Are you interested in high-speed photography? Then this article is for you! You can turn your home into a studio and take the most beautiful high-speed breaking chalk photograph with a little preparation and setup. All you need is a DSLR or mirrorless camera, MIOPS Smart+ remote shutter - trigger, a tripod, colorful chalks, and an airgun.
Before we start let’s take a look at high-speed photography’s essentials. At first, this fascinating genre of photography can seem difficult and even complicated but you can make it easier with a few tips and tricks. You can also read this article for more photography ideas and inspiration.
Basically, you can think of this kind of photography as "freezing time" that you’re seeing in a certain amount of time. This versatile technique is used for freezing instant actions like balloon popping, glass breaking or capturing water droplets, splashes. Magical images can be created by using this photography technique.
For shooting a high-speed photograph what you need is a DSLR camera. The good news is any DSLR camera will work for you. Next important thing is the lens. Just like the camera, any will work for this kind of photoshoot. We often use a 100mm Canon macro lens for close-up shots for splashes or breaking chalk pieces.
In short, the high-speed photography technique can be described as keeping your camera shutter open for a long time in a dark room and freezing the action by triggering the flash with a short period of time.
Practice makes perfect. Yes, indeed. You need to be patient and make practices. Sometimes you'll take dosens of shots and none of them will be good enough and may be high-speed photography is not your cup of tea. Even if you feel this way don't give up and be patient. You'll eventually get the desired results.
Mounting your camera on a tripod will provide you an opportunity to steadily capture clouds, water, cars, animals, etc. on the move. To freeze breaking moments of objects like colorful chalks is another cool high-speed photography idea that you can apply easily.
Useful High-Speed Photography Tips
Prepare yourself before the photoshoot: Pick the right spot for shooting. Be there on time, provide the necessary gadgets and objects beforehand.
Set up the camera on a tripod and place it somewhere safe: Mount your camera on a sturdy tripod and keep that in mind that no photo is worth risking your safety or your equipment.
Contemplate your composition: Once you analyze the elements and surroundings, it’s time to create your photo composition. Check out this article as an idea.
Make the camera and remote trigger settings: Turn your camera to Manual or Bulb mode, turn the Image Stabilization (IS) off. Change the settings according to the explanations we’ve given below.
Focus: Make sure you have the right focus to capture neat and sharp photos.
Set meter: Adjust the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Try using a long shutter speed such as 3 seconds to capture the motion you want.
Take test shots: Take a few photos and check the Histogram and focus to achieve the best results and make sure that everything is OK.
What Do You Need For Breaking Chalk Photoshoot
- DSLR Camera
- Macro Lens
- Flashgun
- Remote Shutter / Camera Trigger (MIOPS Smart+)
- Dark Room / Backdrop
- A Tripod
- Laser trap
- An airgun (Attention: Don’t use a real gun for your own safety!)
- Goggles to protect your eyes
- Chalks in different colors
- Wooden surface to place the chalks
Camera Settings:
- Camera: Canon EOS 6D
- Flash: Canon Speedlite 600EX II-RT
- Macro Lens: Canon FD 100mm
- Flash power: 1/64
- ISO: 500
- Aperture: f/4
- Shutter Speed: 1,0sec
MIOPS Smart+ Settings:
MODE: Laser
SENSITIVITY: 80
DELAY: 1ms
MIOPS SMART+
Take impossible photos by turning your camera into a high-speed capture device!
How to Shoot The Most Amazing Breaking Chalk Photograph
If everything is ready, we’re good to go! In this section, you’ll learn how to shoot the most stunning breaking chalk photograph with Smart+.
It’s almost impossible to capture the breaking moment of the chalks with an airgun by traditional photography techniques. But MIOPS Smart+’s laser mode is giving you the chance to photograph these kinds of instant movements via triggering your camera or flash.
You can shoot various things such as flying fruit pieces in both studios or animals in their natural outdoor habitats by setting laser traps.
In this photoshoot, we placed our Canon 6D on the tripod and set the MIOPS trigger to a 1ms delay. Then activated the laser mode on the remote camera gadget.
The laser trap right in front of the airgun’s barrel activated when the laser pointed at the ball coming out of the wind gun. After only 1ms, the camera began to trigger the flash and the shutter started to pose. Thus we were able to freeze that very moment the ball hit the chalks and smash them.
Watch the video:
Just Try It, It’s So Simple With Smart+!
High-speed photography is a great genre of photography to release your creativity. If you’re especially into this technique and trying new things, you should definitely take your own breaking chalk photo. We’re already excited to see the results! Don’t forget to share the photographs with the #miopstrigger hashtag on Instagram and share your MIOPS moments experiences with us!
