What is High Speed Photography?
High-speed photography is a type of photography that focuses on the art, methods, and practice of capturing fast events that cannot be perceived by the human eye. This photography subgenre can be done within a controlled environment like an indoor studio. Other stunning high-speed events are shot outdoors and most of these can be risky yet exciting. The most popular subjects of high-speed photos out there are lightning strikes, bullet shooting through an object, wildlife pouncing on a game, waterdrop, balloon popping, sports maneuvers, and other high-speed moving objects.
Aside from creativity and passion, successful high-speed photoshoots need preparation through proper planning, research, and gathering the right equipment. Any entry-level and high-end camera will do, as long as it supports manual mode. You’ll also need a sturdy tripod, the right lens for the job, one or two flash units, and most importantly, a high-speed camera trigger to ensure every shot’s timing, precision, and high-quality images.
Recommended Equipments for High Speed Photography
Shooting fast events require the right high-speed photography equipments. Aside from a DSLR capable of Manual Mode, you’re going to need a sturdy tripod that allows you to eliminate blurry images and missed shots. Depending on the subject that you want to capture, your choice of lens is also important. Macro lenses, for instance, are best for bullet and water drop photography, because of their magnification and focus. For safer distance and crisp images, zoom lenses are ideal for risky wildlife and lightning photos. Flash units are also one of the most vital high-speed photo equipments because they freeze the image in place and signal your camera to capture the event after your flash’s burst.
Lastly, you’ll need a high-speed camera trigger that can set off the flash, release your camera’s shutter, or do both. With a high-speed remote trigger, you’ll get accurate, well-timed, blur-free, high-quality images of rare and elusive high-speed events.
How to Take Perfect High Speed Photos? Recommended Settings
Completing successful long exposure shots comes down to planning, proper camera equipment, and controlling your camera. Your camera should support Manual Mode to activate its Bulb Mode. The bulb mode is one of the most important high-speed photo settings used for long exposure photography. This option allows you to adjust your shutter speed to a specific length of time and it is often used in extremely low-lit photoshoots.
Most long-exposure shots are done during nighttime or in a dark studio. Shutter speed for long-exposure shots can be adjusted one second, 60 seconds, 30 minutes, or longer. Your shutter speed is then balanced with an aperture range of F/8 to F/11. Professionals also manually adjust their camera’s high-speed photography settings depending on the subject that they want to capture. A bonus pro tip is to use a wireless camera trigger to prevent blurry images when setting off your camera’s shutter.
Balloon Popping
Breaking Glass Bottle
Tricks of High Speed Photography? How to Make it Easier?
High-speed photography can be quite intimidating, especially for beginner photographers. However, seasoned professionals can agree that even your entry-level camera can be used to take photos of extremely fast subjects.
Here are some high-speed photography tips to make high-speed photography easier:
- Complete your high-speed camera bag: camera with manual mode, a tripod, a lens kit, and one or two flash units.
- Practice in your home studio first and try easier, safer, and more affordable high-speed photography subjects first: balloons popping, water droplets, colored water splashes.
- Watch online tutorials and read blogs about high-speed photography tricks to expand your perspective and explore your creativity!
- Research, plan and try out new subjects and settings: lightning bolts during a lightning storm, camp out to shoot wildlife scenes, epic scores during a live sports event.
- Use a smart camera trigger to time your shots, adjust shutter delays, set shooting frequency, and release your shutter from a safe distance.
What is MIOPS Splash ? How to Make a Splash?
MIOPS Splash+ is an intuitive, standalone waterdrop kit that combines the power of MIOPS technology and your smartphone to deliver the easiest and most accurate water drop photography experience for beginner and professional photographers alike. This device revolutionizes splash photography because of how it can precisely control every drop, the frequency and duration of each water droplet in milliseconds, as well as define the water drop delay parameters, among others.
MIOPS splash has an aluminum machined nozzle to produce the sharpest drop. When this droplet hits the laser sensor below it, the sensor signals your flash unit to burst and your camera to release the shutter - all in a split of a second. This speed can capture water splashes and liquid sculptures created from the water drop’s impact. How this kit allows you to control every aspect of the shot can help you diversify your shots and capture more stunning and surreal water drop photos.
What is MIOPS Smart+ High Speed Camera Trigger? What Does it Do?
MIOPS Smart+ High Speed Camera Trigger is the world’s first high-speed camera trigger ;that can be connected to your smartphone. It is a highly intuitive and versatile device that can capture the most elusive and astonishing high-speed events, such as lightning strikes, a bullet firing through an object, a balloon popping, water splashing, or a hummingbird in flight, among others.
MIOPS smart features a wide range of triggering modes, including Sound, Lightning, Laser, HDR, Timelapse, Scenario, and DIY modes. The sensors for these modes can be adjusted in terms of sensitivity, delay parameters, and shot intervals. All these settings can be controlled and saved through your smartphone, using a dedicated mobile application that acts as your camera remote.
MIOPS’ camera trigger not only allows you to release your camera shutter remotely. It can also be used to control one or more external flash units for a more synchronized high-speed photography setup.