The Shot: The Blizzard Taxi
Techniques: Panning
Skill Level: Intermediate
Location: New York City
Recommended knowledge: Setting your camera’s aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Changing the autofocus mode and setting autofocus point. Enabling hi-speed or burst mode.
Focal length: 50mm, Aperture: F/2.8, Shutter: 1/40, ISO: 200
Even in depths of winter New York City just does not stop going. With this shot we’ll capture the action of New York in a snowstorm. The obvious subject is a moving taxi, but equally compelling is the falling snow and blustery weather. Shooting this image relies on the panning technique and using shutter speed as an artistic tool. We’ll frame color against a neutral background and washout the canvas with a vignette to further draw the eye to the main part of the image.
SHUTTER SPEED
If you have a strong understanding of shutter speed feel free to skip this section. If this is new to you or you’d like a refresher, let’s review: the shutter speed of the camera controls how long the shutter is open to allow light to travel in to the camera’s sensor. The longer the shutter speed, the more light enters the frame. If the shutter speed is too fast, not enough light enters and the photo is underexposed; too slow, and the photo will be overexposed. When you photograph a stationary scene, shutter speed affects only the exposure and does not impact the appearance of the subject.
Shutter speed can also be used to control the appearance of motion in an image. A fast shutter speed will “freeze” motion and appear as a crisp moment in time. With a slow shutter speed, motion will appear more fluid and blurry. In a very long exposure, motion may appear as a trail, or may disappear completely from the frame. All of these shutter speeds have applications in photography depending on the desired effect. In this image, the goal is to capture motion with a moderate blur. If we were to hold the camera stationary (or use a tripod) using a medium shutter speed, the passing taxicab would appear blurry against a sharp background as the camera captures a short distance of motion. However, in this image, using the panning technique we will reverse the effect by capturing the taxicab sharply and blurring our background. This is a popular look in auto racing and sports photography. It’s also common in nature photography, especially for birds in flight. As a bonus, the shutter speed will also blur and illustrate the movement of the falling snow.
PANNING
Panning is not difficult, but it takes practice and requires an understanding of shutter speed to give the desired results. To illustrate what we will accomplish with panning, let’s use a simple example. Hold a pen or pencil at eye level, about 8-12 inches diagonally in front your right ear. Look straight ahead and take note of what is in the background (it could be a wall in your home). Now continue to look straight at the background ahead and move the pen across from right to left so that it stops 8-12 inches diagonally in front of your left ear. The entire motion should take 1 to 2 seconds. Notice that the pen appears blurry and the background remains sharp. This is what a medium shutter speed would capture when the camera is stationary - for example a camera on a tripod as a taxi cab passes from right to left. (If you find that the pen was sharp and the background was blurry you’ve unknowingly used the panning technique. Let’s try it officially now.)
The traditional use of shutter speed to create motion blur. In this image, the camera is stationary on a tripod, keeping our background still while blurring moving subjects. In panning, the opposite effect is achieved. I used a tilt-shift lens in this shot, but any lens can achieve motion blur at the right shutter speed.
Focal length: 24mm, Aperture: F/14, Shutter: 1/15, ISO: 100
Now we are going to reverse the effect. Hold the pen at a diagonal 8-12 inches from your right ear at eye level. This time, turn your head to the right so that you are looking directly at the pen. Move the pen from right to left, just as before but this time follow the pen by turning your head at the same speed so that you are always looking straight at the pen as it moves. Notice the pen remains in focus as the background appears blurry throughout the movement. We apply this effect to our photo by moving our eyes (camera) with the the subject (taxi).
Panning works most effectively when a subject is moving perpendicular to your frame of reference (i.e. side to side). What is the optimal shutter speed to achieve this effect? The answer really depends on two things: the focal length and the speed of the subject. Both of these factors affect how quickly motion appears in frame. To keep it simple, lets assume a focal length of 35mm on a full frame camera. A shutter speed between 1/30 and 1/125 generally works for passing cars, bikes, etc. In this photo the taxi is driving relatively slowly (as one should in a blizzard!); I used a Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L II lens with a focal length of 50mm and shutter speed 1/40. As a bonus, the taxi is driving upwind and in the opposite direction of the falling snow. This adds an enhanced sense of movement to the image.
The easiest way to practice panning is to stand on a sidewalk and photograph passing cars. If your camera supports burst mode or hi-speed shooting you should enable this setting. Select Shutter Priority or Manual mode and start with a shutter speed of 1/60. Hold your camera at eye level and tuck your elbows in against your sides. (You can also use a tripod and panning head, but I suggest learning to do this hand-held). As a car approaches from the side, turn your entire torso toward the car, focus, and begin turning your core as the car passes. Practice turning your body at a speed so that the car remains in the same part of the frame throughout. Do this a few times before taking any shots. When you are ready, pan and hold down your shutter button to take multiple shots as a car passes. Be sure to press your shutter button before the subject is directly in front of you - you'll miss the shot if you wait until the subject is in front of you to begin shooting. The goal is to have the car in focus and the background blurry. If both appear relatively sharp, your shutter speed is too fast. If both are blurry your shutter speed may be too slow. If the car’s position in the frame is inconsistent, you need to fine tune the speed at which you're turning. Panning is a complex technique that will take practice, so don’t be discouraged if it takes a while. One final note of caution: always pick a safe place from which to attempt this technique. Do not stand in the street and always be aware of your surroundings!
Want to learn more about motion blur? Check out these 10 Great Tips to Capture Unique Motion Blur Photos.
FOCUS
On my Canon 5D Mark III you have three options: One Shot, AI Focus, and AI Servo. Comparable Nikon models have similar modes. If you are panning against a busy background, using Servo mode will be effective if you lock focus on the moving vehicle properly. I often use One Shot mode and have no problem. The key is to not enable all focus points. Doing so could cause the camera to lock focus on another moving object and not your preferred subject. Limit the autofocus to no more than a few points surrounding the center of the frame.
Limit your autofocus to the points in the center of the frame. Enabling more focus points could confuse the camera's autofocus and lock onto the wrong subject, especially in an action scene. (Image courtesy: Canon USA)
COMPOSITION
Whenever you capture motion, the framing of the subject should help to accentuate the movement. In practical terms, you should leave room in front of and behind the subject to imply movement, sometimes with visible cues like a wake or a dust cloud. (Think of cartoons and how they suggest movement). Generally you should leave more room in front of the subject than behind to imply forward movement.
POST-PROCESSING
In post-processing I applied two effects to achieve the final look. First, I applied a polarization filter (using Nik Collection Polarization) to make the yellows and blues pop. Second, I added a vignette to draw the eye to the center of the frame. Vignettes can be created in a number of ways and normally they darken the corners of the image, however in this instance I used a curves adjustment layer in Photoshop to lighten the corners and reduce contrast. I limited the effect to the perimeter of the image, creating a fade into the whiteout of the snow storm.
OTHER SUBJECTS
Panning can be used to capture motion on almost any moving subject but requires certain qualities in the movement:
The subject should be moving perpendicular to you - i.e left-right or right-left
The subject should be moving continuously and smoothly
Practice and have fun! Try the panning technique in these situations:
A cyclist at the park
A seagull at the beach
A motorcycle or car on the street
A runner in a race
A waverunner or water-skier at a lake
Panning technique in Taipei, Taiwan. Scooters are so popular in this city, they are often seen driving in “swarms” or parked by the dozens.
Focal length: 70mm, Aperture: F/2.8, Shutter: 1/200, ISO: 250