A sequence shot is the perfect chance to show an athlete in action, from start to finish and arguably is also the category that takes the most time. Check out some tips and tricks on how to shoot a great sequence brought to you by Leo Rosas Morin.
A while back, Leo travelled to Austria's Absolut Park, recruited some local shredders and snapped away, but because we want to bring you summer vibes, we decided to include Leo's shot of Armando Rodriguez.
Step 1: Set your camera to continuos shooting mode and the highest fps possible
Step 1: Set your camera to the highest fps possible
Depending on what you're shooting (biking, snowboarding, diving, surfing, freestyle motocross etc.), you'll want to catch as much of the action in as little time as possible.
To achieve this, you'll want to have a camera that shoots at a relatively high fps (or Frames Per Second). For this tutorial, Leo used a Sony RX10 Mark iii, which shoots at up to 14 frames per second. You won't need that many frames, but you'll want something that shoots at least at 5fps.
Quick tip: Use continuos shooting mode, which will keep making photos as long as you're keeping the shutter button pressed down.
Step 2: Find the best angle to capture all of the action
Step 2: Find the best angle to capture all of the action
You'll want to find a sick spot for the shoot, but more importantly; you'll want to be in a position that let's you capture all of the action in one smooth motion - so stand back a little (or use a wide-angle), get ready to shoot and make sure nobody is going to walk in front of your camera. Oh, and of course tell your athlete to get ready.
A few other things to keep in mind:
Manual focus: If you have a "slow" lens, switch your focus to manual and focus on the spot where the action will happen.
Fast Shutter Speed: Start at 1/500 when shooting action sports, do a couple test shots, and see whether you need to go even faster.
Small aperture: A small aperture will result in a greater depth of field. This means more of the image will be in focus - anything above 5,6 will keep all of the action in focus.
Step 3: Shoot the Action!
Step 3: Shoot the action!
Ready, steady, shoot...
Just make it smooth and keep holding on to that shutter button!
Step 4: Now it's time for post-processing
Step 4: Now it's time for post-processing
Step 4: Now it's time for post-processing
Go through your shots, choose which ones you want to turn into a sequence and import them into your photo-editing software of choice (we used Photoshop for this, and the below instructions are based on that).
1. Open Photoshop, then go to File > Automate > Photomerge
2. Select Browse, choose your images, then make sure to tick Reposition and untick Blend Images Together and click Ok.
3. Grab a cup of tea, because this will take a while.
4. For each photo, create a new layer by going to Layer > Layer Mask > From Transparency
5. Select your brush, make sure it's black and turn down the "Hardness"
6. Paint over the mask, which will make the image below it appear
7. Refine the edges with a smaller, harder brush to mask out any overlapping edges
8. Repeat for the other layers.
9. Once your done and happy with your sequence, crop out any transparent edges and edit the look of the sequence to your liking.
Step 5: Share your sequence with the world!
Step 5: Share your sequence with the world!
Now it's time to hop on Instagram, Facebook and any other platform you use and share your sequence with the world!
While you're at it, make sure to follow Red Bull Illume on Instagram and Facebook!