Panning shot-advise

[Fumacher]

Hey all......
As there are many prof- , semiprof photographers here on UCP, I would like to ask whether you got any tips abt paning shots?

Which aperature should I use, should I just take one shot at the time?, how abt...

I'm going to the track next week and I'm going to do panning shots for the first time of my life....so that explains my interest in this

[Wouter Melissen]

What kind of auto focus do you have on your camera?

[2ndclasscitizen]

Camera settings wise, set your camera to AF-C if it has the option available, set a higher shutter speed, maybe 1/150+ and set the camera's drive mode to Continuous. I always find when possible, tracking a car for a second or two before taking the shot will helps me continue to track will shooting and the mirror is up. Try and watch the cars for a while and learn how they move round the track you're at which should help you to be able to anticpate their movements.

[Fumacher]

What kind of auto focus do you have on your camera?

I have AF-C and AF-S on my camera.

Could you tell me what to do with the aperture?

Thanks for your reply 2ndclasscitizen

[Wouter Melissen]

I have AF-C and AF-S on my camera.

Could you tell me what to do with the aperture?

Thanks for your reply 2ndclasscitizen

I am not entirely sure what that means. The aperture is not very important, it's the shutter speed that makes for a good panning shot. Anything longer than 1/500 will blur the wheels. Once you get over 1/250, it will get substantially more difficult to prevent the car from getting blurred in the process. I use servo auto focus and motordrive to get the best results.

[Matra et Alpine]

I'm guessing with the aperture, you want to lock it to limit the Depth of Field so the background blurs better ?
Dont' bother. Get it to take as fast as possible shutter and then use Photoshop to blur the background and rotate/blur the wheels if the iamge needs it

[Wouter Melissen]

Right ...

[VtecMini]

I'm guessing with the aperture, you want to lock it to limit the Depth of Field so the background blurs better ?
Dont' bother. Get it to take as fast as possible shutter and then use Photoshop to blur the background and rotate/blur the wheels if the iamge needs it

Lassooing and arsing around with blurs in photoshop - 10-15 minutes per image.

Actually taking a decent panning shot with the camera in the hand - 0.004 seconds (at 1/250 of a second).

I think I'll stick with the latter if it's all the same to you.

Edit: On a more related note, is this visit to the track next week like a serious one-off experience? If it is, I'd try and find a way to practise before you go on the day. I do my practising at a track near me that's free entry for spectators, but I guess that's not necessarily an option for everybody. Maybe try and find somewhere inconspicuous to take pics of traffic going by or something like that, so that you don't spend $20 or whatever on a session where you just end up practising and not really getting the shots you want.

On a slightly more technical note, it's probably advisable (if not slightly obvious) to get as close as is safely possible, due to the increased risk of camera shake on a long zoom during longer exposures.

A few odd notes off the top of my head:

- I tend to avoid zooming in too close, due to the nature of a panning shot, you can't guarantee the subject will be exactly in the middle, so I give myself a bit of room to manoevre, then crop tighter later on.

- I started off with a fairly fast shutter speed, then once I felt I was getting the hang of it, started to slow it down. On a recent attempt however, I tried shooting at 1/50th to begin with and ended up with half an hours worth of pics that were destined for the round filing cabinet, so after every pic or so, try and review what you've taken and see where you think you're struggling.

- I've just had a quick look at some of my fave panning shots that I've taken and they're all around 1/125th of a second at around 150mm, but there's no real hard and fast rules, the speed of the car and your confidence governs the shutter speed I suppose.

-When I'm lining up the shot, I try and decide exactly where I want the car, more often than not, just in front of side on, if that makes sense. I try and take the shot just a fraction before I think I actually should, because if I don't, I usually end up pressing the shutter too late and getting more fo the back of the car than the side. (I'm yet to take a panning shot that features more rear than front that I actually like, but maybe it's just me.)

-I've found that taking pics from the outside of a corner can produce funny effects if the corners a bit tight. I find that usually the nose will be sharp, but the rear 2/3rds of it aren't. I guess it's a physics thing, due to the two opposite arcs of travel or something.

-In theory, the nearer you stand to the car, the more blurred the background will be, due to the parallax effect. I think you'll struggle to get the whole of the car sharp when too close up though.

-On the subject of autofocus, I pre-focus on the point which I want the car to be, well in advance of the car coming, then I'll find the car coming in, following it to my 'snapping point', then press the shutter. It's absolutely crucial that the panning motion is smooth and uninterupted before, during and after the shutter has opened.

Just so there's no confusion here, these are just from my experience. I don't take epic panning shots like Wouter, but I'm really pleased with some of the results I've got, so I can't be going that far wrong.

[Matra et Alpine]

Lassooing and arsing around with blurs in photoshop - 10-15 minutes per image.

You need some more practice
10 MINUTES ? You're kidding right ? It's BLURRING not replacing a background !!

Actually taking a decent panning shot with the camera in the hand - 0.004 seconds (at 1/250 of a second).

We were talking about pannign and I was pointing out that IF doign the pan is to also get the blurred background then there are easier ways in the 21st century
So your way 1/250th mey have no background blurring ( unless it was a passing CCR at 20feet )
Extending the shutter to get background blur and then getting it home, blowing it up and finding the CAR is out of focus ?
.... PRICELESS .....

I think I'll stick with the latter if it's all the same to you.

I used to too.
It's like B&W ... there was a time I carried B&W high speed roll and woudl swap over for "atmospheric shots" ... no way , no point.

So here's an action shot. See how long it takes to edit and post the "doctored" version ......

[VtecMini]

It's the lassooing around the spokes of the wheels that gets me. If you don't, you just get blurred brake calipers and you're rumbled!

That one you posted looks easy enough to lasoo I guess. Smartarse.

[2ndclasscitizen]

-On the subject of autofocus, I pre-focus on the point which I want the car to be, well in advance of the car coming, then I'll find the car coming in, following it to my 'snapping point', then press the shutter. It's absolutely crucial that the panning motion is smooth and uninterupted before, during and after the shutter has opened.

That's not so much of an issue with AF-C, it continues to autofocus as long as you half or fully depress the shutter button.

And one thing I forgot that goes along with that, if your camera has the option, set it so that the AF goes off the centre of the viewfinder, rather than using multi-point AF

[my porsche]

i would use as small an aperture as possible so you can have a faster shutter speed

[VtecMini]

That's not so much of an issue with AF-C, it continues to autofocus as long as you half or fully depress the shutter button.

And one thing I forgot that goes along with that, if your camera has the option, set it so that the AF goes off the centre of the viewfinder, rather than using multi-point AF

I've never actually even bothered switching from AF-S. I guess I just prefer the old fashioned way. Useful if the stream of cars is a bit unpredictable I suppose. Next time I have a crack at some panning shots, I'll give it a go.

[2ndclasscitizen]

i would use as small an aperture as possible so you can have a faster shutter speed

you actually want a larger aperture to allow a faster shutter speed. The lower the f number, the bigger aperture.

[my porsche]

you actually want a larger aperture to allow a faster shutter speed. The lower the f number, the bigger aperture.

i meant as small an aperture number as possible, i always forget the bigger the number the smaller the hole