Photo Techniques: Panning [View all]

[Major Nikon]

Photographing moving subjects is always a bit tricky. Certainly one way to do it is just to use a really fast shutter speed, but this method stops everything in the photo and doesn't convey motion very well unless you slow your shutter speed down enough to blur the subject a bit. Panning is another technique which can be used. The method itself is pretty simple. You just move the camera in sync with the object and release the shutter while continuing to move the camera. The result is a relatively sharp subject with a blurred background which can produce dramatic results that convey motion.

While the concept is simple enough, the execution is not. Focus becomes problematic. As far as autofocus goes, if you don't have a high end SLR that can track fast moving targets, the camera may never allow shutter release to occur, or if it does the subject may be out of focus. You also need a fairly steady hand that can move the camera in a fluid motion along with the subject. If your camera doesn't have a fast autofocus system, all is not lost. If your camera allows manual focusing, you can focus on a spot at the right distance to the point at which you want to release your shutter. As you are panning when you get to that point you release the shutter. If your camera has shutter lag, you may need to press the shutter release before you get there. The shutter speed you use depends on how fast your subject is moving, and how much of the effect you want. In the picture below, my shutter speed was 1/160 which wasn't slow enough to produce a very dramatic effect, but it was fast enough to make the effort relatively easy. The slower shutter speed you use also means you have to be more precise with your technique.

I use this technique often at airshows, where I'm photographing fast moving planes. If you want to photograph these types of events or races of most any type, it's a handy tool to carry in your bag of tricks.