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Blur: Panning with Action |
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| OVERVIEW |
| Most of us get an exhilarating sense of speed and movement on an amusement park ride. How do you capture those feelings in a still photo? The first reaction of most photographers is to freeze the action with a fast shutter speed. My preference is to use a more suggestive pictorial approach. I use a slow shutter speed and pan with the action. That means tracking the moving subject in the viewfinder and releasing the shutter while the camera is moving. Both background and portions of the moving subject become blurred, creating the kind of impressionistic image you see here. (See Hints.) |
| CREATIVE HINTS |
| Any fast activity or sports event lends itself to the "panning with action" technique. Start with 1/30 second at about 400 ISO equivalent (with your camera in shutter preferred) and also try some exposures at 1/60 second. The camera will adjust for the appropriate aperture depending on the shutter speed you have chosen. Practice panning with the camera before actually shooting the picture. Track the moving subject as you look through the viewfinder. Some advanced DSLRs will allow focus tracking as well. Release the shutter while the camera is moving when the subject is directly in front of you, and follow through for a smooth blur effect. Vary the distance from your subject--as you get closer or farther, the subject's speed relative to the camera changes and the blur effect will differ. Experiment extensively since the results are quite unpredictable-- and fascinating creatively. ©Yale Joel. |
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