Foil fast foul-ups

For this action special, a range of seasoned pros point out some common mistakes when it comes to composing and focusing for subjects that don't tend to stay still for long

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MISTAKE Picking the wrong lens

You don’t need fancy lenses to shoot a good pan, but longer focal lengths can definitely give a look that’s simpler and more effective. It all has to do with field of view. A wide view means you need to turn the camera more to pick up blur, which also risks blurring the subject. But cropped views, for instance at 200mm, need only a small movement to pick up motion and create a pleasing backdrop.

MISTAKE Losing focus

Following a moving subject can mean the AF point slips from it and the focus strays. To combat this, some photographers switch to manual focus, setting the point of sharpness on the part of the scene they know the subject will move through. Alternatively, use continuous AF and pick an AF point area that you can comfortably keep on the subject. Using middling apertures like f/8 will also help, keeping the subject acceptably sharp even if the focus strays slightly.

MISTAKE Speed kills

When panning, you need a slow enough shutter speed for the background to pick up plenty of camera movement as you follow the subject but not so slow that you can’t keep the subject sharp. Many people set speeds like 1/5sec or 1/10sec to get the blur, and wonder why everything is unclear. Depending on the speed of the subject, try speeds from 1/40sec to 1/100sec, check the amount of blur, and the sharpness of the subject, then push up or down as required.

MISTAKE Not turning enough