Capturing speed

[DEAN01]

A fund-raising bike ride was held today and I stopped by to get a few shots. I decided to pan with the riders to emphasize the speed. I waited just over the crest of a slight incline guessing that most would coast for a few seconds, the man on the recumbent cycle didn't. C&C appreciated

[Shadowman]

Nice panning.

[FootLoose]

The first works best for me, Dean, because of the rider's pose. He looks like he is going fast, whereas the woman in the 3rd shot seems much more relaxed. Even the guy reclining the 2nd seems to be going faster than her.

[Barbara Ponder]

Good ones Dean. I need to learn panning. I like the look of it and as someone suggested could work with BIF.

[rpcrowe]

I like #1 the best however, I also like shots that have been planned and when the member posting the image tells what went into the planning of the shots.

[DEAN01]

Greg,
The guy on the recumbent cycle was actually the fastest. I appreciate your comments.

[DEAN01]

Thank you, Barbara. I've wondered about panning BIF, the there would have to be a contrasting background allowing the motion to show. Look forward to seeing your efforts.

[DEAN01]

Thank you, Richard.

[wilgk]

Good work, this is not actually always easy to do, the first one in particular is very well done.

[IzzieK]

I love #2 here, the gentleman seems to be having a good time. The other two seems a little bit serious than him. He he has the most fun, wins. That is logical...don't you think?

[John 2]

................................I waited just over the crest of a slight incline guessing that most would coast for a few seconds, the man on the recumbent cycle didn't. C&C appreciated.

In fact the second image gives a greater impression of speed for me Dean because of the blur caused by his pedalling. Nice shots.

[murtazam7]

Great shots!

[DEAN01]

Note: The third photo does not appear to have the speed of the others because it was shot at 1/50 of a second while the others were 1/15 of a second.

[bnnrcn]

Hi Dean, I like your shots A friend of mine wants me to shoot him while he is riding his motorbike. Would you be so kind to answer my questions? Did you shoot those in manual mode or did you use TV mode in order to control your shutter speed ? Is 1/15 of a shutter speed is a necessity for panning ? Did you use continous focusing and a tripod? Thanks in advance for your help

[DEAN01]

Thanks to all for comments.

Binnur,
All shots were handheld, using manual settings, focus was single frame. I find 1/15 or 1/8 of a second best for showing the blurred background; however, the third shot was a 1/50 of a second, not quite as much blur, but still gets the point across.
Important part of the technique is to follow the subject through the shot, keep camera moving after the exposure is made. Often we tend to stop the camera movement when the shutter is depressed. Best advice: practice! Hope this helps and please post your shots of your friend and the motorbike.
An afterthought: Another method of doing this is to ride in the back of a truck while the subject follows. The slow shutter speed gives an interesting image.

[bnnrcn]

Thank you very much Dean It is going to be the first time for me to try such a thing, I will certainly share my shots if they are worth uploading.

Thanks to all for comments.

Binnur,
All shots were handheld, using manual settings, focus was single frame. I find 1/15 or 1/8 of a second best for showing the blurred background; however, the third shot was a 1/50 of a second, not quite as much blur, but still gets the point across.
Important part of the technique is to follow the subject through the shot, keep camera moving after the exposure is made. Often we tend to stop the camera movement when the shutter is depressed. Best advice: practice! Hope this helps and please post your shots of your friend and the motorbike.
An afterthought: Another method of doing this is to ride in the back of a truck while the subject follows. The slow shutter speed gives an interesting image.

[klpurkett]

Thanks for sharing how you made these shots! My brother is a competitive cyclist and wants to do a shoot sometime, and this info is very helpful for those of us who have no experience in sports photography!

[Rebel]

Thanks to all for comments.

Binnur,
All shots were handheld, using manual settings, focus was single frame. I find 1/15 or 1/8 of a second best for showing the blurred background; however, the third shot was a 1/50 of a second, not quite as much blur, but still gets the point across.
Important part of the technique is to follow the subject through the shot, keep camera moving after the exposure is made. Often we tend to stop the camera movement when the shutter is depressed. Best advice: practice! Hope this helps and please post your shots of your friend and the motorbike.
An afterthought: Another method of doing this is to ride in the back of a truck while the subject follows. The slow shutter speed gives an interesting image.

Thanks for mini tutorial Dean, its something I've always wanted to try as well.