Freeze the movement

[Bubaslime]

Im new to my DSLR and well i am struggling to freeze the movement, my pictures just go all funny no focus or anything im using manual mode any advice would be very appreciated

[Digidave]

You'll need to give us a little more detail. Outdoors or indoors? Time of day? Sunny or cloudy? An example along with the EXIF will help us determine what exactly is going on.

1) You need a fast shutter speed to stop motion. The faster the subject movement, the faster the shutter needs to be.
2) You need good lighting to achieve that fast shutter speed. To be more precise, you need to get more light onto the sensor of your camera. That can be achieved a couple of ways.
A) Shoo the clouds away.
B) Larger Aperture(smaller f/number). The opening of your lens will allow more light in so your shutter speed can be shortened.
C) Raise your ISO. This makes your sensor more sensitive to light. If you raise your ISO from 200 to 400, you will be able to change your shutter speed from 1/160 to 1/320. I just picked numbers there to use as an example. Your numbers will be different. Keep in mind that when you raise your ISO you introduce noise into you photo. The higher the ISO, the more noise. You'll have to find something exceptable.

Here is a link to learn about the "Exposure Triangle". Click Me!!

[wulf]

I think manual mode is brilliant on DSLRs and use it virtually all the time. However, if you are new to having a DSLR, you might find some of the other modes a better starting point. For example, to freeze action, try shutter priority mode (sometimes shown as Tv). Set a fast shutter speed (eg. 1/500s) and then the camera will figure out how to adjust ISO and aperture to get a decent exposure.

Wulf

[Gonzo13]

To freeze action it also depends on how close you are to the movement and which direction the movement is going in relation to you. Those will affect how fast of a shutter speed you will need to freeze the motion.

[Gaurav Prabhu]

In short, you will need to bump up the ISO(Don't overdo or you will induce noise under your image). Bump up the shutter speed alongwith the aperture(Smallest F number means widest aperture. Do not confuse here). If the lightning is not adequate consider using external artificial lightning. For E.G If you're photographing a bunch of people in a lane take the shot when they are passing under a lamp post. Use Tripod if you have one.

[LeviathanFafner]

Also if you are shooting indoors a flash will freeze the action as well because the flash generally only produces light a fraction of the time the shutter is open. A good example of this is this picture:


See how the DJ's head and upper body are sharp(ish) yet his hands, that are untouched by the flash, are extremely blurry.

[Bubaslime]

Thanks guys im working on all the tips here hoping to get a good shot in time