Maxby’s photo tips – How to shoot jumping pictures?

I have seen a lot of jumping shots posted here, from jumping brides, grooms, friends etc. Most of the shots were poorly executed. The subject(s) looked too heavy to lift off. However, this type of shots are usually ice breakers especially when you have a group of friends where some of them have only met each other for the first time.

Here are some tips on how to shoot good jumping shots.

1. To give the impression that the subject is jumping or even flying, get as low a camera position as possible. Usually I would lie on my stomach, get into a trench or put the camera on the floor and shoot.

2. Use a wide angle lens to give an illusion of depth and height.

3. use manual focusing as the subjects tend to move causing focusing problems

4. Use a smaller aperture to get a good depth of field, hyper focusing is a good technique here. Set the camera to shutter priority, use 1/250 or faster.

4. Set the camera shutter to “burst mode”…this is where the machine gun mode comes in handy.

6. Use a slightly higher ISO like 400 in bright daylight to achieve higher shutter speed.

7. Pay attention to the background. The background should not compete with the subject for attention. Choose a simple and uncluttered background.

8. Don’t simply ask your subjects to jump when you are not ready or just setting up the camera. Most subjects are not used to the stress of “flying” and it shows.

9. Be creative and choreograph the shot.

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