The Difference Between Panning and Motion Blur Photographs

Let's look at two of our favorite artistic types of photography, Motion Blur, and Panning. Both these techniques can create very compelling images that simulate 3-dimension in a 2-dimensional medium.

Like a lot of photography, panning is a percentage game; one keeper out of one-hundred photos is not out of the ordinary. But, we promise that “one” is worth the effort!

Panning works when you move the camera in perfect synergy with the subject. It’s not enough to just swing the camera from side to side. You have to move it in perfect synch with your subject. Sounds easy, right? “HA”

Let's start with your body positioning when taking a panning photo. Before you start panning, you need to make sure that you’re body is positioned correctly. First, you should be facing in the direction in which you want to take your shots. As the animal moves from side to side, you turn your upper body as the animal moves, keeping them in the frame. Your legs serve as tripods and you keep them stationary. You then just rotate smoothly as you pan.

Generally, it is easier to pan with a fast-moving subject than a slow one. Animals running sideways to you are great examples. They are moving fast enough that you can pan smoothly with their straight-line motion. People walking or casually jogging are almost impossible; they are too erratic and slow to get much blur, and it’s difficult to pan smoothly.

Manual and shutter priority both work well because you can directly control the shutter speed. Just remember it's suggested that you don’t want the shutter speed to change while you are shooting. Thus the reason we do not suggest aperture priority.

Your subject must be in focus. You might like to switch focus to AI Servo mode (in Canons) or AF-C mode (in Nikons). In this mode, hold down your shutter halfway to lock focus on your subject. Without letting go of the shutter, start following your subject with your camera at the same speed. Your camera would automatically adjust focus. You can take several shots at once; the number of photos is dependent on your camera. For you birders, it’s the same principle, keep the focus on what you want to be in focus.

There is no “correct” shutter speed for panning. The longer the shutter speed, the more blurred the background will be, and the higher the probability your image you wanted in focus will blur. A long shutter speed will make your subject pop out from the background, and that is good. It becomes a balancing act.

As a starting point, let’s think about this “Insert name of the animal being photographed in the field”. Try anything between 1/30 of a second and 1/300 of a second. Beyond 1/30 of a second, it’s really tough to get sharp. Above 1/300 of a second, the camera will probably stop too much action and ruin the effect. Except for faster moving objects like flying birds or jets. Then you might need 1/250 of a second for a bird and 1/500 of a second for the jet, and that brings us to our next problem.

A Fluid, smooth motion is the name of the game. No jerking, no rushing, and done without hesitation. The stance should have you face the subject that you want to focus on or sit on the ground to stop you from moving too much. You then rotate your shoulders to pick up your subject in the viewfinder. Start clicking the shutter before your subjects reach the ideal point and then keep shooting after they pass that point. Good follow-through is imperative. The best panning shooters practice their movements. Try the local dog park, or head down to the lake to try this technique with gulls and other birds. YOu could also simply sit on your front porch and photograph the cars that drive by your house.

There is no right or wrong way to produce the desired results. There are no set rules here to give you. But try it, have fun with it, experiment with camera motion before you travel.

Things do not always have to be totally in focus. This type of photography, in addition to showing the motion of an object, can be an artistic type of photography. Technically, you should not be able to have motion in a still photograph. This is a two-dimensional form of art. But the act of panning will force a person to look at the image more closely, and they will until they come to realize: “That’s not a blurry picture; that’s an animal in motion!”

Now go out, try this, and “pay the knowledge forward” so the next person can have their AHA! moment.

Let’s switch gears and discuss Motion Blur Photography. This is often confused with Panning Photography, Motion Blur differs because you are not moving your camera. Instead, you are pre-composing the scene in camera and allowing the wildlife to move through the image using a slower shutter speed than you would need to capture a tack-sharp image.

This method will freeze your background while the subject is allowed to blur. You’ll need a tripod for this technique. You will select a background with some stationary objects and visual interest, but not so much that it’ll compete with your subject.

Put your camera on Shutter Priority and set your shutter speed to anywhere between 1/30 of a second to 1/250th of a second, depending on the animal, and amount of blur you want. Then adjust to a faster or slower speed as you review results.

Bear in mind that as you decrease your shutter speed, more light will reach your camera’s sensor. This can result in overexposed photos. Your picture will look washed out and will lose detail. To compensate for this you will need to adjust either the aperture upwards to f16, decrease your ISO, or use filters like a polarizer or ND filter.

Have a look at my setup to capture motion blur of this, “insert name of the animal being photographed”. Notice I have precomposed the scene. In anticipation of “name of Animal” moving I have set my shutter speed at X in order to slightly blur the X of the “name of Animal being photographed”

Ok, let’s recap this topic. I want to make sure that you remember everything that we just talked about.

Panning photography is the act of moving the camera in perfect synergy with the subject. It’s not enough to just swing the camera from side to side. You have to move it in perfect synch with your subject. You want a focused animal against a blurred background.

Motion Blur photography differs from panning because you are not moving your camera. Instead, you are pre-composing the scene in the camera and allowing the wildlife to move through the image. In this technique the animal will have blur, and the backgrounds will be in focus.

Both of these techniques can create compelling images. But they take lots of practice. It can easily be practiced using seagulls, joggers on the street, cars going down your street, or even by photographing your dog in the backyard. Then pre-visualize the shot before your trip. Having a clear goal helps to achieve it.

Don’t worry when you see the majority of your images are not what you expected to see. You will have more misses than keepers in this type of photography. Persevere and I promise you will quickly get the hang of this. The wildlife panning and motion blur images you produce in the field will quickly be some of your favorites.

This may be one of the more advanced photography strategies to try to employ in the moment. It takes practice. I might suggest you practice this before your trip. Go photograph seagulls at the local fast food restaurant. Maybe take a walk in the local park, or zoo, and practice with geese or ground squirrels.

You could always practice on faster-moving subjects like vehicles at the end of your driveway, or your family pet running in the backyard. Regardless of the subject, the strategy is still the same, and the more you try the skill, the more comfortable you will be using it when it really matters.