Capture the Movement: Mastering Bird Photography With Panning and Shutter Speed Techniques

^{Note: This tip comes from the photography case study #5 ‘Shutter Speed Control’ inside Photzy’s - 5 Extended Case-Studies on Bird Photography}

The above photograph is a perfect example of blending and appropriate shutter speed with the panning technique to create an exhilarating bird photo.

Panning only works when the bird subject is traveling perpendicular to the camera’s point of view (POV).

You want to select a shutter speed that is fast enough to freeze the subject bird while slow enough to blur the background with the pan.

In most cases, this would be a shutter speed between 1/30^th and up to 1/180^th, depending upon the speed of the bird.

When the bird subject is too far away or not flying in a perpendicular flight path relative to the camera angle, panning will not help your shot, and you should concentrate on shutter selection.

Tip #1 – In order for the panning technique to work, your bird subject must be on a perpendicular flight path relative to the camera's POV. You can pan when birds are at a great distance, but the effect will be minimal. Practice shooting at various shutter speeds to learn how it affects the panning technique.

You can tell if a shot incorporated panning because the background will be blurred in a directional fashion. Most pan shots are created horizontally.

The above photograph was not panned even though the background is blurred out of focus. We know this because it doesn’t display a directional blur pattern.

Tip #2 – When studying bird photos, you can discern if panning was involved by studying the direction of the blur in the background. Most panned shots are taken in a horizontal pattern.

In general, when panning in bird photography, you don’t want to cut off parts of the bird. So, when preparing to pan, be concerned about the focal length of your lens.

Tip #3 - A proper panning stance is typically like this:

• You hold the camera horizontally with one hand on the camera body and the other supporting the bottom of the lens.

• As the bird flies by, you will tuck your elbows into your chest and hold the camera so that the viewfinder is tight to your face.

• Depending upon the direction of the flight path, you must swivel at the hips in the same direction.

• The goal is to keep the bird centered in the frame, with no body parts cut off. The camera pans at the same speed as the bird flies by your camera position.

Panning takes some practice, and you can do it at home with your kids, pets, or anything that’s moving. It’s worth the practice as it will open up so many creative options in bird photography.

In this example photo the flying bird is coming in at a perpendicular flight path to the camera.

Would panning be a good choice in this situation?

No, it wouldn’t, as it would blur the fence and the birds sitting on the fence. The only time you might try that would be if you were going for a more abstract effect. Although, bird photography rarely delves into abstraction.

Want more? If you want to learn more about bird photography, and capture beautiful shots of your own, we recommend downloading and printing out Photzy’s 10 Bird Photography Cheat Sheets (Special bonus available now!)