Trotting, Gypsy horse sale

© Philip Dunn

Panning It's not sharp and it's not meant to be. But this style of picture can often convey more action and movement than a perfectly sharp 'frozen moment' shot. The technique is straightforward enough, but needs a lot of practise before you can be confident of the finished result. Even then, when you are panning a subject like this, you can never be 100 per cent certain that things such as the horse's hooves will be in the right place. So, yes, there is an element of luck. It is important to begin 'panning' the subject well before it reaches the place where you want to take the photograph. Also, when the shutter is pressed you must follow-through the movement to ensure a smooth action. Getting in close with a wide angle lens helps exaggerate the sense of movement. TOP TIP A background made up of horizontal lines - a roadside or fence, for instance - will not give the impression of blurred speed as much as a background with vertical lines - trees or people. As you pan across the scene vertical lines will blur far more than horizontal ones. So chose your background carefully for maximum blur effect. Go to the other action picture Go back to Action photo index page Go back to main home page