the foto finch – movement
Hello lovely people! If you’re new to the Foto Finch Series, welcome! Here I hope you’ll learn something new that will help you capture your everyday life with amazing photography! Today we’re talking about the idea of movement. Movement is any time that there is motion captured in a picture.
When capturing movement, pay attention to the direction of the motion. You are telling a story. The image is one frame taken to capture the moment, but there is more to the story. You want to leave room for the viewer’s mind to complete the motion. Here’s what I mean:
I love this picture of Ethan and I 🙂 At the time, I was swinging him from side to side. You can see in the frame that I’ve pulled him to one side (left), but there is room left on the other side of the frame so that the viewer can finish the thought of me swinging him back to the right.
Here is another example. This was taken at Silas’ fourth birthday party where we did an obstacle course with the kids. Part of it was a sack race where the kids had to hop from one area to another. Notice how the kids are jumping to the right. I purposefully left room on that side of the frame. The viewer’s mind fills in what would naturally happen next, that the kids land on the ground to the right. If I had not left any room, the picture would look unnatural; it would look like the kids are jumping right out of the picture!
Side note: to capture the kids frozen in the air, I made sure to use a high enough shutter speed (more on that in another Foto Finch post!)
Here are a couple images of Silas on a trampoline for the first time (wasn’t he a cute baby? 🙂 There is no particular room on either side of the frame because he is jumping up and down. This is a good example of how movement IS the story of the picture.
In this next image, the bride and groom are coming towards the camera. Because of the angle it is captured at, the viewer is able to finish the thought of the couple walking towards them.
Last example; notice the extra room on the left side of the frame so that the viewer finishes the thought of the family walking in that direction. Again, it would look unnatural if I had cropped this image with the family all the way on the left side of the frame with room on the right.
Movement can add a lot to an image; pay attention to the direction of the motion and leave room for the viewer to finish it.
Click on the link below to download your “Movement” reference card. As you follow along with the Foto Finch Series, you can collect and print these to stash in your camera bag or download them to your mobile device for easy, portable reference!
Get your camera out this week and capture some motion! Think about the direction of the movement in your images. Then share those images with us! Post them on Treu Image Photography’s facebook page (remember to tag yourself!) Give everyone a chance to see what you’re shooting and leave you a little love in the comments section – I promise I will!
Come back again for a new Foto Finch post and capture your days with amazing photography!
See you next time 🙂