Objectives
C H A P T E R
Action and Event
Photography
Technical Terms
bare-bulb flash
buffer size
built-in flash
caption
dedicated flash units
flash unit
follow focus
hard news
high-voltage power pack
hyperfocal distance
lens collar
When you have finished reading this chapter, you will be able to:
• List the major categories of action and event photography.
• Identify the techniques used to stop action.
• Describe the different focus techniques used in action photography.
• Contrast hard news and feature (“soft news”) photography.
• List the advantages and disadvantages of using the camera’s built-in flash.
main light
motor drive
off-camera flash
painting with light
peak of action
photojournalism
picture story
prefocusing
rear-curtain synchronization
red eye
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relative motion
ringlight flash
self-contained flash units
sensor-type automatic flash
control
shutter lag
slave units
soft news
zone focusing
zooming
In the early days of photography, there was
no such thing as an “action shot.” Film emulsions
were so slow that street scenes usually included
no human figures: pedestrians strolling by the
camera were moving too rapidly to register on the
film. To be captured by the camera, a person had
to remain in one spot for several seconds.
As film emulsions became more sensitive,
and lens and shutter speeds improved, the
photographer’s ability to include moving objects
in pictures improved as well. Today’s camera
systems and image receivers (films and digital
sensors) make it not only possible, but relatively
simple, to “freeze” even the rapid action of
a sports activity. See Figure 9-1. The greatly
increased sensitivity of films and sensors,
combined with fast lenses, also make possible
event photography under low light and other
difficult conditions.
Types of Action and Event
Photography
Virtually any picture that portrays people
involved in activities—from children playing
a game to the hustle and bustle of an urban
street scene to the colorful activities of an ethnic