NY Times Photographer Doug Mills and His History Making Time Stopping Donald Trump Bullet Photo

Crowdsource the Truth ^ | 8/7/2024 | Doug Milla and Jason Goodman

[mbrfl]

Doug Mills joins me for an in depth discussion of the technical details surrounding his historic photo and an incredible life on the road with Presidents of the United States of America.

[mbrfl]

This is an interesting interview that I'm currently about half-way through watching. Doug Mills, who shot the well know picture of a bullet whizzing past President Trump's head on July 13th, shares technical information about the photo, such as shutter speed, pixelation, etc.

He also shares his personal experience that day and discusses the famous images he took on 9/11 of George Bush first learning about the Twin Tower attacks during a visit to a Florida elementary school.

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

bookmark

[rlmorel]

Interesting-thanks for posting this.

[mbrfl]

You’re welcome.

[Gay State Conservative]

later

[Jane Long]

Does this photographer explain why he had his camera settings set for such a fast (enough to capture a speeding bullet) setting?

I’d read, somewhere, that this was unusual, in and of itself ... to even have the camera at such high speed settings, for the typical Trump rally shots.

Also, does he say how many Trump rallies he’s photographed Pres Trump at?

Thanks for any info you may have.

[Jonty30]

I’m suspicious of his use of a camera that captures 8,000 frames/second on this particular day when all Trump was doing was giving a rally. You almost to expect to need a camera that does 8000 frames/second to bring one.

[mbrfl]

I think it was just the standard setting he would use for such events. It was sunny that day which effected his choice. Additionally, he likes to use a shallow depth of field when he covers Presidents and other high profile individuals because he wants the focus to be on them.

[cgbg]

The speakers on the video agree with your suspicions.

They believe that the technology required is not generally available on the market and was provided as a “perk” to this prominent photographer.

In action the speakers suspect that the photographer was “tipped” that the camera would be “useful” on that particular day at that particular location.

This may be a trail that leads nowhere—or everywhere important.

[Jonty30]

A bright sunny makes sense for a faster shutter speed.

[Jane Long]

See my post 6.

I’m curious how many other Trump rallies this photographer had taken photos of Trump at, previously.

[Jonty30]

Good question and fair.
Most of the media did not cover Trump rallies.

[marktwain]

Your supposition is covered in the video. The camera does not capture 8,000 frames a second. The shutter speed was 1/8,000 of a second. It was capturing about 20 frames per second.

In this excellent video, the photographer explains why he was using those settings. He is a proffessional photographer who routinely covers these events, and has done so for many years.

[Karl Spooner]

"For most ballistics applications, a camera frame rate of 100,000–300,000 frames per second (fps) is ideal for capturing the high speed of a bullet. A higher frame rate results in a smoother and more detailed video. For example, a rifle bullet travels about 3.5 meters in 1/250 of a second, so a 120 fps camera with a shutter speed faster than 1/125th of a second would need a frame width of at least 7 meters to capture the bullet in flight."

Camera FPS

[Jonty30]

Yes, after it was explained to me it became more clear.
I’m aware that the more bright the environment is necessitates a higher frame rate so the photograph doesn’t wash out in the bright light.

It just seemed like another piece to the puzzle at first, with a whole bunch of pieces or all these coincidences that just added up, coinky-dink, to a near assassination of a Presidential candidate.

[nickcarraway]

Has he been charged yet?

[cgbg]

There is another interesting tidbit in this video.

The photographer does not realize it—but he just contradicted the claims of the Secret Service about cell phone capability.

He said his cell phone service was working just fine during the shooting.

The Secret Service claimed they had cell phone issues.

[Tellurian]

If the photographer likes clarity, he would have used a slower speed, more like 1/1000th of a second. At f-stop 1.6 and 1/8000th second shutter speed, he's about 3 stops dark in full sun. He may have made up for that by using a higher ISO setting, something that's used in low light situations, but that adds graininess. If he left the ISO normal, and took the darkness away later with photoshop, I'd suppose there's a similar loss of clarity.

His depth of field explanation may be valid, or may be a CYA after-the-fact claim, but there again, losing a clear background means some sacrifice was made. It all seems odd, but then I'm not much of a photographer.

Also of note (the video may clarify, but most headlines don't), the streak is not the bullet, it's a condensation trail. The bullet itself would only leave a 4" to 5" streak at that shutter speed, and would probably leave an identifiable but faded image of the bullet itself.

[2700 ft/sec x 12 in/ft x 1/8000 sec = 4.05 in of travel, plus bullet length]

[llevrok]

He was using a Sony pro level camera often used for event photography (such as sports). These modern cameras are essentially motion cameras with many frames per second. You got to get the shot.

I suspect he had his ISO (light sensitivity) set to “auto” and his lens opening to a wide open setting (f1.4?) to get the depth of field he wanted. It's not his first sports or political event. There are no do- overs.

With those kind of settings, it means to balance the light, the shutter speed (frames per second) has to adjust (increase) to balance the light.

[Bartholomew Roberts]

As a photojournalism major (40 years ago) I might be able to add something to this discussion. Modern cameras are wonderful!

There are two main ways to adjust the amount of light that hits the focal plane of a camera - the F stop of the lens and the speed of the shutter that ‘opens and closes” in front of the plane.

Each has its own advantage. If you adjust one up, the other generally is adjusted down. A high F stop number on the lens requires a low shutter speed. That gives the photographer a deep depth of field, so much more is in focus, but it can be blurry if you use a telephoto lens.

A low F stop and high shutter speed can be good too! The low F stop means that much less is in focus front to back. And the fast shutter speed gives a sharper image.

This is the setting that is ideal to shoot sports or at a Trump rally. Only Trump would be in focus - everything in front or behind is out of focus. The photographer would likely be using a very long lens so the fast shutter speed would help keep things crisp.

Modern cameras are amazing. Back 40 years ago 1000th of a second was pretty good. But some pro cameras maxxed at 2000th. Now 8000th of a second is available on pro cameras.

The advantages that gives is amazing, but not out of this world. It is just a tool of the trade.

I hope this helps a little.