Panning
Panning is a technique where you move the camera to follow your subject while taking the shot at a moderately slow shutter speed. Because the camera and subject move together, the subject stays sharp — while the still background smears into horizontal streaks that scream motion and speed.
The slower your shutter, the more dramatic the background blur — but the harder it is to keep the subject sharp. Around 1/30s–1/60s is a friendly starting range.
The skill is in the movement: track your subject smoothly before, during, and after you press the shutter, like following through on a golf swing. Expect lots of misses — that's normal. Burst mode and continuous autofocus stack the odds in your favor.
Shutter Priority at ~1/30s–1/60s (slower = more blur, but harder). Continuous autofocus (AF-C / AI Servo) and burst/continuous drive. Pan smoothly and follow through.
Your subject is recognizably sharp while the background is blurred into horizontal streaks. A keeper rate of even 1 in 10 is great here — pick your sharpest pan and place it.
The assignment
Track a moving subject as you shoot so it stays sharp while the background blurs into streaks of speed — a passing cyclist, car, or runner.
Place your proof, unlock the next.
With a free account your shot lives on this assignment — you earn the XP, your streak grows, and the next technique opens.
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