Picture This

Handheld Pan

Staff  |  Jan 12, 2012  |  First Published: Dec 1, 2011

Our Picture This! assignment this month was Handheld Pan, a shooting technique that involves a long shutter speed and some sort of motion while shooting on the part of the photographer. We generally do everything we can to keep the camera steady and make sure there is no photographer-induced motion in a shot, including using image stabilized lenses, often elaborate tripods and heads, and even mirror lockup. The assignment requested just the opposite—adding motion to a shot that might include following a subject in motion across a plane, jiggling the camera to make lights record as lines rather than points, and even moving the camera in a circular motion to completely abstract the color and form.

Bike Ride

Jeff Stephen made this photo of his son having fun on his bike using his new Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 lens on a Nikon D700. He wrote: “I used continuous single point focus and kept the focus point on his face while panning.” Exposure was f/20 at 1⁄13 sec.
© Jeff Stephen

Bridge Lights

Victor C. Richardson wrote: “The scene was composed in the viewfinder with the necklace lights at the top of the finder, then focused, after which the shutter was released and held for 2 seconds, then panned down for 6 seconds, then panning was stopped for the remaining 2 seconds of the 8-second pan.” Richardson worked with a Panasonic DMC-FZ8 at ISO 200.
© Victor C. Richardson

Pelican

Larry Flake used a Canon EOS 5D and a shutter speed of 1⁄15 sec to make this colorful abstract of a pelican on the wing in Galveston Bay, Texas.
© Larry Flake

Merry-Go-Round

Walking alongside this moving carousel in Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, Kerry Maxwell shot with a shutter speed of 1⁄13 sec using a Canon EOS 7D and a Tamron 18-270mm lens.
© Kerry Maxwell

Run

Darrel O’Neill was photographing a waterfall when…“I heard a sound behind me. I turned and saw this dog running through the dried grasses. Panning with the dog, I had time for only this one shot.” Exposure with a Canon EOS 50D was 1⁄25 sec at f/5.6.
© Darrel O’Neill

Shadow Skater

Jared Powell caught both the skateboarder and his shadow while panning at 1⁄5 sec with a Canon EOS Rebel T1i.
© Jared Powell

Deer On The Move

The 1⁄60 sec exposure of these deer on the run proves that you can get this effect if you work your panning motion right even at fairly “fast” shutter speeds. Alvin Atlas caught this shot with a Nikon D70S and a Nikkor AF-S 80-200mm lens.
© Alvin Atlas

Thoroughbred Racing

This horse and rider take on a painterly effect in this colorful photo by Sheila J. Faryna. Exposure with a Nikon D40 and a Nikkor AF-S DX 55-200mm lens was f/9 at 1⁄20 sec.
© Sheila J. Faryna

Against The Wind

Scooter and rider take on a completely abstract form in this photo by Jim Mitchell. Exposure with a Nikon D300 and a Nikkor 18-200mm lens was f/9 at 1⁄10 sec.
© Sheila J. Faryna

Eureka & Palisade #4

Standing trackside as this train on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad came steaming by, Chris Webster caught the locomotive motion with an exposure of f/11 at 1⁄20 sec with a Pentax K-7 and a Tokina AF 17-50mm lens.
© Chris Webster

Motor Craft

Sue Balk wrote: “This photo had the additional challenge of my location—on an adjacent boat that was being rocked and buffeted by the wake of the speeding boat as it circled me.” Exposure with a Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D was f/10 at 1⁄20 sec.
© Sue Balk

On A Swing

All the joy and excitement of a child on a swing is captured in this handheld pan by Chad DeFrain, MD. Exposure with a Nikon D300S and a 35mm Nikkor lens was f/10 at 1⁄25 sec.
© Chad DeFrain, MD

Cyclists

All the energy and motion of this pack of cyclists was caught by Dave Marx with a Canon PowerShot 5 with an exposure of f/2.8 at 1⁄15 sec.
© Dave Marx

Light Play

William Witmer made this photo of the annual Christmas light display at the Denver Zoo with an exposure of f/16 at 1 second using a Canon EOS 50D and a Canon EF-S 18-55mm lens.
© William Witmer

On A Carousel

Getting the faces sharp amid the swirling lights and color of a moving carousel is not an easy task, but one that was accomplished expertly by Smed Highfield using a Canon Rebel at an exposure of f/5.6 at 1⁄15 sec.
© Smed Highfield

Picture This! – Our Next Assignment
Autumn In The Landscape
There’s no doubt that autumn is one of the most colorful times of the year to photograph, and perhaps the knowledge that the color and light is so fleeting makes it even more so. This month’s Picture This! assignment is Autumn in the Landscape. Because of the pictorial nature of the assignment feel free to have at it with special effects and filters, within reason of course, but “straight” shots are very welcome as well. In addition to the usual specs and exposure info, please let us know where you made the shot, and if any special software was used in processing. This straight-from-the-camera shot was made on a height overlooking the Chama River in Northern New Mexico in early October. Exposure with a Canon EOS 5D and a Canon 17-40mm f/4 lens was f/8 at 1⁄250 sec.


© George Schaub

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Send your image and information to:
Picture This! Shutterbug Magazine,
1415 Chaffee Dr., Suite #10, Titusville, FL 32780.
Deadline for submission: January 15, 2012.
Images will appear in our April 2012 issue.
Our next topic: Things Are Looking Up
Deadline: February 15, 2012
Publication Date: May, 2012

Please note: We receive hundreds of submissions for Picture This! each month and want to be sure we properly identify each image we publish. Please be sure to attach your name and image information to the back of each submission.

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