PHOTOGRAPHING MOVING OBJECTS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 1, Issue 46, 10 January 1880, Page 3

PHOTOGRAPHING MOVING OBJECTS.

Mr. Muybridge’s method of photographing horses in rapid motion gave some most startling results. I have seen a set of 12 photographs of a galloping horse, and not one of the figures would bo admitted in any art gallery, while some would be regarded os utterly ludicrous; yet, of course, every one of the attitudes is perfectly correct. The horse really has its legs straight out at one time like so many pokora, and, at another, all bent in like those of a gambolling lamb in the air. Only the eye does not recognise any of these attitudes, and so a picture jircsenting them would appear quite unnatural. That the attitudes are really correct is shown by the circumstance that so soon as the scries of 12 pictures arc brought in rapid succession into view, after the manner of <a /.oetropo, wo see a horse galloping in the most natural manner, every movement being correctly shown, even to the waving of the tail; nor when thus looking at a rapid succession of the pictures severally looking so unnatural, can any one of the seemingly unnatural positions be separately recognised. And now Mr. Muybridge has extended his method to the study of human action, particularly that of athletes when performing their various feats. Thus, an athlete turning a back somersault was pictured in 14 different positions, all the 14 pictures being obtained during the short inverval (little more than a second of time) occupied by him in turning the somersault. The same man was also photographed while making a running “high jump.” Pictures were also token of men raising heavy dumb-bells, but it is not easy to understand with what object, seeing that the eye can recognise every position assumed in slow movements such as these. The pictures representing the back somersault and high jump will, however, be regarded with extreme interest. I should be glad to hear that similar pictures had been token representing the positions assumed by a good rower iu taking a rapid racing stroke,