a real amateur, I only have a Minolts Dynax 404si (but am desperatly saving for a eos 400d!).

I'm waiting for a good day to take some action shots of my friends horse and being the novice that I am, I don't know how to make sure I can technically get the best picture from my camera.

The problem I have with it is the length of time it takes to auto focus and release the shutter after pressing the button, the moment has usually passed and it's really hard to take a series of shots because the delay is so long. How can I get it to take pictures faster?! They usually come out great, it's just the timing that's out. Also, which film should I use for fast shots?

I'm sorry for sounding so ignorant, my faithful old camera has always sorted these things out for me but I don't want to waste a whole roll of film!!

Thanks in advance

Jules xx
 
kittten1982 said:
The problem I have with it is the length of time it takes to auto focus and release the shutter after pressing the button
Click to expand...

Isn't this sentence the key to your problem ?

It implies that you press the button and then wait for the camera to focus and take the shot all in one go which is causing you to miss the shot ?

Shouldn't you be half pressing the button, waiting for the camera to auto focus, then fully press when you are ready to release the shutter ?
 
You need to think "pre emptive photography"

What are the horse and rider doing? normally they follow a set course. are there any fences/bars to jump? If so then focus on the bar. half depress and wait for the horse to arrive. continue pressing when horse arrives and hey presto. You will soon learn the time between subject coming into picture and when you need to press. only you will know that given the speed of camera and horse.
 
Basically what KIPAX said. Just get focused before and then when they come round just press the trigger. Therefore you wouldnt need to focus and not miss the shot. Also use a fast shutter speed so that the horse will not be blurred.
 
One tip is to focus on a point where you know the subject is going to be and then keep the button half pressed until it comes into focus.
 
Kipax has summed it up pretty well, Another thing that may be useful for you to practise and get to grips with is panning - if that is done smoothly then you would get some nice results.

Another thing - you talk about wasting a roll of film - I found that the most cost effective way was that whilst I was practising and trying things out I used the cheapest development services I could find - and bought cheap film. I knew the results weren't going to be anything more than reference tools anyway, and I was more interested in the results of the settings, than the quality of the print.
 
Does your Minolta have the ability to continually focus on a moving object? If it does, it is possible to take shots of your moving subject as it approaches you.

For the "prefocus" suggestion already made, I would focus manually, as it is easier than trying to keep the shutter release half pressed in my experience.


For moving subjects, consider the shutter speed carefully.
If you want to "freeze" the action, then use a fast shutter speed (eg 1/1000s).
To give the impression of movement, use a slower speed (1/125s or longer, if it was me it'd go for 1/30s, but you can experiment) and pan (to blur the background). The more pictures you take, the more you increase the chances of getting a good shot. For panning it is better to manually focus.

Action photography is definitely something that improves with practise. So don't be afraid to experiment.
 
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