Over the years I have taken a LOT of photos. But one thing I’ve never done before is panning, the technique of moving the camera at the same speed as a moving subject, so that the subject remains in focus but the background is blurred by the camera’s movement. This keeps the subject clearly visible while giving a sense of movement to the picture.
Last night I went out with my daughter’s Brownie pack, who were grass sledging. I positioned myself about halfway down the hill and watched the girls whizz past. Maybe whizz is a bit optimistic. They wouldn’t have a chance in a race against a bobsleigh, but the girls said it felt fast to them. And it was a good speed for a would-be panner. Fast enough to get that sense of speed, but slow enough to be able to follow without too much difficulty.
Of course some pics were better than others. But I just want to share my most successful panned shot of the evening. And now I need to find some other moderately paced subjects to keep practising.
In Any Event Photography 