THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EYE

image area. Special effects filters (like
print manipulation) should be used
very sparingly and only for good
reasons. Used too frequently, they
quickly become boring cliches.
Motor Drive
If you need to make several exposures
fairly quickly-as in sports photography—then
a motor drive or auto
winder may be a good investment.
An auto winder, the less expensive
choice, automatically advances the
film after each exposure. This is all
the winding assistance that most photographers
actually need.
A motor drive does the same thing,
but does more as well. Generally, a
motor drive will trigger 5 exposures,
for example, every time you release
the shutter ... or 2, or 10, or
whatever number you select. It may
also have a delay and/or interval
timer, which will release the shutter
after a specified time or at specified
intervals. Unless you have a clear
need for these features, a motor drive
is primarily an excellent way to waste
film. Stick with the auto winder
unless you have a good reason not to.
Flash
A modern electronic flash emits a
very short (often 1/500 of a second
or less) burst of light that is essentially
the same color as midday sunlight.
To work properly, the shutter
must be in sync with the flash, which
means that it must be wide open at
the exact instant that the flash fires.
If it isn't, only part of the frame will
be correctly exposed. The traditional
standard setting for electronic flash
sync is 1/60 of a second. Recently,
however, there's been a trend toward
faster flash sync speeds (from 1/125
of a second all the way to 1/1000),
which can more effectively freeze
Advanced Techniques 267