How to Master Panning
The variables we need to assess when panning are the speed of the subject and the shutter speed. No doubt someone has devised some software to compute all this, but really in the field it's not quite as complex as you may be thinking right now. How quickly the camera is rotating as it pans with the action and how long the shutter is open determines just how much motion blur is apparent.
The speed of the subject is the most important factor to consider when determining what shutter speed to use. Panning on an F1 car at full pelt a shutter speed of 1/250th second will start to convey motion, but the slower the shutter speed is the more motion blur is evident. Go too slow and the subject itself gets increasingly blurry. It's a compromise of clarity versus motion. With the Tour de France cyclists I used shutter speeds between 1/30th and 1/15th sec. For bustling women in Hanoi a shutter speed of around 1/8th sec works well. A strolling Bishop? 1/4 sec. Grazing lalama? The same.
A classic panning shot has a sharp subject with everything else streaky, but of course just how much motion blur is apparent is entirely subjective. I do normally like something to be reasonably sharp in the frame, but not always. Sometimes a blurry streaky mess can work. There are no rules.
Street scene, Hanoi, Vietnam.
This is a technique that requires thought and practise to master. The technical aspects are relatively straightforward. For around 80% of my work I use aperture priority exposure mode, but if ever there's a time for shutter speed priority, this is it. Dial in the desired shutter speed, do some test pans, assess whether there's too much or too little motion blur and adjust accordingly. I tend to manually pre-focus on the key point where the subject will wiz past. With the shutter open for relatively long periods the AF can get confused and whir off to focus on the background just at the critical moment. Often though focus is not absolutely critical as in order to achieve slow shutter speeds of around 1/15th sec a small aperture is usually necessary, so there is ample depth of field to cover for slight focusing anomalies. But a word of warning; a picture that has motion blur and is out of focus as well looks truly gruesome. Be meticulous.
Procession at St Eutizio Abbey, Umbria, Italy.
A successful panning shot requires a smooth panning motion with the subject kept locked on the same point in the frame during exposure. Failure results in a blurry kaleidoscope, which you can try and pass off as art, but we know better. In the ideal world a tripod with a pan and tilt head can be used to ensure a smooth pan. In the field I rarely find it practical though. These situations are fast changing and usually require instinctive and rapid changes of viewpoint. A tripod just gets in the way, but a monopod is a good compromise. With practise a smooth pan hand held can be achieved. Image stabilistaion? In Active Mode it's a useful aid, but when all is said and done the photographer's hand/eye coordination is the crucial factor here. Practise is well rewarded. Get your wife/husband/boyfriend/girlfriend/son/daughter/grandmother to run or cycle up down the lane while you practise your panning technique. Can you think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon? You may not win a popularity contest but for us obsessives who measure the success of our existence on the face of this planet by the quality of our pictures it's time well spent.
Zebra on the move, Kruger National Park, South Africa.
Aesthetically the key factor that will make or break a panning image is the choice of background. These shoots are all about preparation. Choosing a backdrop to the action that will add to the image as its colour and tones are dragged and streaked through the frame is essential. Confusing blocks of colour and shape will rob a picture of its impact. I picked on a tree-lined avenue in south west France a stretch of road with few people and a neutral simple leafy background to pan the passing cyclists against. I spent the two hours of waiting fervently praying that no regrettable spectators in loud colours would stand opposite ruining my backdrop. I had to shoot a few; they would have ruined the simplicity of the pictures. The way the green tones of the vegetation streak through the frame is just as important as the riders. Backgrounds are everything, they are just so important to the success of panning images. How the colour, light and tone of subject interact with the backdrop is the key. As usual in all photography; simple is best.
A llama grazing, Bolivia.
Biography
Born in England in 1957, David spent much of his youth travelling with his family between the UK, California and Canada. After leaving school David joined the Navy in search of further travels and adventures – and it was while sailing the seven seas that his interest in photography grew. After several years at sea he decided to pursue his passion for photography and returned to study in Gloucester, England. After leaving college in 1985 he began work as a freelance photographer specialising in landscape and other travel subjects, which over the last 25 years, have taken him to almost every corner of the globe.
David is now established and recognised as one of the UK's leading landscape and travel photographers. His images sell all over the world – both as fine art photography and commercially in advertising and publishing. He has won international awards for: British Gas/ BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards in 1985,1989 & 1990 and also writes regularly about landscape and travel photography for a number of national and international magazines. David has worked for numerous clients including British Airways, Sainsbury's, Geo, Toyota, Qantas, Sunday Times and the Telegraph. During the last twenty years he has also worked extensively for the National Trust covering much of the UK's landscape and coastline, which has featured in many high profile publications and several highly acclaimed photographic exhibitions. Most notably:
'New Vision' Contemporary Art Photography – AOP Gallery
'The Coast Exposed' – Maritime Museum Greenwich and the Lowry
'Climate Change – in Britain's Back Yard!' – London, Nottingham, Wales, Belfast, Bristol
“l'm still passionate about photography. All aspects fascinate me; from capturing the first light of day on a frosty landscape or making the most of a bustling market in Vietnam to portraying the dignity of a wrinkled face in China.”
David spends much of the year travelling with his wife Wendy. When not travelling they live in England, near Sherborne in Dorset.
All images in this article © David Noton
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