Burst mode exposures are thought of as an action shot specialty. Any sports action shots provide good example – from diving board shots thru Nascar rumbles to rodeo competitions. If you use burst mode at anywhere from 3-8 frames per second[the upper limit for most good SLRs], you will likely find 1 to 2 super frames within the burst mode sequence. The following is an example from a rodeo this past summer:
Kids Bull Riding
But recent results from a a local photo contest for the past few years suggest burst mode shooting works well for portraits as well. It allows you as photographer to naturally follow the subject and not force or elicit a specific raction but rather catch the changing human mood as swiftly as it changes. Yes, you could use video frames for the same purpose but without the precise exposure control of a “still” shot or a size greater than 2.5Mpixels. The example below shows just such a sequence from the Maple Syrup Festival Photo Contest.
3 Kids on a park bench
Now the photographer has her choice from not just the above 4 images but actually 10 framess to choose from – some really great family candid imagess. In sum, burst mode is not only good for action shots but also candid portrait shots as well.