If you open up the folder where you save inspiration, I wonder, how many of those ideas show eye-catching actions... I bet you have many action shot ideas there, right?! So today we will dive deep into the topic of capturing action: what to consider, how to plan, what tools to use to make magical results even without an assistant. 80 photographer friends and I will set your action shots up for success with our best tips - beyond using a tripod.
If you are hungry to learn about another subjects, make sure to check the previous episodes of the Pro Tips blog series here.
What is their pro tip for capturing action?
Before you scroll any further, take a simple action shot, keep your setup as it is, then go through this inspiring read. Repeat your shot while applying the new things you learned!
"Fast shutter speed and tripod."
Shiela Cruz - CPG photographer and stylist
"Light... did I mention light? :-) You have to see the next step in your head, even if it hasn't happened, but you have to know if you want to catch the right moment. Go one step ahead!"
Anita Zsirmik - food blogger, content creator
"Think about what you want to achieve with the action. What feeling do you want to create? This will guide the creative path you take when documenting that action."
Anja Burgar - commercial and editorial food photographer
"I love action shots and have many tips!
- My first one would be to use a tripod so you can adjust your aperture wider since your shutter speed will be much faster.
- Grab a partner if you can to help you out so you can focus on capturing the image and they can be the one performing the action.
- Use continuous mode on the camera because you never know at what point did you get the action shot just right.
- Lastly, before drizzling your syrup on a beautiful stack of pancakes - practice the shot you want to capture on a empty plate. This way you can make whatever camera setting adjustments needed and be set to capture the real thing."
Kristina Cadelina - food photographer, blogger
"Use a Tripod: Stability is crucial for sharp images. A tripod eliminates camera shake, especially in low-light situations or when using slower shutter speeds. Make sure the tripod is sturdy and the camera is securely attached.
Light: To capture action you will need a lot of light combined with a higher Shutter Speed to capture every little movement. The rule of thumb usually is to maintain a shutter speed that is at least the reciprocal of the focal length of your lens (ex. 1/50s for a 50mm lens)."
Melissa - photographer, blogger
"Prep your angle, lighting etc etc beforehand, then count your team in. Shoot on continuous mode and keep shooting."
Jason Wain - photographer, videographer
"Brainstorm before the shoot on some creative ideas and then capture them after you already shot your perfect clean image. In case something goes wrong, you already have a beautiful image of a dish. Now you can have just fun with it."
Kamile Kave - photographer
"To capture action effectively, it's crucial to master your camera's manual settings. Additionally, don't hesitate to experiment in your studio, even if it means creating a bit of a mess. This approach fosters creativity and can lead to dynamic, engaging shots."
Peggy Cormary - photographer
"Do a practice shot if possible to nail your focus, shutter speed & composition. And always have at least one shot of your subject before you start pouring/cutting/dusting and multiples of the action for easy comping in post production."
Snorri Guðmundsson - photographer, recipe developer, product development manager in the food industry
"That's a tough question. As for the photography stills, not everything that looks moving is actually moving, flying, or falling. Sometimes, it is a matter of creativity to make it look like it is in motion. But in other cases (food and products related) - just prepare enough props to make it enough times until you have the desired result. When pouring liquid, a paper backdrop might not be a good option. And check the shutter speed or the flash duration if you want to freeze some drops."
Milena Ugrinova (Mim) - food and product photographer
"Use a flash and a high shutter speed. Set the camera on high speed so you can capture a lot of pictures of the action and so you don't miss the moment!"
Maaike Zaal - food- and beverage photographer
"Give your ISO a boost and choose a relatively large aperture whilst still being able to get as much of the star product in focus as required. Alternatively, master flash."
Jane Coupland - food photographer, food blogger
"Rehearse, rehearse and rehearse. Know exactly who how and what is moving. Get the compositions right and shoot a few times if you have the chance. make sure you are wide enough to capture it all."
