Panning is a great technique to use if you want to create special effects in traditional photography fashion. You can make interesting images in the camera, without digital manipulation or photoshop filters. Like previous articles on creative lighting, you will be using similar techniques and settings on your digital SLR. For starters, panning is created when you follow a moving subject with your camera, photographing with a slow shutter speed. Here’s a few tips to get you started.

When shooting for my wedding photography company, I use the panning technique mainly during the reception. This special effect is great for dancing photos, especially line or circle dances popular in many European and Middle Eastern cultures. Let’s apply this technique to a large group of people, holding hands and circling around the bride and groom in the center of the dance floor. You want to capture the crowd, as it circles the happy couple and give them motion.

Take up a position in the center so you can see the dancers facing inward. In order to give the image a feel of movement, you’ll need to use a slow shutter speed. Since 1/60 is the lowest shutter speed for stop action, you can slow things down from there. Try setting your shutter to 1/10 of a second, using an adequate f/ stop and ISO to balance your exposure. If your camera has a rear sync shutter setting, turn that on too. This will make all objects and light appear to move in its true direction. If you are inside and there is ambient light, you can add fill flash to light your subjects. Aim your camera at the dancers and follow them in the direction they are moving. When you press the shutter, continue to pan the dancers and follow through until your exposure is complete. If you pan at the same speed the dancers are moving, the background will appear blurred while the dancers are in focus. If you are using a strobe, the light will give the dancers a good “stop action” effect too.

Working as a wedding photographer gives me many opportunities to be creative. You can get some really fun and interesting images once you master this technique.

Steps To Create A Nice Panning Shot

If you are new to photography, have you ever wonder how to create a shot where the moving subject is in focus while the background is blurred? Have you ever envy photographers who can produce such images?

This technique is commonly known as Panning and can be achieved easily with sufficient practices. A SLR camera is preferred for panning shots due to its ability to achieve fast response. DSLR is taking up the consumer share quickly with its price being highly competitive as well. DSLR being digital in nature, is very welcomed nowadays especially when people are getting more IT savvy. Images can be downloaded into computers which make adjustment easier as compared to the past. And not to forget, films which is now replaced by memory cards for DSLR makes photography relatively cheaper!

Panning technique is commonly used in sports like motorbike racing, treking, cycling and many more. This technique allow the photographs to tell a story to the viewers. Viewers can easily acknowledge that the subject of interest is in motion and thus making the photograph more attractive and complete, as compared to a freeze moment due to the result of fast shutter speed.

To create a panning shot, you would need a subject of interest, like most photography criteria. This subject preferably should be moving across your camera from left to right or vice versa. Panning shots will be quite impossible if the subject of interest is moving towards or away fromyour camera.

The background is advised to be vivid so as to make the photograph more enchanting when blurred.

The following are the settings for your camera and the steps for Panning shots:

Step 1: Set your camera to Shutter Priority mode,

Step 2: Set your shutter speed with its denominator value smaller then your lens focal length. I will suggest to set the shutter speed to 1/15 sec. With this setting, you are deliberately achieving “camera shake” which is your main motive in panning shots,

Step 3: Set your camera to “Continuous Shoot” mode. This will allow you to get a few shots at one time so as to achieve higher “probability of hit”.

Step 4: Set your camera to “AF-C” mode,

Step 5: As the main subject is moving across your camera, quickly focus on the subject and shoot. As your camera is set to “Continuous Shoot” mode, hold on to your shutter while moving your camera along with your main subject, making sure that the main subject is always in the middle of your viewfinder.

There you go! You have just utilized the technique of panning. Panning needs tremendous practice and you will be considered lucky if you are able to get 5 good shots out of 30 tries. Remember the good old days where SLR cameras are using film? Imagine how much money you will have to spend on films to get at least 10 great panning shots! Thus we are considered much lucky now as SLR cameras go digital.

You can further improve the photographs by doing some adjustment in Photoshop or other photo editing software. You may choose to perform some cropping of the photographs such that the main subject is placed at the golden rule for photography, the “Rule of Thirds”. With this, the photographs are able to tell the viewer the whole story and thus making the photographs more enchanting and eye catching!

Remember, you need a lot of practice for panning shots and do not be discouraged if you failed for the first few times. With enough practice, I am sure you can achieve what you longed for!

Author:
Yong Sak is a Singapore Photographer that has an enchanting and informative online photography portal that consists of a lot of useful Beginners Photography tips. You can also view a great collection of Chin Yong Sak Photographs in his personal photo gallery.

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