# Panning



## J.R. (Apr 20, 2014)

I tried some panning shots today. Gear used was 5D Mark III and the 70-200 II. I shot a reasonable number of images today and these are two of the few shots that I liked. The first shot is at ISO 50, 70mm, f/2.8 at 1/50s. The second shot is at ISO 100, 70mm, f/2.8 and 1/60s. The lens was in IS Mode II. 

Issues - 
1) I wasn't able to generate a more streaking background despite shutter speeds which I thought were reasonably low;
2) Dropping the shutter speed lower resulted in an extremely poor hit rate;

Please suggest as to how can I improve my panning technique.

Thanks in advance, 

Regards ... J.R.


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## yorgasor (Apr 20, 2014)

These two shots look fantastic. Don't be discouraged by low hit rates, panning takes a bit of practice to get down. I think the most important thing to get right is sliding the camera perfectly horizontal with your subject. There was a discussion just a few days ago on shooting with large lenses, and I think many of the tips there will help out here.

You'll need a good, steady stance, one foot forward, with your body kind of sideways to the subject, with your arm resting against your body. I suspect you'll get smoother horizontal motion if you just twist with your waist rather than your arms. Try practicing with that and see if you can get a few hits at 1/30s, as that's where the real magic is. 

Now you've got me wanting to go out and practice on my kids as they ride their bikes around  Thanks for the inspiration.


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## neuroanatomist (Apr 21, 2014)

Slower is better. At f/2.8, you're getting both motion blur and OOF blur in the background. Here's one from a sunny day where I should have brought an ND filter, 70mm (with the 24-70 II), 1/40 s and f/18 (so the blur is all motion).


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## ahab1372 (Apr 21, 2014)

both girls a standing on their bikes, so they will most likely bounce up and down. With longer shutter speeds, you will have inevitably motion blur on their faces. If they sat down, you may get away with longer shutter speeds.
Another way to get more blur is the subject moving faster - but I'm not sure moms like it when you yell at the kids "faster faster"


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## privatebydesign (Apr 21, 2014)

J.R.

As you were with IS mode II, and Servo AF with one AF point selected, put that point on the face before it gets to where you want the image shot, steadily hold that AF point on the face until you get to where you want it, then gently press the shutter, keep the fluid motion going right through the shot and after, like a golfers follow through. Lots and lots of practice.

I do lots of panning street shots, here are a couple from Vietnam a few years ago. The two girls on the bike are 1/125 sec at f5.6 with a 16-35 @20mm, the man and women on the trike are 1/6 at f7.1 with a 50 f1.4.


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## Dylan777 (Apr 21, 2014)

1st photo looks good to me


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## mb66energy (Apr 21, 2014)

J.R. said:


> I tried some panning shots today. Gear used was 5D Mark III and the 70-200 II. I shot a reasonable number of images today and these are two of the few shots that I liked. The first shot is at ISO 50, 70mm, f/2.8 at 1/50s. The second shot is at ISO 100, 70mm, f/2.8 and 1/60s. The lens was in IS Mode II.
> 
> Issues -
> 1) I wasn't able to generate a more streaking background despite shutter speeds which I thought were reasonably low;
> ...



Try an external viewfinder - to enhance tracking over longer periods, just an idea.
Or use a tripod if you can control the path of the subject in someways: With a ball head lock the ball and use the panning capability of the base of the head (e.g.).

Never checked it both measures work ... just time for me to do that soon


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## wickidwombat (Apr 21, 2014)

for bicycles going slow like that i'd go with 1/15 to 1/30th

Just finished the shanghai F1 and I discovered the tamron 150-600 IS sucks balls for panning so i had to turn IS off
i shot most stuff at 1/200 and got a reasonable hit rate, also had some decent at 1/160 and tried 1/100 for more streaking with a considerably lower hit rate.

