Knowing Shutter Speeds...

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Viewfinder

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OK, well it does say in the Talk Basics thread "absolutely no question is too silly" so here goes...
I'm OK with good static subjects as I'm sure anyone else would be - but when it comes to moving objects, especially fast moving objects that you just might not want to miss, do you always "know" what the best shutter speed should be by instinct and experience?
Say for example this thread about rotor blur, if you didn't know or have the right shutter speed to achieve the blur, then you might not get another moment to have a second chance. You might not see the object again.
It would be easy and foolproof to use a preset mode like Sports to capture the moment, albeit lose the blur as camera chooses a faster shutter speed and completely freeze the rotors and give no effect of motion.
Do experienced togs instinctively know what is required to achieve what effect and does it come with time and practice?
 
Practice will give you an idea of where you should be in most situations you shoot frequently, but remember ligh plays a vital roll in what you can shoot at.

The learn with MD thread this month is about shutter speed, worth taking the time to read and experiment with.

Just play with objects and experiment with shutter speeds. No substitute for practice. Also, don;t worry, it will come easier, and your question I spent ages trying to figure when I first started.

Edit, here's the thread

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=242195
 
Cheers Carl. just read that, thanks! :thumbs:

I'm OK with the lesson, but with it being a ball you can practice and repeat time and time again. From what you were saying about practice, would you say that anyone could get to a point from experience where we could turn up on location of fast objects and instinctively know we need a shutter speed of 1/nnns knowing that - once the object has passed, be it an animal, bird, or vehicle - we would have that shot/effect?
 
Viewfinder said:
Cheers Carl. just read that, thanks! :thumbs:

I'm OK with the lesson, but with it being a ball you can practice and repeat time and time again. From what you were saying about practice, would you say that anyone could get to a point from experience where we could turn up on location of fast objects and instinctively know we need a shutter speed of 1/nnns knowing that - once the object has passed, be it an animal, bird, or vehicle - we would have that shot/effect?
Click to expand...

Unless you want a certain effect... the answer is simple... for moving objects/subjects get the fastest shutter speed you can... thats it :)
 
Indeed Kipax, it's the 'certain effect' situation I'm trying to gauge.
If you only have one opportunity to get a shot with motion effect - do you concentrate on getting a shot of the object regardless of effect, i.e. better to have a shot than no shot at all?
 
I think it comes with experience or picking up tips from those with experience and that's the beauty of the forum. I picked up the tip about rotor blur shutter speed on a forum years ago and it's stayed with me. I just have to remember to use it in the field. Forum meets are extremely useful for learning new techniques and picking up tips.
 
Viewfinder said:
Indeed Kipax, it's the 'certain effect' situation I'm trying to gauge.
If you only have one opportunity to get a shot with motion effect - do you concentrate on getting a shot of the object regardless of effect, i.e. better to have a shot than no shot at all?
Click to expand...

If it is a chance of getting it with the no motion blur and def getting the shot, then get the shot with the higher shutter speed rather than risk getting the blur you want and not getting the shot. I know it's not right from a purist point, but you can add motion blur in PP, but you can't do anything with an out of focus shot. That's the way I have always looked at it.
 
Thanks Carl/ Richard! :thumbs:
That was the assurance I needed that it develops (no pun!) with time and experience!
 
That sort of thing is purely down to experience. The human eye has an effective shutter speed of about 1/20sec so anything faster than that is a blur. You just have to have done it before - or chimp and adjust.

Nobody can look just look and tell what shutter speed you need for a golfer, or a tennis player, or a footballer. And the direction of movement makes a big difference - if you have a car coming towards you, you can get that sharp with a relatively slow speed, but if it's moving sideways across the frame, it's going to be very much faster.
 
Food for thought that Richard, although do you mean achieving the sense of speed from panning?

My thought was whether time and experience lets you judge shutter speed to correctly capture the effects of objects with moving parts as opposed to freezing motion as a whole. :thinking: Sorry if I misunderstood you. For example, a sharp helicopter with rotor blur or a sharp hummingbird with wing blur.

I am feeling more towards, as Carl confirms - it is better to have a good shot than not at all, or as you say, you have to have done it before or 'chimp and adjust'. I guess reading exif data from similar cameras and lenses can help to a degree towards 'chimping'... until such time I can command a hummingbird to pose at will! ;)
 
Nobody 'knows' these things, not without having done it or at least done some specific research.

No two humingbirds are the same, you have big slow ones and tiny fast ones hardly bigger than a bumble bee.

Panning is something slightly different and that depends entirely on the speed of the subject relative to the background (which depends on the shooting distance) and the amount of blur you want. Not to mention a fair bit of finely honed technique.
 
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