Have you ever wondered how professional photographers can capture a fast-moving subject with amazing background blur? There is no magic trick on this, it's just a really cool technique called motion encircling.
At Photography dz, we will teach you how to shoot. Surrounding motion in photography takes a little practice, but once you've worked it out, your photos will look a lot more professional. In this tutorial, you'll discover how to use the motion surround technique yourself, freeze fast-moving subjects while creating a beautiful background blur that helps your subject stand out better.
The summary of this method of photography is that we photograph a moving object at a slow speed (1/30), for example, and during photography, you have to move the camera with the same movement of the moving object. Thus, we record the movement or create an animated background, as in the picture:
What is Panning?
Panning or motion panning is a common professional photography technique that involves tracking a moving subject with the camera before, during, and after the photo is taken.
Any moving subject can be photographed using panning technique, but the faster the subject is moving, the easier it is to get a more blurred background.
To perfectly implement the technique, it matches the movement of the camera with the movement of the moving target. By keeping the camera motion, rather than stationary, the difference in motion between the subject and the camera is kept to a minimum, but the difference in motion between the camera and the background is magnified. This results in better subject clarity and more background motion blur.
Ideal targets include most action sports, cyclists, skateboarders, children or pets running around, traffic, trains or boats, and anything that moves in a continuous direction or path.
How do we do panning?
Surrounding motion can be achieved with the shutter priority setting which is the letter S (shutter speed) on Nikon and Sony cameras. In Canon cameras, it is abbreviated as Tv, which means Time Value.
The stirring technique is very similar to a golf swing. Even if you've never played golf, you'll know that the golfer begins the swing with the putter away from the ball and ends the swing by striking in front of where the ball is. The golfer does not start or finish the swing where the ball was.
It's the same with stirring. You start panning well before the point where you want to photograph your subject, and keep panning after you hit the shutter button.
Another important aspect of the pan technique is standing in a good, stable position that supports the camera well, preventing it from bouncing up and down while following your target.
Let's look at the exact steps you should take when panning, starting with choosing the right camera settings.
1. Choose the right composition for your shot with the focal length of the lens
Great shots depend on a good choice of shutter speed. What you're looking for is a shutter speed or shutter speed high enough to freeze the subject, but a shutter speed slow enough to blur the background.
In order to determine a good shutter speed, it is important to know the focal distance at which you will take your subject photograph.
The best way to detect this is to point the camera at a point in the scene where you want to take the picture. Next, zoom in until you are happy there is enough space for your subject in the frame. Now, write down the focal length of your lens, say 200mm.
2. Put your camera in continuous shooting mode
When panning, there is no harm in taking more than one shot. This is done by setting the camera to the continuous shooting option, that is, shooting more than one frame per second.
Choosing the camera's continuous shooting mode means that even if you hit the shutter button too early, you can still hold the shutter down and know you'll likely get the shot you're after.
3. Select the continuous autofocus mode in the camera
Your choice of autofocus mode is also important. As your subject is moving, choose an autofocus mode that will continuously focus on your constantly moving subject.
- On a Canon DSLR or Mirrorless camera, look for AI-SERVO.
- On a Nikon camera, look for Continuous/AF-C.
4. Put the camera to shutter speed priority mode TV / S
In order to decide which shutter speed you want to use, you must first select the shutter priority mode of the camera.
Shutter priority mode, which is the abbreviation of the letter S, i.e. Shutter Speed on Nikon and Sony cameras. In Canon cameras, it is abbreviated as Tv, which means Time Value.
5. Choose the shutter speed based on equation 1/focal length
Do you remember that you made a note of the focal length in step #1? Now you need to use this value to help you choose the shutter speed you will use.
The shutter speed you should choose will be as close to 1/focal length as possible. For example if you are shooting on a 50mm lens, set the shutter speed to 1/50. And if the focal length from step #1 is 200mm, you need to choose 1/250sec.
Shutter speed scale with numbers
This shutter speed is a good starting point as it should be fast enough to freeze your subject, but slow enough to make the background moving with great isolation.
6. Stand with your legs and shoulders apart
It is very important to have a good posture when moving. It helps you stabilize the camera and ensures a nice smooth movement.
How to stand while shooting moving subjects to get balance and stability while tracking
Make sure your feet are pointing roughly in the direction of where you think you'll hit the shutter button.
Make sure your upper body has freedom of horizontal movement, so you can follow the subject's movement without obstructing your arms.
7. Try to see your subject inside the lens
Choose your subject in the viewfinder or viewfinder well before it arrives where you intend to press the shutter button, and start following it.
8. Half-press the shutter or shutter button
Again, before your subject gets to the point where you want to take the photo, half-press the shutter or shutter button. This tells the camera to start focusing on the subject. Since you chose continuous auto focus mode earlier, the camera will continue to focus on the subject from now on.
9. Track the movement of the subject or subject you are photographing
Keep tracking your target's movement smoothly, in a horizontal position. If the subject is also moving vertically - eg jumping - ignore the vertical movement, just follow the horizontal movement.
10. Press the shutter button fully
When your subject reaches the position where you want to take the photo, fully press the shutter button, but do not stop the smooth horizontal movement. Keep the camera moving smoothly.
11. Stop moving the camera
Now, just a second or two after you've taken the photo, or when you're running out of space and can't physically continue tracking the subject, you can turn off the horizontal panning movement.
12. Check the shooting result and adjust the camera settings if necessary
Now that you've taken the first action surround shot, check if the subject is clear enough, and the background is blurry enough.
If the subject is not sharp enough, increase the shutter speed, then go to step 6.
If the background is not blurry enough, reduce the shutter speed, and go again to step #6.
Finally, don't be afraid that parts of your fast-moving subject will appear a bit blurry. As the example below shows, this can emphasize movement and speed in a powerful visual way.
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