First Panning Shot

[imdaMANimal]

This was my first time trying a panning shot as well as my first time shooting horses. Got the idea from one of the articles on DPS, the Photography Bucket List. I was asked to shoot some friends during a training clinic they had and was expecting it to be harder than it was. This isn't really what they were wanting but I thought I'd get one for myself. Anyway, this is the one I like.

Any advice?
Does the subject need to be sharper?



EXIF:
Shutter Speed: 1/30
Aperture: F32.0
Exposure Bias: 0.33
Exposure: Shutter Priority
Focal Length: 105mm
ISO: 200

[wamplers]

I see an icon from photobucket that says the image has been moved or deleted.

[imdaMANimal]

Sorry, how bout now? I'm not sure how, but it was showing up for me. I re-copied the link.

[EMansfield]

Nice try for your first panning shot but I think the subject did not pop out the way it should be. It's out of focus for my taste.

Cheers!

Eric Mansfield

[Toppro]

I think that having such a small aperture has hurt your shot. Opening the aperture up would throw the background nicely out of focus as opposed to here where it just looks blurry and distracts from your main subject. Keep trying though, panning is not an easy skill.

[imdaMANimal]

I'll keep that in mind next time I give it a go. I think I was a little too concerned with getting the shutter speed right. Thanks for the advice.

[wamplers]

Originally Posted by Toppro

I think that having such a small aperture has hurt your shot. Opening the aperture up would throw the background nicely out of focus as opposed to here where it just looks blurry and distracts from your main subject. Keep trying though, panning is not an easy skill.

Isn't that what panning is supposed to do?

If you want a larger aperture and panning, then you'll need to use ND filters to reduce the light coming into the lens.

[Toppro]

Originally Posted by wamplers

Isn't that what panning is supposed to do?

If you want a larger aperture and panning, then you'll need to use ND filters to reduce the light coming into the lens.

Sure when it makes nice motion blur (Like here: Taxi Panning on Flickr - Photo Sharing! ) But in this shot it's just fuzzy and distracting.

[wamplers]

Originally Posted by Toppro

Sure when it makes nice motion blur (Like here: Taxi Panning on Flickr - Photo Sharing! ) But in this shot it's just fuzzy and distracting.

I'm just not convinced that's due to the aperture...though, I may be wrong.

[Chip]

My sense is that a panning shot of rider on a slow moving horse would be very difficult. In addition to lateral movement (which is good for a panning photo) you also have a lot of vertical movement/bouncing. For me, it would be very hard to account for both types of movement. Which means that there should likely be some motion blur . . . which could be a good thing, depending on your tastes.

A lot of time, in panning shots where the subject looks blurry, it's more motion blur than out of focus. In your shot, I see motion blur, not focusing issues.

In addition to getting the shutter speed right, the camera has to move/pan at the right pace for your subject. It takes practice, but it can be done.