Matt Wilson - photographer
Photo by © Matt Wilson
"Learning flash, it’s a game changer."
Jules Wilson-Haines - photographer, stylist
"I love a pouring shot! Having a high enough shutter speed to stop blur."
Sandy Wood - photographer
"Sturdy tripod an fast shutter speed for action shots with good light."
Andrea Köver - food photographer
Photo by © Andrea Köver
"Good light, shutter speed to suit the light, continuous shooting and lots of practice. Also experiment with different vessels, tools and utensils and find the ones that create the perfect amount of pouring, sprinkling or drops."
Natalia Ashton - nutritionist, photographer, author
"High shutter speed and high speed sync with the flash. I also try to make sure that there is a dark background If i am shooting any type of liquid dripping or splashing. Sometimes the focus goes to the subject and not the action. A dark background and good lighting helps with the focus going to the action."
Robert Alvarez - photographer
"I use SnapBridge Software on my phone to connect with my Nikon so I can use it as a remote trigger whilst I pour or splash or swirl! Also set your camera to focus track the object you are trying to capture."
Leeanne Mason - food photographer, photo chef, food stylist, content creator
"Fast shutter speed is the key to freeze the moment/action. Use flash instead of video light to avoid motion blur."
Victor Chin - food photographer
Photo by © Victor Chin
"Either a timed shot (5-10 seconds) that captures 5+ images OR using an off-camera trigger if you don't have hands in frame."
Emilie Dorange - photographer, designer
"Also tripod. If you use a tripod then you can concentrate on adding some kind of action: maybe drizzling or sprinkling. Tripod lets you catch action shots without worrying about blurring the image with camera shake."
Julia Konovalova - food photographer, food stylist, content creator
"I usually do tests first, so I see how the talents or object will one in front of the camera, also in that case I can direct and fix them to do exactly or close to the action Im going for. Of course needless to say for capturing action you need fast lens or strong lights."
Tibor Galamb - photographer, director
"Off camera flash has been such a game changer me being able to capture action in any light scenario. Being able to capture the perfect droplet of water in time with flash is such a thrill."
Mary Turner - commercial food photographer, stylist, chef
"To capture action, shoot using continuous shooting mode; low speed is suitable for most food and lifestyle photography."
Emily Miller - food photographer, recipe developer
"If you want to freeze the action, make sure to shoot at a high shutter speed (over 1/200). Note that this might mean you’ll need to increase your iso to compensate for less light going into your camera. If you want to capture blurry action (think a hand grabbing a piece bread in an overhead shot), then lower shutter speeds are actually better!"
Murielle Banackissa - food photographer, food stylist, cookbook author and blogger
Photo by © Murielle Banackissa
"Once again good light and sharp focus."
Sanja Alisic - blogger, food stylist
"Nice understanding of basics about the shutter speed."
Nicolas Newmark - professional photographer
"Flash flash, camera remote, high shutter speed, patience."
Karen Loza - food photographer and stylist
"A tripod, a good light situation and mastering the camera settings!"
Lara Virkus - food photographer
"I really like to not only shooting the final dish but also the 'making of' when I work with chefs and in restaurants. Also I work a lot in the BBQ scene and nothing beats fire & smoke to add some action and interest."
Anoeska Vermeij - photographer
Photo by © Anoeska Vermeij
"For literal action a fast shutter speed and fast, excellent light will freeze that splash or drip nicely. Stop motion is another nice way to capture action without the need for as high-tech a setup. A few frames, say 2-5, can go a long way."
Suzanne Clements - photographer
"Don't overthink things if you're doing the action, like pouring or sprinkling. Go with your gut and commit to the action. Hesitation or overthinking often leads to unnatural or ineffective actions. Go with your gut!"
Joanie Simon - photographer
"We love using flash as it tends to lend itself to a sharper action, such as a splash."
