This was another fast mover that I only caught a single image of. Usually the large birds go a bit slower, not this one.

If you enlarge the photograph you can see the tiny ‘blurs’ in the image. These are flying insects that did not get focus. Here I was panning, my lens following along with the moving bird, so the small details that were not the same speed are lost within the image.

Panning in photography is always something the ‘experts’ and tutorials always talk about in depth. Typically a moving car is used as an example. All the discussion and technical descriptions are correct, panning is critical.

But really, look at a tutorial once, and then go do it. Use any moving target. If I think about ‘panning’, it doesn’t happen. In reality it’s a natural thing and a little practice just makes it second nature.

Like most things… don’t over think it. Here is a good example. I started out with a photo of a flying Heron, finished with paragraphs about ‘panning’. Certainly didn’t over think this article LOL.