Blurred to good effect Freezing the carousel in motion would give the impression that it has not started yet. A slow shutter speed of 1/8 second was used so that the children and horses would be blurred to convey movement.

HAVE you tried taking snapshots of your friend at a rugby match only to find him appearing blurred in most of the photos - or worse, missing from the shots?

The average point-and-shoot camera suffers from a slow focus speed and shutter lag. For fast moving action, the camera can take some time training itself to zero in on the subject. When the shutter release button is pressed, there is a short delay before the photo is recorded.

By that time, two precious seconds might have passed, and the subject would have moved out of the frame altogether.

Outside of using digital SLRs, which focus faster and suffer much less shutter lag, follow these tips to freeze that precious sporting moment.

Fast shutter speed

Use a fast shutter speed to freeze action and avoid motion blur. I use a speed of at least 1/125 second for, say, people taking a stroll. For faster moving subjects, say, a galloping horse, a faster shutter speed of at least 1/500 second is needed.

Set the camera to aperture priority mode and set the aperture to the widest (smallest f-number). The camera will then set the highest possible shutter speed based on the brightness of the scene.

Weather may also affect shutter speeds. On a dull day, even with the aperture wide open, the shutter speed may still be too low. In this case, increase the ISO setting to allow a higher shutter speed.

Continuous autofocus

If the camera has a continuous autofocus mode, select it so that the camera continuously maintains focus on the subject. So that by the time you decide to take the snap, the subject would already be locked in. I find this technique useful for subjects that are not moving too fast - such as kids running towards you.