Aline Ponce & Mike Hulswit - professional photographers
"Always think about what is your purpose with the action, and what you want to highlight: is it the crispiness of the sauce you are pouring? Is it the quick movement of folding, so a blurred movement makes sense?"
Susi Bálint - stylist, photographer, writer
"Using a tripod is compulsory for me. Then you have to find the balance between the ISO + aperture+shutter speed. As I make photos with natural light, high ISO can help you a lot. But be careful no to rise too much. Also when you take photos in action you have to be patient. To get the best photo you have to take a lot of photos."
Emese Balog - food blogger
"Capture dynamic action by maximizing your camera's shutter speed. Compensate with artificial lighting if needed, employing a speedlight with high-speed sync for optimal results in challenging conditions."
Maxine Lock - photographer
locklickimages.com.au
Photo by © Maxine Lock
"Be aware of your lighting - fast shutter speeds need lots of light!"
Sam Robson - food photographer
"Use a tripod - ensure you have good light as you will need a fast shutter speed. A shallow depth of field will ensure your subject really stands out, and focus on a still object on the same vertical plane (ie the lip of the bowl you are dropping flour into, or the top of the cake you are dusting."
Birgit Mayled - photographer
"To be able to capture an ingredient in action in all its glory, it's important to understand the nature of the food. Whether it is light or heavy, how will it fall and how much quantity do we need to be able to create that striking action movement. Example, the way sugar sprinkles is different from the way salt does, which is different from the way flour does. Fine salt looks very different in action from sea salt. Understand your ingredient before creating the action."
Dyutima Jha - food photographer, food stylist, podcaster
"I really like to shoot chefs preparing the food, and most of the time, I try to capture the action from a distance, so they stay in there own workflow bubble, if I'm to close their bubble probably will pop, and they will act not normal most of the time."
Maurizio Previti - photographer
"Almost all of my photos are created using Godox pulse lights. With flashes, it's simple - shoot with a short pulse. The main thing is to focus on the subject, anticipate the trajectory of the movement in advance and take pictures at the right moment. I would also note the importance of camera settings so that when the flash is switched off, other light sources do not affect the exposure, creating black frames in the absence of flash."
Halyna Vitiuk - food photographer
"Keep your camera ready and set up for continuous shooting mode if possible. This way, you can snap a series of photos in quick succession, increasing your chances of capturing that perfect action shot, like the moment a fork cuts into a cake or a splash of sauce hits the pan. Anticipation and rapid shooting often yield stunning action shots in food photography. Opt for manual focus to ensure precision, as relying on autofocus might lead to missing the ideal moment."
Alessandra Zanotti - food photographer, food stylist
Photo by © Alessandra Zanotti
"Use a tripod, artificial light, set your shutter speed to at least 1/800th of a second and use high speed continuous mode."
Elisa Marina Orani - food photographer
"Set the right light scheme, suitable specifically for this scene and set the right camera settings."
Mihails Pavlenko - food and product photographer
"Shoot with a tripod, and a remote control, with manual focus, along the line of the action to be captured."
Shwetha Elaina - food photographer and stylist
"Higher shutter speed + Better lighting + Camera on tripod to you can avoid motion blur and plan your shot / action and take many shots until you are happy with the outcome."
Anjala Fernando - food photographer, food stylist
"Action shots are always better with flash or strobes. I always prefer to use flash for freezing action as the flash duration is super fast and it freezes action extremely well. I set the timer and also use hi burst mode to capture the action continuously."
Gouthami Yuvarajan - food and product photographer
"Shutter speed - if you're not using flash, that is! Shutter speed will help control how blurred or crisp the action is. The higher the speed, the sharper the action. I love crisp motion for dusting (flour, sugar, etc.) and drips, and blurred movement for human elements in the foreground or background. Though of course, this will depend on the shot! Sometimes totally frozen, crisp action can feel too stagnant, so decreasing your shutter speed and making it a little blurrier can add more energy."
Felicia Chuo - photographer
"Become an expert in camera settings! Then have fun playing around with the movement."
