Another Panning Thread

[mzad]

G'day everyone,

The Motorcycle Road Race Development Association had a meet at Goulburn recently so I thought I would have a go at some panning shots with the 100-400, damn it's so much harder than I thought it would be.

Here are a couple from the day, i'd love to see some photos from the more experienced panning shooters on here along with any advice on settings or techniques used to get the perfect panning shot.

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[John Thawley]

The images are soft... the shutter speed doesn't need to be that slow for bikes. Because they're smaller and still rather quick, you can push your shutter up to around 1/250 - 1/320 - especially since you're using (I think I got the EIXF right) a 400mm lens. Remember, it's the camera's movement that effects the blur you create. The speed of the bike becomes relative based on your distance from the subject and the lens length you're using. As long as you keep those wheels spinning, you can get away with faster shutters. Cars? That's another story.

There's a primer I've written here on the board or you can also find it on my blog. (http://www.johnthawley.com/journal/2008/8/18/the-pan-shot-taking-control.html)

JT


Here are a couple - the EXIF is intact.

http://gallery.johnthawley.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=116064&g2_serialNumber=1

http://gallery.johnthawley.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=115964&g2_serialNumber=1

Although for something a little different, this one is just "stoopid" slow. :)

http://gallery.johnthawley.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=116088&g2_serialNumber=1

[mzad]

Nice shots John, and thanks for the link to your Blog I cant wait for the next bike race so I can try and get my swing perfected.

I fully agree with you on the bikes in my shots being too soft, i'll take your advice and start with a higher shutter speed at the next meet until I get the hang of it a bit more.