HELP! I Want To Slow My Shutter Speed, But I Don't Own A Tripod

So I went to the Children's Museum (AGAIN!) with my kids. I had been there over 20 times. So I wanted to challenge myself to do a new photo project. I wanted to get things in motion with very low shutter speeds, but I didn't have a tripod. Very low shutter speeds make me think of old school street photography.

Back in the day, before cameras with high ISO speeds (here is a video explaining it), people that were photographers had to pretty much carry a tripod everywhere they went.

A tripod allows for very low shutterspeeds without camera shake! Here is an example of camera shake with very low shutterspeeds! Sometimes it's cool, but most of the time, you lose what you want to get from the photo.

So, after many attempts on trying to get what I wanted. I got some photos that I was happy with to show you what I do.

1. USE YOUR BODY AS A TRIPOD OR PUT YOUR CAMERA ON A STILL SURFACE

I actually had to put my camera on a table to shoot this shot (at the top). But I wanted to challenge my self even more. What if someone didn't even have a table surface, but still wanted to capture motion in low light? HMMM.... This was my challenge.

So I made my body physically into a tripod. (Which was very hard because I am 6 months pregnant haha!). I had to crouch down so that my body made three points. I also pinned my elbows to my side while being hunched down in a corner! I was shooting at a shutter speed that was 5 seconds, so I had to hold it completely still for time! Here is a little video about a guy that used this method for filming.

2. PUT YOUR FOCUS ON A VERY STILL OBJECT IN THE FRAME

This was the biggest challenge for me. I had to find somewhere to shoot that I was able to capture motion while making it seem as though something was moving! At the children's museum, there are tons of kids running around. I though the train room would be interesting because the trains rotate through this "town." This train was only going like 1/10 a mile an hour, so I really had to be patient.

I had to try this method out two to three times to get the desired effect that I wanted.

3. YOUR APERATURE AND ISO WILL HAVE TO ADJUST

Think about it, you are letting in A LOT of light into your camera. So you will have to adjust your manual settings in other ways. Doing the aperature was the best way to stop the light.

4. BE PATIENT!

You might have to try several times to get what you want.

Here is a perfect example of me not hitting the focus just right. I was leaning against a railing here.

This camera shake is really bad.

Ahh, must better.

I would love to see your photos using these principles: Hashtag me on Twitter (@_MarshallArts_) , instagram (@chicamarsh) or facebook (@Marshallartsstudio)!

Keep Shooting!

Christal

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