Panning technique

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Pat MacInnes
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It's not the greatest shot, or the most glamourous but I just wanted to know if there are any tips that could help me get this kind of shot looking pin-sharp etc..



This was a fun day out at work and thought I'd do a few test pans - values are ISO250 + 80mm + 1/125thsec + f/5.6 - but just wanted to know if you guys think a different shutter speed etc would work better in this kind of situation. I don;'t do motorsport as a rule, but today was fun and I think I may head up Mallory Park soon to try some of the car or bike racing.
 
The problem is that generally speaking you want a blurred bg and a sharp subject. Increasing the shutter speed too much will just overcome your camera swing and get everything sharp including the bg, so you lose the impression of speed. It's more to do with technique than shutter speed.

See if this helps at all?


CLICKY
 
It's like CT said.

For this particular shot, I think you need more blur in the background so assuming the driver isn't going to go any faster, you would slow the shutter speed down further, or move closer so that the relative speed of your panning increases. You can play it various ways but the decision is usually made for you as you're stuck in a fixed spectator position.

Either which way, it is going to make getting a sharp image of the kart harder, and the only answer there is practice. For maximum sharpness, the kart must remain perfectly stationary in the frame as you pan. It's not easy!
 
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