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How to Pan a Moving Subject

In action and sports photography, the ability to capture rapid movement is vital. While many photographers crank up their shutter speed to 1/5000th of a second to freeze all possible motion, you can add dynamism to your work by panning with your moving subject. Panning involves following your subject's movement with your lens and firing off several shots at the correct moment. This technique preserves the clarity of your subject while blurring the background into a wall of colorful streaks.

Instructions

- 1
  Set your camera to shutter priority mode, represented as "Tv" for time-value on most command dials. This mode allows you to set the shutter speed while the camera selects other exposure settings. Choose a speed of 1/125th of a second or faster. The slower the speed, the more blurred and streaky your background will be.
- 2
  Engage continuous shooting mode on your camera. This mode allows you to take multiple frames per second and capture every nuance of your subject's movement.
- 3
  Enable your camera's manual focus mode. Focus on an area of the scene that your subject will be passing through, or an object with which it will be coming into close proximity. This ensures that your subject will be in sharp focus as you pan along with it.
- 4
  Pick a shooting location that is free of distracting foreground elements, such as trees, light poles or spectators. For best results, pick a location that positions you parallel to your subject. Look through the viewfinder and rotate your body from side to side to preview the visual path of your pan.
- 5
  Brace your camera against your face and tuck your elbows into your body as the subject approaches. Lock your feet at shoulder's width apart and begin tracking your subject through the viewfinder.
- 6
  Begin your pan by rotating your upper body to the right or left with a smooth, fluid motion. Keep your eye to the viewfinder to ensure proper framing of your subject. Depress and hold the shutter button to fire off as many shots as desired.

Photography