How do you capture speed? Sometimes I will pan the camera and track the moving subject, as I did yesterday with the flying Canada Goose (Branta canadensis). Usually the background is a little blurry, but this time the background became abstract, almost like a painting, an effect that I really like.
What happened? Generally, I shoot in aperture priority mode and I had my camera set on f/5.6, as wide open as I could get at the far end of my telephoto zoom. The weather was cold and gray with the threat of precipitation—it eventually rained for hours—so I set my ISO to 500. It turned out that I would have needed a much higher ISO to stop the motion completely, for my camera provided me with a shutter speed of only 1/60 of a second. That is why there is some motion blur in the wings.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Thanks for explaining your settings, Mike. I love to see how others set up their shots. It helps me ‘experiment’ with settings when I’m out there. I always enjoy your photos and your writing.
Thanks. I like to explain what I did in certain situations, especially if the effect is a bit out of the ordinary (or unplanned). I’m still a bit new at photography and like to play around (after all, I do this mostly for personal enjoyment). When I started this blog about 18 months ago, I had not idea that i would enjoy it as much as I have–often I enjoy the writing part as much as simply having a venue to show photos.
Well said. I’m learning a lot from you and your blog. Thank you for your willingness to share, and your openness about your process!!
It looks like he (or she) was really in a hurry.
If I remember correctly, this goose was part of a small group that was taking off for parts unknown, taking advantage of the daylight, which is in short supply at this time of the year. I think the panning movement of the camera helps to heighten the sense of speed.
I love this ! These are really hard to get. Love how the background perfectly matches the goose.
Thanks. It seems like there is an optimal speed, but it’s mostly a hit-and-miss proposition for me with these kind of shots.
With action shots like this, intimate detail is not at all necessary, to my way of thinking. It has plenty to convey all the essentials. I agree with Bella Remy, too–the beautifully-mottled background really complements the subdued colors of the bird.
Thanks, Gary. The color match was not planned, but I love the way that it worked out. It’s a lot of fun to experiment and geese make great subjects, since they are big and their flight path is somewhat predictable.
I love the abstract background. I’ve never tried panning — thanks for explaining what you did.
Thanks. It’s kind of an inexact approach to shooting a moving subject, but it is a lot of fun experimenting. Some of the bird photographers pan with their giant lenses on tripods, but I suspect they are trying to stop the action rather than just blur the background.