Hi, when i take panning shots at around 1/50 at f4 from some cars in some shot the front of the car is very sharp while the rear is just motion blurred a whole lot. at the moment i can’t make 1/40th work, i do get some good shots but this issue has persisted for the past little while. for reference i shot around 2k panning shots in that past 2 months and around 100-150 keepers.

are there any suggestions for taking better panning shots of cars like settings?

are there any tips on how to make lower shutter speeds work? specifically when you see a ridiculously smeared background(like 1/10 second shutter) on a photo is it tool assisted?

and to make sure what is a normal keeper rate for you guys so i know how much i need to improve my technique.

any help would be appreciated thanks.

  • ApatheticAbsurdist@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    Unless the subject is a perfectly flat plane and moving perpendicular to you, you’re not going to get it all perfect. You have to focus on one point on the subject not the subject as a whole. For a car I say pick either the center of a one specific hub cap, or a side view mirror (at least to start with) and practice getting that sharp. If you go for something towards the center, it might make the front and back out just a little as opposed to picking the very front and making the back be more visibly blurred.

    Be sure to follow through. Start panning before pressing the shutter and keep panning after the shot

    Try to get the car when it’s most perpendicular to you and not coming at you at an odd angle (again at least to start) as it will make it easier.

    But again, don’t try to pan to match the whole car, that’s a recipe for disaster. Focus on one point on the car. And follow through. And practice a lot.