Day 3: Stopping motion

Wait, what? Stopping motion? I guess today we’re going deeper into creative photography. How on earth am I going to make a moving object stop?

A few reviews later and I got the fundamentals of stop-motion photography. At least on paper, as in practice, it’s a different beast.

Stop-motion photography requires slow shutter speed, low ISO and zone focusing (thank you self-portrait photography, ultimately making a moving subject look as it’s not moving, while blurring the background.

To make this happen, and with the sun setting at 4:15 pm, I decided it would be best to capture this shot at night time. Just one small caveat. I live in London, which means rain is mandatory during winter.

I was determined to capture this shot and continue my challenge, so I grabbed my camera and off I went to stop motion. I changed 3 locations and spent more than 3 hours in the rainy streets of London trying to stop motion from cars, to buses, to mopeds and bicycles.

I opted in for the latter. Not because I had a choice, but because after 70 snaps, this was the only decent and almost in-focus picture I was able to get.

Stop-motion is a fascinating photographic technique requiring focus, speed, and synchronization with your subject. I was able to develop an eye for capturing a spontaneous composition while focusing on my subject.

It took me a while to capture this and eventually call it a day, but it was worth every droplet!