Behind the picture: technical breakdown (Feb. 7/14)

john king photo
Technical breakdown of the photo reveals the photograph was shot at too fast of shutter speed.

Last week, I shared a story about how I negotiated a difficult photograph while covering the crime beat. This post, I will look at the picture in a different way, focusing on the technical aspects of the shot itself.

The photograph was taken on November 7, 2008 at about 2 p.m. The day was overcast, chilly, and there was some parcipitation in the form of snow. The subject of the news story was making one of his first appearances in court, so I had never seen him before, and had little experience shooting hard news with the exception of traffic accidents and fires. 

I remember tinkering with the camera's adjustments beforehand, asking myself how I should photograph the subject. I decided to go for a fast shutter speed, keep the aperture opened nice and wide, and use a telephoto to shoot from the public sidewalk on the other side of the street. 

What resulted was a shutter speed that was too fast, which dampened the shot, underexposing the picture. While the goal was to gain clarity using a faster shutter speed, what resulted was less clarity. I could have narrowed the aperture, but then I wanted good depth of field, and a shot where only the subject was in focus.

The technical aspects of the photo are as follows:

Model: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XTi
Date-Time: 11/7/2008 – 2:01:09 PM
Shutter Speed: 1/2000 sec
Exposure: Manual
f-stop: 5.0
ISO: 400
Lens: EF75-300mm f/4-5.6 USM
Metering Mode: Evaluative

What is photo gazetteer?

The story behind the photograph is just as important as the photograph itself. This is a blog that will look at the stories behind the photographs shaping our world, everything from the small and mundane, to the big and spectacular. Feel free to comment on photos and share your own.

This blog is managed by designer and journalism student John King