First go at panning

[jgs001]

At the South of England show, I tried my hand at panning shots to get a sense of speed and motion during the Polo match and some horse racing. Here's a couple of the shots. I don't think I quite got it right, either, I had the shutter speed to slow or it doesn't work very well with Horses with the way they move. Anyone got any thoughts on how these might be improved ?

F8 1/30s @ISO50

F8 1/40s @50

 

[ekimeno]

First of all, are you using some sort of AI Servo mode with your panning (I think on the KM its called Continuous AF)? This is where you follow the subject with the shutter button pressed halfway to keep it in focus. For cycling panning I usually use between 1/80 and 1/200 depending on the speed of the rider. Try upping your shutter speed, though the true panning connoisseurs use 1/30 to 1/50 a lot of the time.

Perhaps just a bit more practice and honing your technique. Your second shot isn't too bad actually...

 

[jgs001]

Yep, I set for continuous AF, does exactly what you describe. I set for shutter priority to force the shutter speed down, the camera used the biggest F number it's capable of. Thanks for the comments.