1st attempt at Panning!

[00silvergt]

Boy, this technique IS hard, here's my feeble attempt:

C&C Welcome, please keep in mind that I was focusing more on the technique rather than exposure and composition.

[Steve Beck]

Whats the exif? It is pretty blurry, I might be able to help some if i know the settings you used. But either you need to speed up the shutter some or get those hips moving little more fluidly...

[00silvergt]

Hold up, I'm at work and I am limited to what tools I have to display CR2 files. I'm using Faststone image viewer and I saved in jpeg for the web. Here's the data:

Rebel XT
ISO 100
1/30s
f/11
50mm f/1.8 II

I agree it looks blurry hence the need for advice.

So it is either the hips or faster ss? 1/60s? I read an article saying that 1/30 was a good start, no?

[00silvergt]

Is this one better?

[00silvergt]

Here's one I did just a few minutes ago:

[Trackday.Net]

You technique is good. You just need to get the subject sharp and blur the background. :) It's good that you are trying to do better panned shots. Keep trying though. Without observing what you are doing, I can't really give you any pointers to help you improve. Maybe if you can tell me what you find most frustrating.

[00silvergt]

Well, the whole stigma of pointing the camera, the city where I work seems to be camera shy and had bad experiences with confrontational idiots because you took their pic. I think I had some bad advice on using 1/30s shutter speed. I think until I can get the panning down, I should keep trying it at 1/60s. Pre-focusing is a little difficult as well.

[Steve Beck]

1/30th is kinda of slow well depending on how fast the boject is moving. My adbsolute best pan handholding shooting racing bikes is 1/125sometimes 1/60th. I really deoends on how well i am standing and able to pan witht he bike at the same rate theya re passing by.

The type of body you are using will come in to some play. Make sure you shoot AI servo of course and I always try to use center focus point only sometimes the one tot he extreme left or right depending on the type of shot i am going for.

I was able to get soem decent panning shots with my xti I was using for a while. But I have found it is much easier with the mk3 as it focuses much faster and holds focus on fast moving objects much better.

Do a few practice swoops to make sure you have body positioned right for were you plan to snap off the picture. City traffic should be moving to fast so i would snap off a few at 1/60the then knock it down a stop or two then take a couple more till you get down to 1/30th or so I guess. I feel 1/30th is depending onthe focal length is kind of slow no matter what kind of speed blur your trying to achieve. Heck I can hardly handhold a 1/3oth of a sec muchless pan at it.

I was successful ay handholding my mk3 and 500mm to 1/160th of a sec anythigm below that forf me was to blurry. maybe some practice holding the beast up will improve over time, maybe.