Field Trip: Photography at the Youth Fair

MEETING PLACE: ENTRANCE INSIDE IMMEDIATELY TO THE RIGHT

ENTRANCE FEE: $12; SENIORS FREE (CHECK MIAMI DADE COUNTY YOUTH FAIR FOR DISCOUNTS)

COORDINATOR: IBIS HILLENCAMP (CONTACT BY EMAIL OR PHONE ON TOP OF THIS PAGE)

FOR THOSE THAT WOULD LIKE TO HAVE AN EARLY DINNER, WE ARE MEETING AT 5 PM AT

El Manchego Restaurant, 2500 SW 107th Avenue, Miami.

 Equipment to take besides your camera:

Shooting Suggestions

Set your camera to RAW format. This allows you to correct exposure, white balance and other settings using LightRoom or Photoshop.

Photography Rides with Slow Shutter speed

SHUTTER SPEED is the most important camera value for achieving the correct exposure for MOVEMENT. I suggest setting your camera to shutter-priority or manual mode. The amount of movement you capture in the image will vary depending on a number of factors, including the speed of the ride itself, but a good place to start is with a shutter speed of one to two seconds to get a lot of movement. Take some test shots to determine the correct values for movement given the surrounding lighting conditions. 

Low ISO

Low ISO settings will allow you to achieve shutter speeds of one to two seconds (or lower) allowing you to capture motion blur in the people and in the rides. Using higher ISO values will normally speed up your exposure and result in freezing instead of blurring the motion in your shot. My suggestion – start with a LOW ISO between 100 – 400 depending on the ambient conditions.

Panning is a good way to add an increased sense of speed to a slower ride, such as the carousel. Take a panning shot by moving your camera in line with the moving subject during exposure. The aim is to keep the subject (carousel horse) as sharp as possible and the background as blurry as possible. Shoot in shutter-priority mode and select a speed of 1/30th of a second to start. You can then experiment with slower speeds depending on the level of light and the speed of the subject. Make sure to shoot in continuous shooting mode and, if your camera has it, use automatic focus tracking. Press the shutter half way to activate the focus tracking when the subject enters the frame. Lock focus on the subject and, as smoothly as possible, pan your camera to match the movement of the subject and take your shots.

 People

Don’t forget that some of the most interesting shots are of the people walking around and their reactions. Here, you will have to take into consideration the outside lighting. Where is the best light? Where movement is NOT a factor, and you are hand holding your camera, your shutter speed should be no less that 1/focal length of your lens. It may be time to raise your ISO.

Know your camera. Do some test shots to determine which ISO and Shutter Speed values work best for the shot you are trying to achieve. The main goal, however, is to have FUN!!!