1. By Percy Mitchell (APSSA,AFIAP)
Motion Blur/Panning
By Percy Mitchell (APSSA,AFIAP)

2. Panning vs Motion Blur

3. Panning and motion blur
Panning and motion blur.  These are two techniques that almost every wildlife photographer has played with at some point during their photographic journey.
Both are very effective at creating striking wildlife images which convey movement in the frame.  Now to be technically correct panning is a form of motion blur but for this lesson let’s see them as two different approaches to telling different types of wildlife stories.
Here’s a quick look at the basics.
Panning
Panning refers to the technique where you select a slow shutter speed, lock focus on a subject and move along, or pan, at the same speed as the subject.

5. By moving your camera at the same speed as the subject – i. e
By moving your camera at the same speed as the subject – i.e. keeping him in the same place in your viewfinder as you pan – you will allow the subject to be rendered sharp while the background gets streaked as it sweeps past in the background.  The slower your shutter speed and the faster you sweep your camera with the subject the more streaky the background will be.
The sharpness of your subject will depend on how smooth your panning motion is and whether you keep the subject in the exact same spot in the viewfinder as you pan.  A good technique to try and get used to is to try and focus on the subjects shoulder which, for most animals, is the spot on the body that will move in the straightest line as they move.  This has to do with the way most mammals pivot around their shoulders as the generate forward motion.

6. Motion Blur
When creating a motion blur image you allow the subjects to move around and, while your camera is dead still and set to a slow shutter speed, basically create your image for you.

7. Subjects that are standing still for the duration of your exposure, while your shutter is open, will be sharp and in focus while subjects that move around during the exposure will be more and more blurred based on how fast they move.  Fast movement will be rendered as very blurry streaks where slower movement will look like an out of focus part of the frame.
Motion blur images are great for when you are shooting large groups of animals that are moving around.  Once you’ve banked your shots you can then create very dynamic images that conveys a wonderful sense of movement.
For these kind of images you have to have a bean bag or tripod to make sure that your camera is completely still while you’re taking the image.  It’s very unlikely that you will be able to hand hold your camera at these slow shutter speeds.
Both panning and motion blur is something that I always play with a lot on my photo safaris and some workshops and can make for amazing wildlife images.  It’s definitely something to look at when you’re next out in the field but be careful to get carried away and only do panning.  Many people get so enamoured by the results that they seem to get stuck and only focus on this one technique.
Remember that these two techniques are just two more tools you can add to your photographic toolbox and which you can use when the time is right.  When is the time right?  Hey, that’s for you to figure out and the best way to do that is to join a dedicated workshop or safari and spend as much time out in the field as possible!

8. To shoot a pan blur you need to slow down your shutter speed, 1/60-1/30 generally works, depending on the speed of your subject. You need to focus on the eye’s/shoulder of your subject, pan at the same speed as your subject while holding down the shutter. Yes, this takes lots of practice and you will delete hundreds of images, but when you get one that works it is very exciting. This is something you can practice anywhere so when the opportunity comes you are ready.
Here is a set of images to show the impact and difference between a fast shutter speed stopping the action and a pan blur to show motion. Notice in the second image the front of the leopard is in focus while the rest of the images has a slight blur giving the viewer a more powerful sense of motion.

9. 1/500 f8

10. 1/15 f22

11. Slow Down your Shutter Speed
Stopping the action of animals running through water with a high shutter speed makes a dramatic image, but slowing down the shutter speed will add a different impact and variety to the story. Different from a pan blur, here you hold the camera still and slow down the shutter letting the moving element create the effect of motion. Water works great as well as tall grass that is blowing or branches moving is a tree. In the first image the shutter speed was very high to stop the action and the explosion of water. In the second the shutter speed was slowed down to create a different mood and show the spray of the water. In the third the the shutter was slowed down just a little more to really show the blast of the water.

15. The end!