Cyclists - Panning Shots

Petach

Hall of Famer
Location
UK, Essex
Name
Peter Tachauer
Panning is a hard one for me. The movement required at the waist to follow through, and the tremor in my hand......they both conspire to defeat me. During rush hour out of about 200 shots I managed to get these. Not the sharpest but they give an indication of speed. They were taken on London Bridge where; at the northern end, traffic lights hold a gaggle of cyclists champing at the bit. On green they go "hell for leather saddle" southbound.

(taken from either side of the road, hence the appearance of northbound and southbound)

34572821481_9ab9b28acd_c.jpg
Cyclist Pans
by Pete Tachauer, on Flickr

34572821231_1b10c497da_c.jpg
Cyclist Pans
by Pete Tachauer, on Flickr

34572821091_8e17fa6d1e_c.jpg
Cyclist Pans
by Pete Tachauer, on Flickr

34572820791_e31a449fab_c.jpg
Cyclist Pans
by Pete Tachauer, on Flickr

34572820321_c73d536e06_c.jpg
Cyclist Pans
by Pete Tachauer, on Flickr
 
The last may be my favorite of the bunch. I like the gritty finish and the intensity of the rider's face. Nice set.

Thanks Brent, I know what you mean. For me (and likely due to my corrosive sense of humour) No.1 for me. The expression and the hair just cracked me up!
 
well, you've both identified my 2 favorites...nothing to add here except "good work". I would think some colour shots could be pretty fun as well.
Thanks Luke. Truth be told....the colours were not actually great on this occasion. Light was quite poor hence the B&W. Glad you like No.1 too
 
Hey Pete,

Well, I think you've done really well. Having done some of this myself, I'd have to say there's a good bit of luck involved, or not luck exactly, but a high failure rate. It's just hard to nail. I've done best with medium wide lenses (35mm mostly, some 28) rather than trying to get in close with longer glass. And most of my favorite shots aren't clinically that great, but there's usually SOMETHING that's stopped even as all hell breaks loose in everything and everyone around them, that brings focus to the attempt. I've tried a bit with longer lenses and I have a couple of shots that work technically, but they don't convey the same sense of drama to me. I'll drop a few in here to illustrate, all done with X100, X-Pro 2, and RX1. I've only done these at cycling races, BTW, so there are usually many cyclists going at different speeds, which I think becomes apparent...

14630967120_e6dc5c2528_h.jpg
Men's Pro - RX1-108-Edit
by Ray, on Flickr

34723408396_8d5a6cdb01_b.jpg
WC Criterium-134-Edit-1
by Ray, on Flickr

34723407926_95a1283c60_h.jpg
DSCF0467 (1)
by Ray, on Flickr

On this one, the ONLY thing that's stopped and clear is the lead rider's left leg, but somehow I like the effect of the whole thing being in motion...

34723406876_e9a7bfb504_h.jpg
DSCF0421 (1)
by Ray, on Flickr

And here's one with a 120mm lens that's technically OK, but doesn't do a damn thing for me - the only drama is on the riders' faces...

14837494763_2f076dd0d9_h.jpg
Early Races - Df-573-Edit
by Ray, on Flickr

So, the ones I like most are less successful technically in a sense, but kind of what I was going for. At least I was after the first one or two I saw. And for every keeper there are probably 100 on the cutting room floor, so to speak.

-Ray
 
Hey Pete,

Well, I think you've done really well. Having done some of this myself, I'd have to say there's a good bit of luck involved, or not luck exactly, but a high failure rate. It's just hard to nail. I've done best with medium wide lenses (35mm mostly, some 28) rather than trying to get in close with longer glass. And most of my favorite shots aren't clinically that great, but there's usually SOMETHING that's stopped even as all hell breaks loose in everything and everyone around them, that brings focus to the attempt. I've tried a bit with longer lenses and I have a couple of shots that work technically, but they don't convey the same sense of drama to me. I'll drop a few in here to illustrate, all done with X100, X-Pro 2, and RX1. I've only done these at cycling races, BTW, so there are usually many cyclists going at different speeds, which I think becomes apparent...

-Ray

Thanks Ray. I had the 16-50 on the Sony A6300 and used it at the wide end mostly. Dig your shots, but really dig your No.1, so dynamic and atmospheric. Real impression of the no guts no glory of riding hell for leather.
 
I vote for #1 too! Cool image. I have tried a lot of panning images before. There seems to be a bit of luck. But, I am sure the more you do it the better you get at it. Much more fun to do with digital than it used to be with film...
 
Pete, I love no.1. Well done!
And Ray: hats off!

Thanks, much appreciated. As mentioned at the start....these were taken on London Bridge. Just over 2 weeks ago......2 weeks before the terrible murder and mayhem which took place at the same location. I mentioned at the opening about how cyclists wait at the traffic lights then go hell for leather across the bridge. It occurred to me that the van the terrorists used must also have been at the front of the traffic lights to speed away and get the momentum to mount the kerb and mow down the poor innocents who were about just enjoying the evening.
 
Back
Top