RustyBug Offline Upload & Sell: On
|
I looked through your Flickr set ... there's some pretty nice stuff in there that is miles better than this would suggest.
From looking at your other stuff, I'm guessing this is a practice/test shot (while she's practicing too) that you're trying to develop into a technique, so I'll answer to that rather than the merits of this image itself.
The physics of motion are going to basically be moving in X-Y directions @ one vertical, one horizontal and/or the combination of those two directions (i.e. vector forces) iaw trigonometry. The point of mentioning that is that when you are panning, you are moving the camera (typically) in the horizontal direction, so your panning motion can offset/ motion that is moving in the same direction, but not motion that is moving opposite (either backwards or up/down).
As the horse jumps, there is a degree of the horse (and rider) goes up, reaches the apex (decelerates to zero), then reverses direction and comes back down. When the apex is reached, the vertical motion is essentially at a standstill vertically. If we look at the rider, she is going to be near the apex of the jump so her vertical motion is moving the slowest (note the saddle sharpness) when near the apex of the jump (presumably somewhere over the bar). However, it can also be that she is still "going up" while the horse is "coming down" as the horse (head/hooves) are further along the arc/trajectory of the jump.
The horse is a bit more complex than the rider in that part of the horse is coming down, while part is going up. Additionally, areas like the legs are moving/flexing forward (with your panning) and backward (opposite your panning). Depending on your panning rate and your shutter speed selection, your could range from everything "frozen" to everything in motion blur. Your (horizontal) panning and shutter will influence horizontal freeze/blur, vertical motion blur (note rear hooves) will be relegated to shutter speed.
Not rocket science (okay a little science), but as you dissect which parts are moving in which direction, then you'll be able to decide if you want to increase your panning rate or increase/decrease your shutter to achieve your desired effect of motion blur for background vs. the various sub-elements of your moving subject as it moves in multiple directions simultaneously.
It will also depend on your shooting angle as to how perpendicular/parallel are to the motion. I mention this because looking at your other work, I anticipate you may also be shooting from a slightly more oblique angle as well.
That or just experiment with different panning/shutter speeds ... .
As to this image, I'd consider either a slightly longer FL or closer position, coupled with a slightly faster shutter speed. The closer/longer would make your environmental blur more prominent, while your faster shutter could help with the subject freeze/blur amount. Closer distance/longer FL will of course require you to have a faster panning rate (if wanting to freeze), but the effect will become a bit more dramatic. As is, this particular image is a bit in "no man's land" in that it is difficult to distinguish if this is happenstance vs. intentional. The more dramatic (and more challenging to achieve), the less the viewer can mistake it for happenstance.
Anyway, HTH. Diggin' your work, and the "work ethic" at testing out the technique during practice sessions (the rider & you). Looking forward to seeing your "keepers" once you get it dialed in.
|