Balancing lighting, timing, and precision is the key to capturing motion in photos. Photographer, Ian Jones discusses this delicate balance when capturing food and product photography in his latest conversation with Tamron!
Capturing motion in images can be difficult but with trial and error and approaching it as a fun challenge, your results will surprise you!
Ian utilized the Tamron 17-28mm F/2.8 Di III RXD ultra-wide-angle, which is great for capturing sharp photos, close to your subject, with a wide angle of view, and the 35-150mm F/2-2.8 Di III VXD all-in-one zoom, which offers tons of versatility in one lens and crisp images. Both lenses offer lower apertures which allows Ian to push the limits even further on what these lenses can accomplish. Shop both of these lenses and more at Nashville and Cleveland’s camera store, Pixel Connection.
The key to capturing motion in product and food photography, besides awesome lenses, is bright, natural light. Ian typically starts with a shutter speed of 1/500 of a second and an ISO of 1000 as a starting point but is always learning that the best way to get his shots might have a little to do with luck and accepting that sometimes the photos won’t be technically perfect.
Check out Ian’s process for capturing some of his favorite splash-and-drip images with his Tamron lenses!
![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0635/8342/0659/files/CerealFinal_600x600.png?v=1721936263)
For this image, Ian positioned the beverage and used manual focus to lock on the cereal pieces. With the help of an assistant, who sprinkled cereal pieces while he held the shutter button down and took a rapid-fire series of photos. The final image is a composition of 8 different images!
![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0635/8342/0659/files/PickleBeer2_1024x1024.png?v=1721936327)
Ian Jones | 17-28mm (18mm), F3.5, 1/2500 sec., ISO 500
With no assistant to help on this shoot, Ian utilized a tripod to shoot a can of pickle beer. First he lined up the shot and set the camera to focus on the can logo. Then with his other hand, held the shutter button while splashing pickle juice on the can.
![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0635/8342/0659/files/truff_1024x1024.png?v=1721936403)
By Ian Jones | 35-150mm (54mm), F2.8, 1/640 sec., ISO 2000
Ian achieved a similar effect for this black truffle pasta sauce. Ian shot this image at F2.8, keeping the focus on the sauce coming out of the jar while keeping the kitchen in the background.
![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0635/8342/0659/files/IAN08784_1024x1024.png?v=1721936432)
By Ian Jones | 35-150mm (45mm), F2.8, 1/800 sec., ISO 1000
This image, created for a painter, was created by having the painter tilt a paint container so the paint would slowly spill out. Paint can be thick and moves a bit slower so he could capture this image with a slower shutter speed and a lower ISO.
![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0635/8342/0659/files/IAN04434_slider_480x480.jpg?v=1721936561)
By Ian Jones | 35-150mm (35mm), F3.2, 1/400 sec., ISO 1250
Food isn’t the only thing that Ian has captured in motion and he notes that sometimes motion blur can really add to a photo! In this image, the blur of his subject's foot gives some context to the image and really lets the crisp splash shine!
Tamron’s 17-28mm F/2.8 Di III RXD ultra-wide-angle and 35-150mm F/2-2.8 Di III VXD all-in-one zoom are the perfect lenses for photographers looking to capture movement in their images but there are some tools that can make freezing motion a little easier.
At our camera store, Pixel Connection staff can help you discover all the nice-to-haves that can really elevate your images like sturdy, high quality tripods, shutter releases, lens filters, and more! Stop by our stores in Ohio and Tennessee and let us help you out!
Capturing movement in your images can be difficult but with the right gear and some basic tips, you’re on your way to capturing images that make a splash!