I entered this subject in the contest, but I wanted to add a bit more detail.
Speed Photography is the art of capturing extremely fast motion at that perfect instant, like this picture of a water balloon shortly after a bullet has passed through it:
Two myths about this shot:
1. Fast shutter speed
2. Thousands of dollars in camera equipment
Fast shutter speed is FALSE. The Flash Duration plays a much bigger role than shutter speed. The shutter speed on that shot was actually 5 seconds. The flash duration was about 1/15,000 second, much faster than most DSLRs can do. To set the flash duration, you simply lower the power setting of your flash. For example, the Canon 580exII has a flash duration of about 1/1000 second at full power, but only 1/30000 second at 1/64 power.
The other myth is also false; it does not cost thousands of dollars to do this. For these shoots you need:
1. Tripod
2. Camera
3. External Flash Unit
4. Flash Trigger (explained below).
If you don't have an external flash unit, I'd highly recommend one! I personally prefer the Canon speedlights because I have Canon Xsi, but some other brands like Promaster and Vivitar will work just as well.
What is a flash trigger? A flash trigger is a device that senses an external input (like sound or light) and fires the flash. There are several different types of flash triggers, two of which are sound and light (aka infrared).
Sound triggers use a microphone, and trigger the flash when a certain sound level is reached. These are most commonly used for popping balloons or firing a gun (the photo above was triggered when the gun fired).
Light, or infrared, triggers use a small beam of infrared light. When that beam is broken, the trigger fires the flash. These are commonly used for water drops, like the photo shown below.
Both the sound and light triggers usually have a time delay circuit associated with them as well. This allows the photographer to adjust the timing of the flash based on the event. For instance, the water drop picture above used a time delay to capture the exact moment the water hit the apple.
Where can you get a flash trigger? If you or someone you know is good with electronics, Hiviz (
www.hiviz.com) sells flash triggers for as low as $7, and will add the delay circuit for an additional $6. It comes with a catch: you have to build it.
You can also buy flash triggers from Universal Photo Timer (
http://www.universaltimer.com/home.html), but they cost substantially more. There are also several other suppliers and DIYers out there.
Now that we know all of what's involved, let's talk about the actual photo shoot. Let's say we wanted to spray down a balloon with water and see what it looks like the moment we pop it. Here's what we'd do:
1. Set up your flash near the balloon and set it to a low manual setting (I usually start at the lowest setting and work my way up)
2. Set your camera to a 5s shutter speed and f8.0.
3. Turn off or dim the lights (A dark room is essential. You only want your camera to pick up what the flash illuminates.)
4. Open the camera shutter.
5. Pop the balloon.
6. Once the shutter closes, turn the lights back on.
7. Check the photo. Too dark? Turn up the flash power or adjust your f-stop.
Tip: Don't use black balloons with a black backdrop.
Feel free to post any comments or questions.