As for technique, it just needs tons of practice

first off brace your left elbow into your ribs and let the lens barrel rest on your left palm
next make sure you also keep your right elbow tucked in but dont squeeze everything too tight this will just add shake so be relaxed about it.
next make sure your stance is stable balanced and comfortable
to pan keep your legs and torso all firm and just use your waist to pivot.
begin tracking early and make sure your movement is smooth
i find with race cars you can get a nice smooth rythem going and once you hit the groove the keeper rate comes up

but panning at 600mm and 1/100th with no IS is a bitch 
sample shot on the back straight attached 100% crop shot from the top row of the main grandstand


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## wickidwombat (Apr 21, 2014)

and heres one at 300mm un cropped on the main straight 1/200 this time the day before during qualifying in the rain
which added really nicely to all the shots i think


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## [email protected] (Apr 21, 2014)

Wombat -- Bravo!! Gorgeous F1 stuff. Good for you!


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## Dylan777 (Apr 21, 2014)

Great shots wickidwombat


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## dcm (Apr 21, 2014)

It helps to put more distance between your subject and the background, less between you and the subject. This magnifies the movement of the background to create more motion blur.


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## J.R. (Apr 22, 2014)

Thanks a lot for the replies. I'll keep in mind your suggestions the next time I shoot ... can't wait for this weekend. 



neuroanatomist said:


> Slower is better. At f/2.8, you're getting both motion blur and OOF blur in the background. Here's one from a sunny day where I should have brought an ND filter, 70mm (with the 24-70 II), 1/40 s and f/18 (so the blur is all motion).



Thanks, I see your point. 

BTW, do you also mean to say that a narrower aperture (than f/2.8) should be preferably used to accentuate streaking lines? 



ahab1372 said:


> Another way to get more blur is the subject moving faster - but I'm not sure moms like it when you yell at the kids "faster faster"



Haha ... I was shooting right outside my house and when I suggested this to my daughters, I got shouted down by my wife from the window above :'(



privatebydesign said:


> As you were with IS mode II, and Servo AF with one AF point selected, put that point on the face before it gets to where you want the image shot, steadily hold that AF point on the face until you get to where you want it, then gently press the shutter, keep the fluid motion going right through the shot and after, like a golfers follow through. Lots and lots of practice.



I was actually in multiple AF point selection mode. The focus was on the faces of my daughters. 

BTW, you got motion blur in your shots at 1/125s! I can see what is possible if one gets his technique right. 



mb66energy said:


> Try an external viewfinder - to enhance tracking over longer periods, just an idea.
> Or use a tripod if you can control the path of the subject in someways: With a ball head lock the ball and use the panning capability of the base of the head (e.g.).
> 
> Never checked it both measures work ... just time for me to do that soon



I've never used an external viewfinder but I'll try to find out more. 

I was actually thinking of camera mounted on monopod, used in sitting / kneeling position. I'm not sure it'll work perfect but may be worth a try. 




Dylan777 said:


> 1st photo looks good to me



Thanks Dylan!



wickidwombat said:


> for bicycles going slow like that i'd go with 1/15 to 1/30th
> 
> As for technique, it just needs tons of practice
> 
> ...



First off, those are excellent shots!

Thanks for the suggestions. I typically shoot with both my elbows drawn in but don't really remember how I was moving for these shots. I may have ended up rotating the camera in my hands and will be more careful as to what I'm doing next time. 



dcm said:


> It helps to put more distance between your subject and the background, less between you and the subject. This magnifies the movement of the background to create more motion blur.



Thanks. 

Now you've got me thinking. I'll try using a shorter focal length while at the same time getting closer to the subject and see what happens.


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## wickidwombat (Apr 22, 2014)

I found when learning to pan it was easiest using a 50mm prime stopped down to f8 and going with pretty slow speeds and just working on the body movement stance and technique. Forget everything else at first the step up to the 70-200 once you can pan with no IS then the more 2 IS should be a cake walk once you have the technique sorted.


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## dgatwood (Apr 22, 2014)

Try it at night with terrible lighting. It's kind of fun.


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## wickidwombat (Apr 24, 2014)

still going through my F1 pics culled over 4000 down to 1250 sharp shots
so overall pretty happy with that rate of sharp to oof/blurry given no IS.....
next is going through those 1250 and picking out my favs 

I really like this one

If tamron had put a panning mode VC on this baby it would be one amazing lens
there is certainly no disputing its optical capability is first class


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## wickidwombat (Apr 24, 2014)

another i really like


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## J.R. (Apr 24, 2014)

Very nice shots wickidwombat ... Good to see the Tammy working well for you


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## Sporgon (Apr 24, 2014)

J.R. said:


> I tried some panning shots today. Gear used was 5D Mark III and the 70-200 II. I shot a reasonable number of images today and these are two of the few shots that I liked. The first shot is at ISO 50, 70mm, f/2.8 at 1/50s. The second shot is at ISO 100, 70mm, f/2.8 and 1/60s. The lens was in IS Mode II.
> Issues -
> 1) I wasn't able to generate a more streaking background despite shutter speeds which I thought were reasonably low;
> 2) Dropping the shutter speed lower resulted in an extremely poor hit rate;
> ...



