How to Take Blur, Panning & Freezing Action Photos

Camera panning creates movement in a photograph.

Pictures in which a moving subject is in focus while the background is blurred and appears to be moving with the subject are captured by panning the camera. Panning means moving the camera in the same direction as the subject, such as following a football player running downfield or a car speeding down a road. Other techniques available for action photography are the blur, in which the background and the subject are blurred and appear to be moving in one direction, and freezing action, which uses a fast shutter speed to keep the subject and the background in sharp focus.

Instructions

Panning

1. Position yourself on a solid foundation to help keep your aim steady.

2. Put your camera in a mode that allows you to manually set a shutter speed. This will likely be shutter-priority or manual mode.

3. Select a slower shutter speed to start testing at, such as 1/60th of a second. If you're working in manual mode, you'll also need to set the aperture, or f/stop.

4. Look through the viewfinder or at the LCD monitor to compose and pre-focus the picture. Start with the lens at a wider setting to allow enough background for the motion blur to appear. Decide in advance where you want the subject to appear in the picture.

5. Press the shutter button when the subject reaches the designated point in the frame and move the camera horizontally with the subject. For the subject to be in focus, it must remain in the same location in the frame.

Blurred Pictures

1. Mount your camera on a tripod or place it on a solid surface. The camera needs to be still while taking the picture.

2. Put your camera in a mode that allows you to manually set a shutter speed. This will likely be shutter-priority or manual mode.

3. Select a slower shutter speed to start testing at, such as 1/60th of a second. If you're working in manual mode, you'll also need to set the aperture, or f/stop.

4. Look through the viewfinder or at the LCD monitor to compose and pre-focus the picture. Decide in advance where you want the subject to appear in the picture.

5. Press the shutter button when the subject reaches the designated point in the frame.

6. Check the resulting image and adjust the shutter speed slower if you want more blur.

Freezing Action

1. Set your camera to sport mode, if available. Sport mode optimizes your camera settings for action photography. Otherwise, choose shutter-priority or manual mode.

2. Set the shutter speed to the fastest speed available for the lighting conditions. A setting of at least 1/500th of a second is ideal. If you are working in manual mode, set the aperture, or f/stop, to the lowest setting to allow the most light into the lens. This will help boost the available shutter speed.

3. Look through the viewfinder or at the LCD monitor to compose the picture. You will need to move the camera with the subject until you see the picture you want to take.

4. Press the shutter button halfway to focus the picture and quickly press the shutter button fully to take the picture. This should be one smooth and fast combination.

Tips & Warnings

• Slower shutter speeds create more blur, but it's harder to keep the subject in focus.

• Beginners should practice at higher shutter speeds, as much as 1/200th of a second. Slowly reduce the shutter speed as you build confidence in your ability to hold the camera steady and pan smoothly.

• Experiment with different aperture settings. The lower the aperture, or f/stop, the more light coming through the lens and the more shallow the depth of field. This can add to your motion blur.

References

• The Wide Lens: Digital Photography Tips -- Panning Photographs; August 2008
• Digital Photography School; Mastering Panning -- Photographing Moving Subjects; Darren Rowse
• Digital Photography School; The Art of Panning; Natalie Norton
• Digital Photography School; How To Capture Motion Blur in Photography; Darren Rowse
• Guide to Film Photography: Photography Tips - Motion Photography