Blurring background in action shots

[Jeanius]

Is there anyone who could explain how this shot could be better? I am trying to get the subject in focus while blurring the background by using a slow shutter 1/8 sec. and following the action with the camera. Any help is appreciated.

[Drkranger]

What you're are trying to do is called panning. It does take a lot of practice and a very steady hand. In order to do it properly, you really need to keep the focus on one player while moving the camera with their motion.

The only help I can provide is: practice, practice, practice. 1/8 might be a bit slow, but as long as your focus remains on the player, you will get the desired results.

[ericw]

Yeah, 1/8 is way to slow to hand-hold. Thus you get hand-shake induced blur in all directions, so everythings motion-blurred, not just the background.

Just experiment with your shutter speed until you find one that gives a good effect for your subject.

[edwards8020]

Keep in mind that the simple act of panning will blur your background - so you do not need to rely on shutter speed to create the blur.

Keep in mind that your distance to the subject will also affect how fast you need to pan to keep up - as a result this will impact how blurred the background is. You might be able to compensate with a tighter zoom, since it will be more sensitive to movement.

[Jim1956]

This image is not bad, though. I think that if you crop to include only the person on the right, it will be a great shot--definitely conveys motion. About the "right" shutter speed, I have had success in the 1/30th range. Of course it always depends on the speed of the subjects arms and legs.

[Jeanius]

Great feedback from everyone. I am going to repost a cropped version to see if that make the shot better and I will keep practicing this shot for sure. Thanks

[zebthepilot]

cropping it won't make it better.

as mentioned 1/8 is way slow. generally I wouldn't shoot sports under 1/200s to get crisp shots. for a panning effect in this setting I'd start around 1/60s and play around till you get the desired blur. I'll also mention that panning works best with steady objects, that's why you often see bikes, cars, trains, etc. doing it on a player, while not impossible, will take a ton of practice and a good dose of luck.


good luck.

[Chip]

Trying to pan someone running is difficult, mainly because different parts of the body move at different speeds.

So, on a good panning photo of a runner, you're likely to have just part of the body clear and recognizable, and the rest of the body will be blurred. Which can either be a pretty cool effect or just weird, depending on your personal tastes.

For me, the faster the subject is moving on panning photos, the faster shutter I use. I've had some luck at 1/40th taking panning photos of elite runners in a 15K, just as an example.