Love the second shot ! 

Can't add anything else to what has been said.


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## yorgasor (Apr 25, 2014)

I tried a few shots last night with my daughter. I was mostly shooting at 1/40. I started getting the hang of it as she rode along the road, but that wasn't exciting enough for her so she went for a much bumpier, grassy hill. Here are a couple of my favorites:



Racing by yorgasor, on Flickr



Bumpy by yorgasor, on Flickr

I tried getting some of my son on a pogo stick, that's much harder to get right


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## J.R. (Apr 26, 2014)

Nice shots yorgasor. The first one is very nice.


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## rpt (Apr 26, 2014)

Lovely shots here!

+1 for putting distance between the subject and the background. Also helps if the background has smaller elements like leaves (and not cars...).


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## J.R. (Apr 26, 2014)

rpt said:


> Lovely shots here!
> 
> +1 for putting distance between the subject and the background. Also helps if the background has smaller elements like leaves (and not cars...).



Thanks for the suggestions rpt. I'll keep the tips in mind when I shoot this weekend. Will revert with pics


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## yorgasor (May 12, 2014)

My son got to ride a four-wheeler for the first time this weekend. After I got bored of getting standard shots as he drove by, I decided to try a few panning shots. I only took a couple, but this one was by far my favorite.

I used a 70-200mm f/2.8 IS II w/ 1.4x extender, with the IS in mode 2.



Speeding Quad by yorgasor, on Flickr

The shot looks way more exciting than the standard frozen-motion shots.


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## yurophoto (Jun 15, 2014)

I recently started shooting last year and absolutely love shooting pans. Here are a few of my favorites from last weekends race in Hood River, Or.

Kirt Voreis 5dmkIII 70-200 (142mm) IS 1/20th f16 iso 320 






1/80th 2.8 16-35mm 800iso


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## expatinasia (Jun 15, 2014)

yurophoto said:


> I recently started shooting last year and absolutely love shooting pans. Here are a few of my favorites from last weekends race in Hood River, Or.



Welcome to CR, yurophoto.

I really like some of those panning shots you did, well done. You seem to have really captured the speed and adrenalin.


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## privatebydesign (Jun 15, 2014)

expatinasia said:


> yurophoto said:
> 
> 
> > I recently started shooting last year and absolutely love shooting pans. Here are a few of my favorites from last weekends race in Hood River, Or.
> ...



Agreed, some very nice shots, particularly like the first one. Very well done and welcome to CR.


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## Logan (Jun 15, 2014)

try using a longer lens, the background will cover more distance in the same amount of time. or like mentioned above get the subject further from the background, same thing basically.


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## yurophoto (Jun 15, 2014)

Thank you! I was shooting for vitalmtb.com so I did not want every shot to look the same and only had very little time to set up for the shots as the riders were coming down the hill at full race pace. The sides of the trail were covered in poison oak brush so I could not get to far back unfortunately. Much appreciated tho, Im gonna keep at it!


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## DKN (Jun 15, 2014)

yurophoto said:


>



This one looks absolutely amazing! Did you use a second curtain flash or is it just panning?


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## S Cartwright Photography (Jun 15, 2014)

A Few by me



Classic Beetle Motion Blur by Scott Cartwright Photography, on Flickr



Suzuki Motorbike Pan by Scott Cartwright Photography, on Flickr



Autograss Racing by Scott Cartwright Photography, on Flickr



Railing A Berm by Scott Cartwright Photography, on Flickr



Autograss Powerslide by Scott Cartwright Photography, on Flickr


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## Click (Jun 15, 2014)

S Cartwright Photography said:


> A Few by me




Excellent series. I especially like the 3rd shot. 8)


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## TexPhoto (Jun 15, 2014)

“How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” Practice, practice, practice...

