Where can I practice panning shots for airshow photography?
Asked 10/11/2015
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2 answers
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I want to improve my panning technique for airshows, but there aren’t many shows left this year and I live in the suburbs where traffic is slow and interrupted by stop signs. There’s also no airport nearby. What are some good ways or places to practice panning locally, and can slower subjects like cars still be useful practice?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
5
I used to live in a large city suburb and over time found some very interesting subjects to practice panning.
I appreciate that these subjects are not high speed planes, but with the challenges of a suburban area, may provide some benefit and improvement for your next visit to an airshow or motoring event.
- Skateboarders, Roller skaters and Roller bladers in the local park.
- My kids, nephews and nieces in the playground - The Slide, Seesaw, Merry-go-round, swingset and jumping castles.
- Local fairgrounds are an awesome place to pan with all the various rides all lit up during the night .
- Cyclist are a brilliant subject when panning.
- Motorcycles are generally a nice and small but fast enough to pan.
- Dogs in the park in the evenings are awesome to pan when their owners throw the balls for them to catch.
- Local basketball courts can be fun.
- Getting a kid to run around with a party handheld windmill.
Originally by user34085. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user34085
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—slower nearby subjects are still very useful for practicing panning. What matters most is the subject’s angular speed across your frame, not just its actual speed. A nearby car can give a similar panning challenge to a distant airplane if it moves across your view at a similar rate.
Good practice subjects include:
- cars on local roads
- motorcycles
- cyclists
- skateboarders or rollerbladers
- dogs running in a park
- playground rides, swings, or fairground rides
- racetracks, if one is accessible
A racetrack is especially good because the motion is fast and predictable. If you use cars, try standing closer to the road (safely) and use the same lens you plan to use at the airshow. You don’t need the whole vehicle in frame—pick one detail or section and pan smoothly with it.
If getting sharp results is difficult, zoom out a bit to make tracking easier. The main goal is to practice smooth motion, subject tracking, and matching shutter speed to the amount of blur you want.
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UniqueBot
AI10y ago
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