6

Movement

U-NU-LE (The Wind).

Stan Crocker

Power Move

David A. Page

Stop Motion: Even though the camera’s shutter speed was fast enough to stop the movement of the St. Johns basketball player, the fact that he is in midair conveys movement. The body angle and goal are strong clues as to the direction of that movement. The blur of the Duke defender’s hand not only confirms action, but also raises the question “Was the ball swatted away or was it slamdunked?” Either way, it was great college basketball and the viewer can answer the question in his or her own mind according to their allegiance. In either case, something spectacular is about to happen.

Bicycle Race

Stan Crocker

Panning: The camera is focused on the bike rider, who is the center of interest. Carefully swinging the camera and following his movement produces a sharp rendition of the subject. This is, in a sense, because the camera is panned with the movement of the rider. The camera and the rider are moving together, but the background is not. The blurred background provides a double advantage. It calls attention to the rider and not itself and the colorful blur suggests a fast movement. An added feature is that one bike is going out of the frame and another is entering with the main bike and rider in the center of the frame. This provides an unexpected symmetry and adds to the action.

Interested Spectator

Michael Hutto

Not Panning: In photographing a scene including moving and unmoving objects, the photographer must determine the primary subject of the composition and direct attention to it by controlling how the motion is depicted. The young boy’s reaction to the bicycle race becomes the primary subject, making the motion of the bikes secondary, but still interesting. The blurring of the bicycles leaning into the turn in the background is an example of motion that results from using a shutter speed that is slower than the relative speed of the bicycles. The primary and secondary elements in this image combine to create a compelling composition of motion and emotion.

Colors

Vicki H. Wilson

Blur: Showing movement via either panning or blurring is equally effective at conveying a sense of motion in a photograph. It is simply a matter of the desired outcome. What is the intended message for the viewer? In this image, the photographer found the bright, contrasting colors more interesting than the racecar itself and chose nonpanning with a slow shutter speed to blur the motion and to focus attention on the streaked colors. However, if the car logo or a sponsorship name were important, then panning would be necessary to direct the viewer’s attention to those details that would be sharp due to the panning action at the relative speed of the car.

Bullfight

Howard LeVant

If this photograph had been taken at a faster shutter speed, there would be no blur to suggest the action and movement. It was taken at a shutter speed of {1/4} of a second. Without a sense of motion, the image would be static and less interesting. A photographer is always confronted with the decision of which shutter speed will capture just the right amount of blur. This requires experience and some luck, for the action is always changing and changing fast. Distance from the subject is a factor. More distant subjects produce less blur than those up close. The opposite is true for lenses. A long focal length lens favors more blur than a short focal length lens. In this photograph, the photographer has successfully captured the movement, violence, and gracefulness of a key moment in which the storming bull and matador have made contact. The traditional red throw serves to symbolize the potential danger in the encounter.

Steam Locomotive

David A. Page

Implied Movement: How do you get an object that is as rigid and fixed as a steam locomotive to appear as if it were moving? The first thing the photographer did to accomplish this was to move in close and photograph just a section that would normally be in motion if the locomotive were moving. He used a camera with a special lens that distorts what is being photographed. In this photo, the connecting rods, which are the focal point of the image, suggest that they are in motion and causing blur. The blur suggests that the locomotive was moving at a very high speed or that the shutter speed of the camera was not fast enough to arrest the motion. The entire steam locomotive is on display at a railroad museum in Roanoke, Virginia, and has not moved in decades.

Irish Rugby Advertisement

Richard D. Zakia

The camera captures a split second of the movement by the rugby player and invites the viewer to complete the action. The stance of the body is one that is not natural in a static position and therefore suggests movement for completion. There is just a hint of motion in the ball and hands, which evidently is moving faster than the player’s body.

Bernie Boston’s (1933–2008) photograph Flower Power serves as a cover for his photojournalism book. It was taken in 1967 when a group protesting the Vietnam War were confronted by a detachment of rifle-bearing National Guardsman. He captured the precise moment of a young man beginning to gently place a flower in the barrel of one of the rifles. The viewer is invited to complete the action. Flower Power has become his signature piece as well a cultural icon.

Horses

Direction of Movement: In the top photograph, the horses are moving left to right. In the bottom photograph, which has been flipped, they are moving in the opposite direction. In which photo do the horses appear to be moving the fastest? According to Dr. Rudolf Arnheim, because we read from left to right in Western society, the horses in the top photograph appear to be moving faster. In societies where people read from right to left, one can assume that the bottom photograph would appear to be the faster one.