Motion Blur - Panning

I started another photography class called The Art of Seeing. This weekend we have three photo shoots planned at Botanic Gardens, Chinatown and the downtown area. By the beginning of October I have to turn in 300 photos for critique and I am in a panic mode! Our instructor has said not to panic because we are sure to get more than enough photos during our scheduled shoots but you never know..... so I am trying to get a jump on the project. I don't have many photos that show motion and now I know why, it is not easy!! Here are a few I did this week. To get these shots I used the S mode on my camera to control shutter speed and set it at 1/15 for most, used the live view screen, continuous shot mode, put the strap around my neck and held the camera out tight for tension to try to keep camera shake to a minimum. Next, focus on a car, motorcycle or bike coming toward you from down the street (the faster the better), level out the camera and lock your arms to just swing side to side and shoot moving the camera so you are following the subject. This should keep the subject in focus and the background will blur to show motion. Hold down the shutter release to get as many pictures as you can with the subject still in the view finder. Good to find a place away from the bus stops, trees and posts or signs so they don't block your view. Also it is important to find a place where cars are going fast enough and the background is "busy" to get a good motion blur shot. By busy I mean that a plain background will not show motion the same as a background that has a lot going on, different colors or signs or objects to blur. This type of motion blur photography is called panning and it is only one way to shoot motion blur. It has become fun for me now. I am dying to get a good panning shot of a motorcycle or bike zooming past.

Taxis are the fastest cars on the road in Singapore.

This shot was ok. I liked the background, still have to work on getting the camera to follow the subject smoother, my subject in this shot was the motorcycle. Cannot use a tripod for this so I'll just have to keep practising. Also if the subject you are focusing on changes lanes or unexpectedly speeds up or slows down that will change the outcome of your shots. 

The cars aren't going super fast but panning will make it look like they are.

Only the subject you focus on will be in focus, all other objects will be blurred.

Mail delivery! That is a SingPost scooter.

Motorcycles like to weave their way through traffic to pull out first from a red light. I don't appreciate that as a driver but today it was ok. :)

I am a shy person so the worst part about photography is when I am out taking pictures and people are watching me. For panning it is particularly hard because you can't just snap a quick pic, you have to be ready for it by getting into a good position and holding out the camera then moving with the object. Its probably no big deal to most people but I hate to draw attention to myself! It seems like there are so many photographers out there. I always tell myself most of them know exactly what I am doing and are just wishing they could roam around town and play with their camera too.

This is what the picture would look like if you held the camera still and let the cars go by. The background would be in focus and the cars would have the blur. Another way to show motion blur but not as exciting as panning!

Happy Friday!

Update! Using the live view screen may slow down your camera. My suggestion is to first try this method with the live view on. If this is giving you troubles, use live view to correctly position the camera, then switch back to the optical viewfinder without leaving your position. It is more difficult this way but your camera will speed up.