Horse Races - Panning with a Slow Shutter Speed 4th try

[Wavelength]

Very nice series Chris; i think in images #1 and #3 the onlookers may be trimmed out for better focusing on the subject
Regards

[Brownbear]

Thank you Nandakumar,

Yes, I thought about that too but left them in thinking that they might add interest and/or a story behind the photo but since these images are about race horses I agree and think I should try and heal them out, or at the very least a crop...



The trouble is my healing/cloning skills are not so great.... But when I get around to the 2nd set I will try healing out a few poles and see if people can tell that it has been done, if only for the learning experience.

Thank you for your feedback. I was hoping someone might comment on the onlookers, and then I just forgot about them.

Very nice series Chris; i think in images #1 and #3 the onlookers may be trimmed out for better focusing on the subject
Regards

[rawill]

Hi Christina

While I don't want to be critical of the superb shot of the planes with the cloud and blue sky, they are great.
But as you know, that kind of panning is very different from what you are trying to achieve.

The plane shot has "frozen" the planes in the sky, the background is sharp and clear, the sense of movement in the photo is in the vapour trail. The rest of the movement we "see" is in our heads as we know the planes are moving.

However, in your shots, as I now have to reluctantly agree are much harder than race cars shots!, the movement is everywhere. The slow mo we looked at gave the detail of that very clearly, and explained to me even more that challenge of racehorse photography.

And when you think about it, practicing on cars will not help that much, as there is only single plane movement.
Even panning flying birds would not be the same, I can not think of anything other than wildlife running in the bush that would give the same challenges. Like chasing Lions or similar, maybe time for a Safari to South Africa to practice race horse photography!

To get it sharp, you will have to keep increasing the SS until you get it as sharp as you can, and use the panning "blur" for your sense of motion and forward speed as the horses run into the frame.

[Brownbear]

Here are a few more shots, one is a repeat that I un-cropped (to leave more room for the horses) and in which case I either blurred or healed or cloned out a pole. I'm not saying in which photos because I want to know if it is obvious to anyone that I did so, please do tell, as I find healing and cloning very difficult to do well, ie; I can always tell it has been done.

Robin, thank you for your empathy. Indeed it is very hard to do and right now I'm very happy that the horse race season is over, as I'm tired of the challenge and blurry photos... That said thank you to all for your help and advice... By next season I'm sure I will be up for trying again.

1-1



2-2



3-3



4-4



5-5



6-6



7-6

[rawill]

My picks are 4-4, 2-2, 5-5, in that order, sharp,I'm looking at the riders legs in 4, then the blanket in 5, and the blanket and leading horses head in 2, and all with plenty of room to run into.

And I am not sure I can see cloning in those.

But in 7-6 there is a strange bit at the top of the 2nd riders white helmet. Enhance healing in Gimp would fix this.
As I suspect would some hard edged stamp cloning, then later softening the edge if needed.

[Brownbear]

Robin,

Thank you for your feedback and comments. Very helpful.

The shadow of a pole was in image 4-4 at the top towards the right end. I think it is harder to heal/clone these poles, even though they are blurred and lighter shadows due to panning, because it is hard to match the panning streaks.

In 7-6 I believe that is the blur of the jockey's crop that they use to get the horses moving, and yes I will work on that one too.

Thank you.

[arith]

I'm impressed. I don't know about this stuff but why not do three, my camera can and choosing say 1/50 as a base get two more faster. I don't know how at the moment, but you can sure as hell get three images in a second. I really like the close ups.

[rawill]

I am not sure if all clone tools are made equal, maybe it is my lack of knowldge.

However, you can make some tools hard or soft edged.
So I think you willbe able to pick a streaked section and put it over the "offending pole", thereby moving a streaKed section to another place.I think the trick isto attempt to make sure you don't have repeating pattern that shows the cloned patch.
I looked for that in the photos and could not find any. Of course if the photo is enlarged a lot it might show up.