Anisa - photographer, recipe developer
"Learn what shutter speed is. This is the basis."
Monika Grudzińska - photographer, food stylist
"I like to capture the action shots, especially icing the sugar or smoke. I am always looking for adequate background - for example the sugar icing will look better with darker background. Another point is my camera settings. I always put attention to have enough light and detail (and I am not stressed anymore to use higher ISO)."
Alena Prichystalova - photographer, blogger
"Try to capture movement instead of trying to freeze it."
Veera Rusanen - photographer
"Put the camera on tripod. Use timer for splash."
Sangita Bhavsar - food blogger, photographer, stylist
"You have to set your shutter speed as quick as you can for ex: 1/4000s. Don’t forget to determine well the focus."
Massiel Zadeh Habchi - food photographer and stylist
"First, a decision needs to be made: should the movement be frozen, sharp, or blurred?
- In order for a crucial moment to be frozen and sharp, the exposure time must be short, sometimes even extremely short.
- If the camera shutter remains open for a long time while recording, a "wiping effect" occurs. In order for blurry images to look beautiful, the wiping effect must be used specifically.
- Even a completely still subject can be depicted in a picturesque blur by deliberately moving the camera while taking the picture (pseudo-movement)."
Carolin Strothe - professional photographer, food stylist, stylist, art director, author
"I never go below 1/500 for the shutter speed, ideally 1/1000. And I put myself in rapid burst mode to capture as many images as possible."
Constance Ibañez - food stylist, food photographer, food event creator
Photo by © Constance Ibañez
"... and manual focus is absolutely necessary when making action shots."
Saara - photographer
"Depending on the action shots that you are trying to capture, shutter speed and where you position your lighting will be crucial in helping you nail your intended images."
M. Aimee Tan - food photographer, videographer, stylist, content creator, recipe developer
"I love to shoot with flash, and using flash allows you to capture a frozen action at a super fast speed. There’s nothing quite like a sharp crisp frozen action!"
Lauren Short - food photographer
"Always make sure to have a fast shutter speed, usually 1/250 or faster."
Marika Cucuzza - food photographer, content creator, recipe developer, food stylist
"If shooting with natural light, so you have to increase shutter speed quite a bit, do not be scared of increasing ISO. And expose to the right so you can then decrease exposure in post production and at that point make sure you reduce grain."
Roberta Dall’Alba - photographer
"It doesn’t matter if it’s about freezing movement or blurry movement, it’s always best to use a tripod, as the chance of movement is high. In this case, you have to play with the exposure values to get a perfect result. I will use this opportunity not to give tips on exposure settings, as for that many element should be specified, but for selecting a background. Try to have it in contrast with item/thing in motion. My other tip is to not jump into execution immediately. Give yourself a few minutes to think it through where the moving item will arrive, is the focus on the right place, is the camera in continuous shooting mode and whether all the settings are correct. A remote release is also recommended to be used. If all of these are set, you can begin!"
Liliána Tóth - food photographer
Photo © Liliána Tóth
"It will definitely be the use of a tripod! I can't imagine photographing movement without a tripod to give us freedom and stability in the scene. Another piece of advice is to plan exactly where in the scene the action is going to be, where the main character in the picture is going to be, for example pouring, and to set the focus exactly on that point in advance. My third piece of advice is to test beforehand what shutter speed is needed to capture a particular type of movement, and therefore how much we need to compress it by increasing the ISO if we lack light when shooting in natural light. Different types of movement require different shutter speeds - a different speed for pouring honey or other thick liquids, a different speed for pouring water or drinks, and a different speed for sprinkling icing sugar. It is best to do a test for each specific scene."
Katarzyna Anders - food and product photographer and stylist, recipe developer, content creator, blogger
"Strobes and flashlights forever. Lighting is everything and there is just nothing better when it comes to capturing action, especially when we're talking about fine particles as in sprinkling sugar, than a powerful burst of light to freeze that beautiful motion and create some magic."
