The Iowa Photo: A sense of speed

When I photograph fast moving, but predictable, sports action I often use a technique known as panning. Panning is accomplished by using a relatively low shutter speed (meaning the camera takes longer to capture the image) and then following the action with the lens. Longer focal lengths exaggerate the effect as the relative motion is greater. In this case I photographed at 1/60th of a second and 300mm.

Normally a slow shutter speed combined with fast action is a recipe for blurry photos. By panning the camera to follow the action, the motion blur is applied to the background as the athlete — or car, in this case — remains stationary relative to the camera and lens. This technique allows a photographer to capture images that retain a sense of motion and show the speed at which the subject is moving. In this particular photo the technique also exaggerated by the horizontal lines of the American flags in the foreground as the Petrezelka brothers battled for the lead of a race at Hawkeye Downs. The reflection of the track’s lights off the roof of Matt’s car adds just that little bit extra to this photo to make it my favorite of many, many attempts that night.

– Nick Rohlman, photojournalist for The Gazette