Following The Subject: Photo Contest Finalists

Thank you to all the photographers that shared their photos showing panning effects in this photo contest with chances to win a Focus Shifter and more. From running cheetahs, flying parrots to racing cars and newlyweds in motorcycles, this gallery has it all!

As described on wikipedia, when photographing a moving subject, the panning technique is achieved by keeping the subject in the same position of the frame for the duration of the exposure. The length of the exposure must be long enough to allow the background to blur due to the movement of the camera as the photographer follows the subject in the viewfinder. The exact length of exposure required will depend on the speed at which the subject is moving, the focal length of the lens and the distance from the subject and background. An F1 car speeding along a straight might allow the photographer to achieve a blurred background at 1/250th of a second, while the photographer might need to go as slow as 1/40th to achieve the same amount of blur for a picture of a running man. The faster shutter speed allowed by fast moving subjects are easier to capture in a smoothly panned shot. With slower moving subjects, the risk is that the panning motion will be jerky, and it is also harder to keep the subject in the same position of the frame for the longer period of time. To aid in capturing panned pictures, photographers use aids such as tripods and monopods, which make it easy to swing the camera along one plane, while keeping it steady in the others. A low budget option is to tie a piece of string around the lens, then to drop the other end to the floor and step on it to pull it taut. This will allow a little bit more stability and allow for smoother blur. We simply love wikipedia, don't you?

A special thanks to friend and professional photographer Olaf Bathke for his collaboration as a guest judge in this photo contest. The wedding photographer Olaf Bathke enchanted Hamburg with wedding photos that are creative and unique. His secret recipe is authenticity: Getting married has something to do with honesty, accordingly, should be authentic wedding photos. His artistic wedding photos emerge both in the city and beyond the city limits of Hamburg also.

"Running Free" by Silversldr