Master panning : convey some motion
Move with your subject to give a sense
of movement while keeping them sharp
Panning is a great way of portraying the
action in your shots. It allows you to keep the main subject perfectly in focus
and well expesed, while the background is washed away in a blur of motion.
Panning is a simple tecnique that relies on
you mastering your own movement. You will need a steady hand, or a monopod, and
it may take a little bit of practice to get the technique right, but the
results are worth it. Follow our tutorial and begin panning with perfection.
Shutter speed
Shutter
speed
Although you will need to use a fast
shutter nice and sharp, you will also need to keep it slow enough to allow for
time to pan. Start with a speed of aroung 1/ 50 sec and experiment depending on
your subject.
AF mode
AF
mode
In order to keep the subject in focus while
you are moving the camera, it is important to use a continuous auto- focus
mode. If your camera has it, turn on focus tracking, whick will track your
subject as it moves across the frame.
Contimuous burst
Contimuous
burst
Although you will be panning with your
subject you will be taking more than one shots as they move across the frame.
Using a continuous brust mode will allow you to take several shots as your
subject flies past.
Stabilisation
Stabilisation
To get the best possible results when its
comes to panning you may need to find a way of keeping your camera still. Using
a monopod will allow you to move your body and camera along with the subject,
tracking them as they move past.
Action
Action
once you are ready to go, be sure to keep
an eye on your subject as they enter the frame. As you begin to take your
shots, gently sweep the camera along with the subject, being sure to keep a
steady pace with them as they go past.
Editing : Fake a motion blur in Photoshop Elements
Follow these simple steps to create a
sense of movement in your shot
Getting the rights look of motion in your
images can be a difficult technique to master. Fast- moving subjects are
notoriously difficult to capture, and being prepared for the opportune moment
can sometimes prove to be quite tricky.
However, there is no reason why your action
shots cant not be given the panning effect. Simple editing techniques can be
used to apply some motion blur to the background of your shot, allowing you to
instil a sense of movement in the image.
Duplicate the layer
Duplicate
the layer
Duplicating your layer lets you apply
effects and edit the shot without affecting the original. It also gives you a
simpler way of applying a motion blur. Sumply right click on the backgroung
layer and select Duplicate Layer,
Motion Blur
Motion
Blur
Go to Filter > Blur > Motion Blur.
From here you can choose the intensity of the blur, as well as change the
direction. Align the motion with the subject’s direction of travel and choose a
distance to match the subject’s speed.
Quick selection
Quick
selection
The main subject needs to be perfectly
sharp. Reduce the opacity on the top layer and use the Quick Selection tool to
carefully draw around the subject. A dotted line will appear around the edge of
your subject to show the area selected.
Erase and finish
Erase
and finish
With the subject selected, simply delete
the seleced area. This will re move the subject from the motion blur layer,
putting it back in sharp focus. Merging the two layers together will give you
your finished motion- blur shot.
