SPEED is a vital element of photography.
It is about capturing an image in a bracket of time and preserving it for multiple moments for others to share.
Members of the Derby Telegraph camera club TogsQuad this week have been examining what makes a great shot when there is an element of speed involved.
How do you show movement in one still frame?
To freeze something in mid-air or just a fast-moving few seconds can be a real challenge and you need to pick a fast shutter speed to get sharp results.
Stephen Davidson of Ilkeston has brought us our editor's favourite picture of the week.
Stephen's dynamic shot of four of the Dako Flying Angels vaulting in quick succession at Ilkeston carnival uses this method.
He has used a shallow depth of field by setting his camera to f1.8 ensuring nothing distracts in the background from the action.
Mark Story has gone close and tight with a buzzing bee on 1/3200th of a second on his shutter and Della Astle caught these cyclists on a bend with 1/800th of a second shutter speed and set her ISO to 1000 on an overcast day to get enough speed.
Other options involve using slower shutter speeds so you can let things move within your photograph and make almost a blur or smudge of colours or lines from things that move while you make the frame.
Mark Averill has captured his bright London scene with an eye-catching red streak from a passing bus. The camera on ISO of 200 and the lens at f22 gave him a slow enough shutter of half a second which worked a treat.
Debbie Howe's car on a Belper roundabout and Terry James' streak of car lights at Jurys Inn both demonstrate this.
Another idea is to try a panning technique which involves setting your shutter speed again to a slower option, then moving steadily with the object that is travelling along.
This way of doing things should bring you the tracked object as sharp in the final shot, but leave the background behind it blurred or streaky. Sylwek Wielosik's Skoda rally (1/100th at f5) is handled with this approach.
Some who have had a go at this idea will tell you that it is trial and error which will lead you to your most impressive shot and perhaps involves using quite a lot of image space on the memory card.
Others who have mastered the method have found great satisfaction from final results, bringing so much depth to their frame.
However it's done, it is all about being there in the middle of the action so why don't you have a try at making your own moment?
The next meeting of TogsQuad is on Thursday, July 17 at Derby Quad on the Market Place from 7pm to 9pm. Booking is essential at £4 a ticket. Call Quad on 01332 290606 to book your place.
If you would like more information on TogsQuad, then e-mail vwilcox@ derbytelegraph.co.uk
TIPS OF THE WEEK
WHEN using slow shutter speed in daylight or a bright day, be sure to drop your ISO (film speed) down to its lowest setting. This will give you crisper images and ensure that you are able to set the camera that slow.
If you use a shutter speed lower than 1/30th of a second you may need to rest on something to steady the camera. But, as a rule, if you hold your breath briefly while you press the button then 1/30th of a second is fine for hand-held shots.
Panning is a little hit and miss but don't give up! There are so many elements including distance, perspective and timing that scientific accuracy will be difficult.
A shutter speed of around 1/30th of a second is ideal for panning or slow exposures. Again this is experimental. Try a few different settings but having your aperture set at a middling f5.6 will be fine too.
Experiment with your scene. Use a few shots to get it right and keep going until you think you've cracked it!
![Photography: How to slow down to capture the moment for a picture to remember]( "Photography: How to slow down to capture the moment for a picture to remember")