This is a difficult technique. 
1. Pic one part of the subject. If it has eyes, the close eye.
2. Use your center focus point, and keep that center focus point on that one eye.
3. Use servo focus and motor drive your butt off. Seriously, Servo focus will get more and more accurate in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th pic, as the computer can predict the motion. 
4. Use wide angle and get close. This will speed up the back ground relative to the subject.
5. Use fill flash. This will freeze your subject to a degree. 
6. “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” Practice, practice, practice...



Untitled by RexPhoto91, on Flickr


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## Besisika (Jun 15, 2014)

I mainly use panning when shooting the Grand Prix Cyclistes de Montreal. I would shoot wider angle but I don't like croping so I prefer shooting with a 135mm or 100mm macro. Below were shot at ISO 50, 5D MKIII. I prefer closer background so that the blurr due to panning is better (I like having some people to show the technique - yes I am a show off). The faster they are, the easier. My F-stops are usually at F16, shutter speed between 1/60th - 1/100th


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## R1-7D (Jun 15, 2014)

yorgasor said:


> I tried a few shots last night with my daughter. I was mostly shooting at 1/40. I started getting the hang of it as she rode along the road, but that wasn't exciting enough for her so she went for a much bumpier, grassy hill. Here are a couple of my favorites:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yorgasor,

First, I just wanted to say beautiful shots. You captured the moments very well while panning! Nicely done.


I don't mean to sound rude/condescending or be too much of a busy-buddy, but I just wanted to quickly mention that I'm am a little concerned to see your daughter without a helmet or even shoes on riding the bike. Also your son (who admittedly looks awesome in the shot) driving the Raptor should have his helmet placement and strap adjusted. I do motorcycle training part-time in the summer so I notice such things, and I've seen first hand what happens when someone is not wearing appropriate gear or not wearing it correctly.


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## IMG_0001 (Jun 15, 2014)

R1-7D said:


> yorgasor said:
> 
> 
> > I tried a few shots last night with my daughter. I was mostly shooting at 1/40. I started getting the hang of it as she rode along the road, but that wasn't exciting enough for her so she went for a
> ...



I'll second that. No need to be a motorcycle driving instructor to remark these things. The second image of the girl on bike actually is unconfortable to me as it looks like the girl is about to leave some toe flesh on either the pedal or the ground...

Arguably, for the quad shot, the fact he is loosinng his helmet adds to the sense of speed though. But seriously, I feel like proper helmets are important for both kids and adults when operating motorbikes (and certainly a good thing even for pedal bikes for that matter). 

Good pans though.


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## yurophoto (Jul 16, 2014)

1/30th f16 iso 100


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## PKinDenmark (Jul 16, 2014)

yurophoto said:


> I recently started shooting last year and absolutely love shooting pans. Here are a few of my favorites from last weekends race in Hood River, Or.
> 
> Kirt Voreis 5dmkIII 70-200 (142mm) IS 1/20th f16 iso 320
> 
> ...


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## yurophoto (Jul 16, 2014)

Nice shots PK, Ive learned if the background is boring and not much going on I slow down the shutter and start panning. The last photo I posted Chad was going about... 7mph which is not fast at all but I told him to get into an aggressive riding position and Ill do the rest. I shot a series of shots with Chad the other night for a bike magazine called Mountain Flyer. Really excited that Im starting to get more and more print work! Always cool to see your stuff in magazines and yet Im still learning every time I go out and shoot.


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## Besisika (Jul 16, 2014)

Good stuff!


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## Roo (Aug 24, 2014)

Love a lot of the shots in here especially Yuro's mountain biker through the trees. I've been working on my panning while on holiday and got my hit rate up to about 30-40%.


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## Besisika (Oct 2, 2014)

Slow panning: 1/15th sec


OASIS_00012 by Besisika, on Flickr

Bike:


GRDP00004 by Besisika, on Flickr


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## Roo (Mar 10, 2015)

I took a few different panning shots at the Moomba Masters water- skiing here yesterday. All were between 1/40 - 1/60th sec.


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## Besisika (Mar 19, 2015)

Roo said:


> I took a few different panning shots at the Moomba Masters water- skiing here yesterday. All were between 1/40 - 1/60th sec.


Just crazy! How high they can jump!!!


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