When our subject is moving fast, we have to pick a shutter speed that will freeze the action (unless we are shooting a waterfall and choose to blur the flow, or we are shooting a propeller driven plane, in which case we need to freeze the plane but show the motion of the props.) The faster the subject moves, the faster shutter speed is required. We also need to be mindful of the lens in use. The longer focal length of the lens, the faster shutter speed is required in order to get sharp images. With fast action we don't often have the luxury of much choice when it comes to F.Stops because very fast shutter speeds means wide open F.Stops (large F.Stop = small number) in order to get enough light.

          While in Newfoundland we went whale watching on a zodiac. A zodiac on the open ocean moves a lot due to wave action. Trying to keep a whale in your frame while you are bopping up and down in the zodiac is no easy task. This movement complicates things because now we have moving whales and a moving photographer. To get sharp images we now need to have really, really fast shutter speeds to freeze the whale and to prevent camera motion blur. Since the camera is already set on the largest F.Stop a faster shutter speed is not available. So the next step is to bump up the ISO to enable a faster shutter speed.

          It is really important to think about all these things before the action starts. The camera needs to be set and ready to go in advance. Action happens fast and if you are not ready you missed the shot; a shot which you might never get again. For action ensure that your shutter speed is really fast even if you have to bump up your ISO.

          Focusing is the next challenge. Set your camera on a focusing mode that tracks movement. Also take your camera off of the single shot mode and set it to shoot as many frames per second as possible. When the action happens just keep depressing the shutter and let the camera click away as fast as it can. Shoot in bursts when there is action. In the end most shots are deleted as the framing and focus might not be there. However, the keepers can be really nice.

We cannot wait for the moment and then lift the camera to shoot. It happens too fast and you have missed the shot. Track the action all the time and shoot when the action heats up. Learn to read the game. Learn the animal's behavior. We need to be able to anticipate in order to get the shots. It takes practice.

Enjoy the action.