Understanding Exposure ~

Bryan Peterson has been a photographer for 30 years and has been teaching photography for 20 years. In his book Understanding Exposure he gives the reader a straight forward introduction to the art of getting the exposure right.
The book is filled with illustrations and the basics of aperture, lighting and shutter speed.
This is a must have for anyone interested in learning how to improve their shots! Right now the book is available at Amazon for the reduced price of $17.13 AND, if you don't mind a used copy you can get one for just $14.00

Panning ~

Panning refers to the horizontal movement or rotation of a still. The panning technique is used to suggest fast motion, and bring out foreground from background. The desired result is achieved when your subject, which is moving at a quick speed, appears to be standing still and the background is streaked.

To achieve this effect you must keep your subject in the same position of the frame for the duration of the exposure. The length of exposure required varies depending on the speed of your subject, the distance from the subject and the background, and the focal length of the lens that you are using.

I have found that the more you practice this technique the easier it becomes. A number of photographers use a tripod to achieve this effect, which makes it easier to swing the camera along.

Photo: Eastcreek Photography

Copyright 2009