Life On Two Wheels Series #24 (Techniques In Getting A Good Focus On Moving Subjects) | #Monomad Challenge

Hi there Black and White community, how have you been? hope everyone is well and doing fine. For today's content, I will be sharing again my photo series Life On Two Wheels a photo series that focuses on a vehicle that has two wheels, particularly motorbikes.

I haven't remembered when I started taking pictures of moving subjects, it all started when the pandemic hits us very hard that we have to close our borders in order to prevent the spread out of the virus. Out of boredom, I started to make myself busy by finding what I love doing, and that's when I found photography. Since there is an unused DSLR in the house I kinda asked myself why not start with photography instead. By then I started to explore camera functions and photography techniques by watching video tutorials.

And one of the first photographs I took was of moving subjects and one of them is a fast pace motorbike. It was a bit struggle for me at first since there are so many functions to set up in order to get a good focus on the subject while having a dramatic blurry background in it. Plus the technique as well as how you position the camera and yourself before clicking the shutter. The good thing about this kind of photography is that it doesn't need a prime lens at all, it would be great if you have one but the kit lens can still manage to do the same shot as prime lenses do. Allow me to share some of my snaps of these fast pace motorbikes and I'll share some of my tips on how I did it.

To begin with, the first thing I would set in my camera is the shutter speed I tend to lower it not exceeding 1/100, for a reason that setting a lower shutter speed will make any subject in the frame look blurry especially if you have a moving subject. Now, you may wonder why I get a good focus on moving subject if I had the shutter speed get it lowered. Well, lowering the shutter speed is just one factor, to make the subject separate from the blurry background you have to set the focus points of the camera to continuous autofocus wherein it is the one that does the job that only focuses on the moving subject.

Aside from lowering the shutter speed and changing the focus points of the camera you also have to do the panning shot this technique was often used in sports photography. A technique wherein you have to follow your subject while moving your camera in the same direction as the subject. Doing the panning shot will complement the continuous autofocus functions since the camera will somehow lock the focus on the moving subject and makes the background blurry because of lowering the shutter speed.

In addition to the camera setting, the aperture size, and the iso, these two also matter to the overall picture but as for me I often use a 100 iso since I usually took pictures of moving subjects in broad daylight a natural light. While I play the aperture from f/5.6 to f/8 depending on how bright the area is because if I use a lower number of apertures and I took the picture in broad daylight I will get a super bright photo so f/5.6 to f/8 for me is an ideal setting, in which the kit lens has it as well. So it's not necessary to spend on the prime lens just to get a good focus on a moving subject.

Well, I hope this content somehow gives you an idea of how to start photography, particularly in sports photography. Anyways, these photos will be my entry to the #monomad challenge of @monochromes.