To pan an image, make sure you have a moving image to work with (a car, a friend running really fast around the track, a bicyclist, a object you can throw that is big enough to track).

Try a lower shutter speed (1/30th sec to start)

As you frame the shot, track the thing you want to keep in focus, keeping yourself stable as possible.

Keep tracking after you have pressed the shutter release for a second or so to maintain steady position.

If successful, you should have a dominant object (person, object) in focus and the background blurred. This is great for action shots, moving images, sports, etc.

TEST this concept today by going out on Herriman or Saratoga-Sunnyvale and try to follow a car or bicyclist. See what you get. Show the results to Mrs. Leather for class credit today.

HOMEWORK:

Please upload to the homework folder for 9/8 your best example of a photograph that perfectly demonstrates the concept of panning. Keep working until you get a good one. It might take several tries. You will be assessed on your ability to get a good blurry background while keeping the dominant object in focus. If you work for over an hour, and are still not successful, please show me the results on your camera to show evidence of numerous tries. You should get something successful within 20-30 min. Remember to upload by Sunday evening. We will work with these images Monday and Tuesday in Photoshop.

Slow Sync Flash

See if your camera allows for this mode. Many camera do, even less expensive models. You can do some impressive visual work with slow sync flash on your camera. See this website for some examples:

Slow Sync Flash

It can be really simple. Just make your shutter speed lower than normal (1/30 or so, around there, the opposite of the higher shutter speeds we use for freezing things like water droplets). Now add your flash. If you have a mode for slow sync flash, put your camera into that mode. Check your manual to see, or google it! Slow sync can be used for shots you wish to remain stable (no movement), or for shots you wish to pan. The Panning slow sync shots can create really interesting results.

A few examples from my own portfolio to share:

low light, flash helped add light to scene

Low light, slight movement, slow sync

normal lighting, slow sync, no movement, ghosting

Thur Sept 5th-Panning/Zooming

Panning

Panning

 Compare and contrast the 2 panned images to the left. Which is more successful at focus on the dominant object? What camera settings do you think are used to achieve successful panning? What advantages does the image on the bottom have that is somewhat lost on the image at the top?

Please leave your comments in the comments area. Remember to sign in so your comments are recorded. You may work with a friend to discuss, but each person MUST enter their own comments.

Tues September 3rd, question of the day

1. The wildwood park photos were pretty good, especially for first time around with shutter speed. When you look at any of these photos at 100% size in Photoshop, are they in focus? Some are not. What can you do to make sure your photos will be in focus, most of the time?

2. When shooting high shutter speed shots, are tripods useful? What about low shutter speed shots, are tripods useful? Why? Why not?

Photoshop Image Compositing

Goal: Students will learn how to composite photographic images together in Photoshop.

Key concepts:

1. Image quality/image size
2. Layers and all their controls for overlay and mixing images, opacity
3. Layers-making new, del, flatten, merge
4. Layers, Channels, Paths
5. Lasso/Select
6. Quick Selection/Magic Wand
7. Refine Edge
8. Image adjustments
9. Spot Heal, Heal, Stamp

Assignment: Taking your best 'splash image' you will composite 'something' jumping out of Saratoga's creek. It could be a fish, a car, a shark (which is a fish I realize), a boat, a swamp monster, etc. Anything you want. Your finished composite image should be fun and imaginative, or serious and cool, either way. But have fun thinking about merging two images.

To start:

1. Open Photoshop
2. Open your splash photo and make sure you have corrected any lighting problems. Also crop to make sure it is compositionally well done.
3. Go to Google and search for an image to composite into your splash. When looking for an image keep these things in mind:
• Make sure the image will be at the same implied camera angle as the angle you shot the splash photo.
• Make sure the background of the thing you wish to composite isn't too complicated or busy. It will be easier to select and refine the edge of your selection with an image that is substantially easy to pick out from the background. Your might even find something over a single color, this is the best case scenario.
• Once you are completely set up and ready to go, you will take a break and go shoot your leading lines photo for the day. This should take you about 30 min. Shoot enough leading line photos so that you have 3 final shots that are visually very successful.

The live demo will take place after your photo shoot of the day. You will follow me doing a live demo. You will have additional help on Thursday as we will spend most of the week understanding the power of Photoshop for merging and manipulating images.