Okay, no one can guarantee perfect pans, but with practice, patience and a grasp of the basics, dramatic images of subjects in motion are certainly well within reach. Panning is not about movement, it is movement, and that's what makes it challenging: it's the following of a moving subject along its plane of motion. Most often it's a horizontal plane with the subject a runner, a rider, a motorcyclist, a race car. But it could be motion along a vertical plane; think of panning with a diver as she goes from the board to the water. In concept, panning is easy: set your shutter speed to freeze motion or blur it, move your camera with the action and snap the shutter. But it's how you handle the details of the concept that will determine the success of your images. To get to the finer points of those details, we talked with pro shooter, and Nikon Ambassador, Dave Black. Primarily a sports photographer, Dave is always looking for a variety of ways to photograph action, and, he says, "Most of the time following and capturing action means panning." In their general order of importance, here's what Dave has to say about his panning methods and techniques.
ChoosiChoosing the Shutter Speed. The first thing workshop students ask Dave is what shutter speed should they use to make their pans. "That depends on how fast your subject is moving," he replies, "and how much motion or speed you want him to appear to have." First, realize that panning with a subject applies even when the desired result is a subject frozen in the midst of motion. "When you've got a subject flashing through the frame, you can't stand still and hope to catch him and freeze him," Dave says. "Pan with him and stop his motion with a fast shutter speed." Slow that shutter speed and his motion isn't stopped, it's evident. But how slow is "slow"? Some guidelines suggest starting at 1/30 or 1/20 second and moving up or down from there. Dave's photos here show those speeds as well as 1/15, 1/6 and 1/4 seconds. As you've probably guessed, experimentation and experience have a lot to do with your shutter speed choices, and there's no substitute for a lot of shooting to build a memory database of what works best in various situations. "My experience allows me to go way down in shutter speed, lower than a lot of people go," Dave says. Regardless of the shutter speed you choose, take this tip with you: "Start moving with your subject before you press the shutter, and continue to move with him after you've pressed it. You want to follow through, just as you would with a golf swing."ng the Shutter Speed. The first thing workshop students ask Dave is what shutter speed should they use to make their pans. "That depends on how fast your subject is moving," he replies, "and how much motion or speed you want him to appear to have." First, realize that panning with a subject applies even when the desired result is a subject frozen in the midst of motion. "When you've got a subject flashing through the frame, you can't stand still and hope to catch him and freeze him," Dave says. "Pan with him and stop his motion with a fast shutter speed." Slow that shutter speed and his motion isn't stopped, it's evident. But how slow is "slow"? Some guidelines suggest starting at 1/30 or 1/20 second and moving up or down from there. Dave's photos here show those speeds as well as 1/15, 1/6 and 1/4 seconds. As you've probably guessed, experimentation and experience have a lot to do with your shutter speed choices, and there's no substitute for a lot of shooting to build a memory database of what works best in various situations. "My experience allows me to go way down in shutter speed, lower than a lot of people go," Dave says. Regardless of the shutter speed you choose, take this tip with you: "Start moving with your subject before you press the shutter, and continue to move with him after you've pressed it. You want to follow through, just as you would with a golf swing."
Keeping Shttp://cdn-7.nikon-cdn.com/Images/Learn-Explore/Photography-Techniques/2013/Dave-Black-Panning/Media/Dave-Black-Panning-11-Horse-Wrangler-Pan-Action.jpgomething Sharp. "You're striving to have something in the picture sharp," Dave says. "A pan with everything blurry is annoying to people; something has to be sharp to hold their eyes in the picture." If you're photographing, say, track-and-field sprinters, panning with them and shooting at 1/1000 second will freeze them. Choose 1/125 second, though, and focus on one sprinter, and his face will likely be pretty sharp, but his arms and legs will be a blur of motion, as will the background. "If you get two or three elements sharp, chances are you have a keeper," Dave says.Recap: PRecap: Panning Essentials SPEED. Use slow shutter speeds to depict motion. How slow? Check Dave's choices in the file data, but experiment and practice to see what works best for you. SHARPNESS. Something—almost anything—in the photo should be sharp; more than one element doesn't hurt. Blur means motion, but all blur might be interpreted as a mistake. FLASH. Using your Speedlight guarantees a point of sharpness. Use it with rear curtain sync for a dramatic depiction of motion. FOCUS. Dave likes to lock focus on a zone through which his subject will pass, or use continuous servo autofocus when his subject or subjects are moving in unpredictable ways—but it's best to experiment with all focus methods to find your comfort zone. STEADINESS. If there's a predictable path for your subject, a tripod's a good choice. When there's random or unpredictable movement, hand-held is the way to go. Practice to perfect steady, smooth moves. DISTANCE. Subjects far away will appear to be moving more slowly than those close up, thus making them easier to pan with. The closer your subject is to the background, the greater the visual sensation of speed. VR. Use it. PREPARATION. Practice on easy subjects to get started: cars on the road, joggers, skateboarders, bike riders, your dog chasing a ball. It's the best way to determine the shutter speeds, focusing method(s) and pan movement that will do the job for you.anning Essentials SPEED. Use slow shutter speeds to depict motion. How slow? Check Dave's choices in the file data, but experiment and practice to see what works best for you. SHARPNESS. Something—almost anything—in the photo should be sharp; more than one element doesn't hurt. Blur means motion, but all blur might be interpreted as a mistake. FLASH. Using your Speedlight guarantees a point of sharpness. Use it with rear curtain sync for a dramatic depiction of motion. FOCUS. Dave likes to lock focus on a zone through which his subject will pass, or use continuous servo autofocus when his subject or subjects are moving in unpredictable ways—but it's best to experiment with all focus methods to find your comfort zone. STEADINESS. If there's a predictable path for your subject, a tripod's a good choice. When there's random or unpredictable movement, hand-held is the way to go. Practice to perfect steady, smooth moves. DISTANCE. Subjects far away will appear to be moving more slowly than those close up, thus making them easier to pan with. The closer your subject is to the background, the greater the visual sensation of speed. VR. Use it. PREPARATION. Practice on easy subjects to get started: cars on the road, joggers, skateboarders, bike riders, your dog chasing a ball. It's the best way to determine the shutter speeds, focusing method(s) and pan movement that will do the job for you.
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