Photographing movement 2

Exercise 5  Panning with different shutter speeds

For this exercise I took 12 photographs using a tripod to follow the movement of my volunteer cyclist. I used a range of shutter speeds from 1/1250 to 1/2 to capture the shot. Comparing these shots with the previous cyclist photographs set in the same location showed that the panning technique best captured the essence of speed here.
This can be seen by looking at the following shots:

P 24:  Panning with a shutter speed of 1/10 @ f /32 

P18 Same position with shutter speed of 1/10 @ f 32

P28 : Panning with shutter speed of 1/25 @ f/32

P17: Same position with shutter speed of 1/25 @ f/ 32

Looking at all the photographs taken, I prefer the sharpest photograph taken from the same spot for its accuracy in capturing the subject( P10). The subject could have been better positioned though - maybe a little to the left.I found it difficult to compose the shot with a moving subject even with the help of the forward moving shadow.

P10 :  1/1250 @ F/5 

That said, I do like photo ( P18 ) for its abstract feel and sense of speed.

For really showing speed though, I have to opt for P28 above, a better shot than P 24 ( marred by a vertical light strip ). It conveys speed through the streaking of the background ( handy to have a brick wall here with its blurred horizontal lines of cement adding to the sense of speed) complimenting the turning wheels while keeping a clear shot of the cyclist.
I really enjoyed doing this exercise though with hindsight I could have placed the shots better against the brick wall background. And I think that my panning technique needs a lot more practice - I suspect that I was not turning the camera quick enough as the amount of blurring at say 1/60 was hardly noticeable.