What is panning and when would you use it in photography?

• A. Panning is following the moving subject with the camera during exposure to blur background.
• B. Panning is keeping the camera stationary while subject moves.
• C. Panning is another term for zooming.
• D. Panning is shooting at very high shutter speed to freeze motion.

Answer: (C)

Panning is moving the camera to follow a moving subject during the exposure so the subject stays relatively sharp while the background becomes a streaked blur, conveying speed and direction. You’d use it when you want to show motion instead of freezing it, such as with a cyclist, car, or runner, to give a sense of how fast they’re moving.

To pull it off, choose a relatively slow shutter speed for the situation—often around 1/30 to 1/125 of a second—and smoothly track the subject from a stable stance as you squeeze the shutter. Keep the autofocus active to follow the subject, and pan from the hips or shoulders in a steady, continuous motion so the subject remains in frame while the background blur streaks by. Adjust ISO and exposure as needed to keep the lighting right. If you want to freeze motion instead, you’d use a fast shutter speed rather than panning. Panning is not the same as zooming; zooming changes focal length, while panning is about moving the camera horizontally or vertically during the exposure to blur the background.