[Dusty]

Robin I have explained this too Christina that panning with a subject like planes is not the same as what she is trying to do and I think she understands that concept. You can have a prop plane with propellers where you have to have your shutter speed fairly low to get the impression of the propellers are actually turning and the plane isn't suspended in mid air. So I'm sure the more she practises to pan and get that part off to a tee then she will be able to get the kind of effect she is after.

[rawill]

Very good points. seems to me, due to my lack of knowldege, that any comments I make are like a beggar telling another beggar where to buy bread. However, I figure a bit of online brainstorming can elicit some good answers.

i know I have learnt heaps from this site and its very helpful contributors.

[Brownbear]

Thank you Steve.

I'm sorry but I don't understand what you are suggesting...

I don't know about this stuff but why not do three, my camera can and choosing say 1/50 as a base get two more faster. I don't know how at the moment, but you can sure as hell get three images in a second.

Thank you.

I'm impressed. I don't know about this stuff but why not do three, my camera can and choosing say 1/50 as a base get two more faster. I don't know how at the moment, but you can sure as hell get three images in a second. I really like the close ups.

[Brownbear]

Dave, yes I understand. Thank you for all your help with panning tips.

Robin, thank you for your cloning/healing tips... I presume I will get better at it with more practice, hopefully.

[Stagecoach]

Hi Christina,

Apologies for not commenting on this last series earlier but here goes.

It's not too far off what you are trying to achieve and in my opinion an upping of the shutter speed by one notch you may get there. I'm pretty sure that the motion you retain in the horses movement, legs etc, is going to visually outweigh the slight reduction in background blur.

There are another two things to consider that may be feasible but as you know I have no experience doing this with horses;

a) If you watch the slow motion video I gave the link to and concentrate on the jockeys head you will see that it rises up and down separate to the forward motion you are following with the pan. At the highest point it actually stops any vertical movement before it reverses downwards. Once it starts its movement downwards it accelerates from stop to a maximum speed downward reached approx half way and then starts decelerating and comes to a stop at its lowest travel. The theoretical best time to take the image is at the stopped position of max up or max down movement. I do not have a clue if it would be possible to judge this at the speed they are moving. The same of course applies to the horses head.

b) I tried some bursts when panning cars the other day but to get max shots per second had to do them in Jpeg. On the assumption that I'm fairly sure my car and your horse speeds are similar I was surprised of the distance travelled between shots and I can process and post these if you are interested. But doing a burst is going to give you more chances of nailing that shot you want, the only downside will be jpeg.

On another note, it was suggested in one thread that the AF-ON button was used to commence auto focus at the start of the pan and to use the shutter button later when you take the shots. I tried this and confirmed my suspicions that it makes no sense to me. Panning horses and cars takes a few seconds from start to finish and the action of doing a full shutter button press later gives more chance of camera movement let alone giving your VR less time to settle as far as I can see at present.

I will not pick best or favourites because that are all good.

Grahame

[Brownbear]

Hi Grahame,

Thank you. Very helpful and appreciated. In that case when the season starts again next year (late Spring) I will give it another go.

I'll watch that video a few more times and see if it is possible to time my shutter press with those moments. Can't hurt to try.

And jpeg, too!

If you are up to processing and posting, I would like to see your photos and I'm sure others would too. There seems to be a lot of interest in panning and not much info... So if you have the time please do post, and post in this thread so everything is not all over the place.

Thank you.

[Stagecoach]

Hi Christina,

I have done a quick post on this set which was taken at the max burst rate of my camera. The time from the camera is included which gives the frame rate and I estimate this car would have been around 40 KM/hr. The sets not particularly good but shows the distance moved if you gauge it against the first palm tree at the windscreen top of the first one.

15:26 42.1 seconds


15:26 42.3 seconds


15:26 42.4 seconds


My panning technique changed with taking bursts in that I commenced shooting when the car was to the right of me hoping that as I twisted it would catch one with the car parallel which will give you the best background blur.

Grahame

[Brownbear]

Thank you for sharing these Grahame. Very helpful. I think they are great!