Panning and Zooming Test Run

I read about a technique called panning (when you hold a subject still and move along with it--like a car that's passing--so that it looks like it's holding still while the background is blurred) and also how you can zoom while pressing the shutter release to imply an explosive movement. I knew it wouldn't be easy and frankly wasn't in love with too many professional photos with these techniques, but I wanted to test it out anyway. So one day while Kenzie napped in the stroller, I sat Syd on a tire swing at a park and took some pictures.  The camera was on a tripod for most of this shoot.

A still shot.  Not too exciting.

Making sure she was backlit.

My shutter speed was too slow for her quick movement.  It looks like the ghost of Sydney past.

I like how this one turned out because you can see what the subject is and can see she's moving fast. 

When you slow the shutter speed in order to zoom, it lets in a lot of light!  It's hard to see anything in this one.  So I upped my white balance quite a bit.

This was pretty good.  She was holding still and I was zooming in.  I think I got the white balance correct on this one.  It is a pretty neat effect!

For this shot I held the camera in hand and tried panning with her as she did a swing.  It looks a little weird since she was also spinning.

Another try at panning.  A tire swing isn't the best subject for this technique and the background needs to be more uniform.  But still a cool picture.

This time I jumped on the swing with her and tried to show the movement of the surroundings while she held still.  It's a little overexposed and she moved a little because she didn't want me on the swing with her but I like the result.

This one's my favorite.  It shows the movement of the swing while keeping her in relative focus.

She got really tired of sitting on the swing for me and asked me to snap this photo of her climbing some trees.

This would have been better if I'd gotten the AF point correct.  I wish she were in focus instead of the tree.  That's just another thing to keep in mind when I shoot.  I couldn't get her to pose again so the moment was gone.

Photography is so complicated!  There always seems to be a factor that I didn't remember and then I don't get a chance to try it again because the subject (my kids) are on to something else.  I'm really proud of my attempts though and will keep trying!!  I'm learning a lot about lighting, backgrounds, composition, and camera settings.  I just need to keep practicing.  I also hope to take more photography classes and maybe find a photographer to shadow or something.