Yervant's

Tips & Tricks

Ribbon // Panning

1. Use a slow shutter speed: It’s important that you choose a shutter speed slow enough to create blur in your image. You may need to experiment a bit to achieve the desired effect, but don’t use a speed that is too slow to keep up with the subject. If you’re shooting during the day, it may be difficult to achieve a slow shutter speed, so consider shooting in a shady area. Here’s a general guide to get you started – but remember, there are no rules so be creative:
   
   Person running: 1/15th sec
   
   Person walking: 1/8th sec
   
   Cars / Motorbikes: 1/30th sec
2. Tracking your subject: You need to follow your subject with a smooth even flow, keeping the subject fixed on a point in the frame as much as possible. Keeping a steady hand will ensure the background blur is smooth and the subject is well depicted.
3. For best results: When panning, you’ll increase your chances of achieving images of your subject in focus by positioning yourself parallel to the path of your moving subject (from left to right or vice versa).
4. Continuous Shooting: I’d recommend use a continuous shooting mode to allow you capture many images as the subject moves past. This will ensure you get a good selection to choose from.
5. Use flash to freeze your subject: This isn’t a must, but if your subject is relatively close, less than five metres away, this can really add to a great panning shot. Get experimental and why not see what a Canon Speedlite can add.