Andrea Gralow - professional commercial and editorial food photographer, videographer
"
- 1Always using a tripod.
- High Shutter Speed, anything above 1/250.
- Take a clean shot before you start with that action things, because you will tend to make the setup messy. Taking a clean shot will help you mask in the post production.."
Indrajeet Nishad - food photographer and stylist
"Take a shot of the scene before you take action shots. That way you can easily Photoshop in the clean surface or glass or bowl (or whatever is in your scene) without having to clean up much between attempts of capturing the action."
Julia Wharington - photographer, videographer, stylist
"Here in the dark Finland artificial light is crucial!"
Jella Bertell - food blogger, photographer
"Nail action shots by using a fast shutter speed to freeze movement, ensuring a clear and dynamic capture."
Anna Janecka - photographer, food stylist
"Take advantage of your camera's burst mode to capture a series of shots in quick succession. This increases the chances of getting the perfect action shot, especially when dealing with fast-paced movements in the kitchen or during food preparation."
Darina Kopcok - food photographer, educator
"Be patient and prepared for a long shooting and even longer cleaning day. :-) Have set of extra props and ingredients on hand because literally anything can go wrong. Also have some cleaning supplies nearby. Be patient. A splash shot can easily take for 100 to 150 photos before I am really satisfied. Or less if I feel like combining them in Photoshop. Some shots are win or miss situation like pouring a chocolate sauce over bundt cake. Make sure beforehand your lights, focus, batteries and everything else is ready. Take some tests shots to make sure your action part is in focus, looks good on the photo and that you are generally satisfied with the looks."
Mojca Klepec - food photographer
"Working alone during a photo shoot can be challenging, especially when trying to capture movement and press the shutter simultaneously. Personally, I found a significant improvement in my workflow when I invested in a remote controller for my camera. This allowed me the freedom to move around and create mouthwatering compositions without being tethered to the camera. It truly was a game-changer for me, providing more flexibility in both time and space during my solo shooting sessions."
Melinda Bernáth - food photographer
"SHUTTER SPEED + ISO
By utilizing a fast shutter speed, I can freeze the moment, employing continuous autofocus to ensure sharp focus during dynamic action. To accommodate the quick exposure, a high ISO is often necessary to allow sufficient light. So, don't hesitate to elevate your ISO settings when capturing fast-paced scenes."
Anita Zivkovic - food photographer, photography coach
"In a still image, I set my shutter speed at 1/250 of a second, while making sure the background is dark in order to capture the pouring of liquid or dusting of flour and sugar."
Terri Salminen - blogger, food culture researcher
"Time it right and take as many shots you can and use flash light."
Harsha Sipani - commercial photographer
"Use continuous shooting mode of your camera. This increases the chances of getting a perfect action shot."
Yashaswita - photographer
dashoflime.co
"Short strobe duration to get the freeze effect, lock the focus, and also an assistant to throw/pour or press the shutter."
David Pahmp - commercial advertising photographer
"Use a tripod and a remote control to snap the shot and use a fast shutter speed."
Dina Hassan - food photographer, videographer
"Having a tripod and keep experimenting and don’t be afraid for failures because more you play with capturing action better you will get."
Monika Jonaite - food- and product photographer, food stylist, recipe developer
"Design your setup depending on what will support your visual storytelling: the type of motion you capture, it appears frozen or blurred, and what fits to your scene and styling. Capture the fully styled still scene without any "mess" then have multiple captures of the action (pour, splash, sprinkle etc.): this will give you more creative freedom during post-production by having the option to bring the "clean" areas back to your final scene or selectively merge the best action shots. You can use natural light for certain things, but whenever you find yourself compromising on the quality or creativity of your images, start exploring the world of artificial light and strobes."
Reka Csulak - photographer, mentor
Photo by © Reka Csulak
