Burst Mode
Burst mode, or continuous shooting mode, is not a new feature of the digital camera revolution. In the old days, professional photographers would use motor drive attachments to shoot multiple images quickly. Motor drives were very heavy, and sports photographers would load them with 50 feet of 35mm film to get the best shots at sporting events. Motor drives were also a favorite of wildlife photographers. Today, all DSLR and some pocket digital cameras have a burst mode function. Read on to learn how and when to use the continuous shooting mode.
Instructions
1. Most DSLR cameras have a burst mode function. Check your user manual to learn engage and disengage burst mode. Nikon cameras have a toggle button to turn burst mode on and off. When it is engaged you will see the burst mode indicator in your status window. When burst mode is on it will take multiple shots instead of a single shot, as long as you depress and hold the shutter button. The speed can vary from 3 frames per second to 7 frames per second on higher end DSLR cameras.
2. This shooting mode is great for wildlife photography and will help you get that perfect shot. In this burst you can see four pictures of the bear taken in a span of 2 seconds. Yes, he was moving fast hearing the insane barking of my border collie. Bears do not like dogs.
3. This is the best shot from the bear series. It is the second one from the series, and I would have missed it entirely if I had not engaged continuous shooting mode. Some photographers always use this mode, but I think it is not useful for shooting scenic views and portraits. It is very useful for any sort of action photography, on the other hand, including studio work with models and street photography.
4. GIMP has a useful feature that allows you to merge several photos into a filmstrip image. I find this tool useful for analyzing the results from the shooting in burst mode. It allows you to essentially create an old-fashioned "contact sheet" to evaluate your images and decide which one is best. To find out more about this feature, see Resources below.
5. Burst mode doesn't always help you to make a decision on which photograph is best. In this burst of images, they are all very different and they are all needed to tell the story of this dog on the beach. However, you could merge all these photographs into one image to tell the story. That, however, is the subject of another article.
Tags: burst mode, shooting mode, cameras have, continuous shooting, continuous shooting mode, burst mode
