In the past, I’ve talked about using movement as a way to emphasize the subject of your photo. This week I want to introduce you to the concept of panning. It’s frequently used in pictures of moving race cars and horses. As you can see, the subject looks stationary while the background is in motion.
To pan your shot, you need a tripod or a camera with image stabilization since you will be using a slow shutter speed. This picture was taken with my point & shoot camera. Unfortunately, not all cameras let you adjust the shutter speed. Your subject then moves around you as you pivot while keeping them in the shot. It does take practice to get used to the technique, but it’s worth it.
In this photo, I sat in the middle of the merry-go-round with the boy facing me. My husband then spun us around fast while I took the picture. The boy had to sit still (yeah right!); otherwise, everything would be blurred. Naturally, this took numerous attempts because he couldn’t stop laughing. (Geez, I'm getting dizzy just looking at it.)