This photo assignment required that I shoot people in motion using three different techniques: blurred motion, panning, and stop action. I used these techniques in high school when photographing sports for the yearbook, but I hadn’t used them since then.

Blurred Motion

The blurred motion technique results in a photo where anything that is not moving (typically the background) is crisp and clear, while anything in motion (typically in the foreground) is blurry.

I found the blurred motion effect to be the easiest to shoot with. I knew I needed to pick a dark, shady spot so that when I lowered my shutter speed to make people blurry, my photo wouldn’t be overexposed. People are always in motion, and this effect can make us realize what a busy species humans truly are.

Panning

The panning technique was one of my favorites to use when photographing sports like basketball and soccer while I was in high school. This effect is the opposite of blurred motion – the subject is clear and the background is blurry. This is the result of matching the speed of the subject and following them in the direction they’re moving.

This technique requires very precise movement and tricky settings, and I realized that fact when I took a couple hundred panning photos and ended up with only a couple that were decent. This was probably my least favorite technique because it’s difficult to not look like a complete creep when shooting the photos – I felt like a spy following strangers’ movements in some sort of movie and I was afraid someone was going to call me out for being creepy. Thankfully no one did.

Stop Action

This technique involves stopping every bit of movement the subject is making – like time is standing still.

I only practiced this technique on one person who I stumbled across hula hooping at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. Her name was Aida, and she was the human embodiment of sunshine. Her aura was glowing and warm and she never stopped laughing or smiling. Her hula hooping abilities seemed so effortless and she was confident in her every move. Needless to say, I was excited to have come across her during a walk and even if I hadn’t gotten any worthy photos, Aida brightened my day.

If I learned anything from this assignment, it’s the fact that I missed taking such photos and have a lot of fun doing so, but I still have a lot to learn and master.