# techniques for shooting moving objects?



## tevo (Sep 12, 2011)

for now i have a d700 with an 18-105 VR, and was wondering if there are any suggestions as to how i should go about shooting moving subjects (today i was at the beach, trying to shoot seagulls in flight. was just going w. autofocus in auto mode, got some decent shots, but nothing notable)

if not skillwise, any lens reccomendation?


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## WesternGuy (Sep 12, 2011)

If you Google "birds in flight photography", you will get all kinds of web sites with an abundance of advice, e.g., How to get sharp photos of birds in flight | PhotoNaturalist, then you can pick and choose those that look interesting.

Cheers,

WesternGuy


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## KmH (Sep 12, 2011)

Investigate 'panning'.


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## spacefuzz (Sep 12, 2011)

panning, go stand by the side of the road and practice on cars.  That should improve your success rate when you try for the birds.


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## tevo (Sep 13, 2011)

KmH said:


> Investigate 'panning'.









one of those things... panning literally never crossed my mind. i was basically standing still trying to capture them in my viewfinder, and at the very most was moving w.o the thought process/intention of panning. i derped

thanks mr.sir


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## tevo (Sep 13, 2011)

spacefuzz said:


> panning, go stand by the side of the road and practice on cars.  That should improve your success rate when you try for the birds.



very interesting.. will try! thank you for the advice ^^


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## austriker (Sep 13, 2011)

Turn off the VR on your check. It is AF slower.
Change your mode to aperture priority if you are comfortable with that. Dial it up to around f/5 or so (depending on light) so that your speed is at least 1/200 or 1/250. Also increase your ISO if necessary.
Change the AF to af continuous.

Try that for now. I understand it might be a bit over your head, but nows the time to learn! If you have any questions do some research (online there is tons!) or ask..

oh and always develop your skill before buying 'the lens' that will work better..
panning is a good idea too, i agree with the other posters


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## Robin Usagani (Sep 13, 2011)




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## pdq5oh (Sep 13, 2011)

I never use AP. I want to control shutter speed when panning or catching moving objects. I always use manual to set exactly what I want re: exposure. Shooting flying birds you'll most likely have to over expose. Otherwise the birds will be under exposed due to the sky's light dominating the scene.
Forgot. I use auto focus continuous with 9 points on my D7000 for action and sports.


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## tevo (Sep 13, 2011)

Schwettylens said:


>



this one took me a sec... lol


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## tevo (Sep 13, 2011)

pdq5oh said:


> I never use AP. I want to control shutter speed when panning or catching moving objects. I always use manual to set exactly what I want re: exposure. Shooting flying birds you'll most likely have to over expose. Otherwise the birds will be under exposed due to the sky's light dominating the scene.
> Forgot. I use auto focus continuous with 9 points on my D7000 for action and sports.




why only 9? and what AF mode


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## Bukitimah (Sep 26, 2011)

All the theory will not bring you anywhere. I found that out lately. The best way to improve. Start practicing from you own street. Shoot at vehicle driving pass till you get a perfect shot. Motorcycles are the best.


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## Kerbouchard (Sep 26, 2011)

I disagree with the VR off advice.  While shutter speed maybe high enough where VR is not a concern(especially with the 18-105), VR does help you to to keep the image stable in the viewfinder.  I also find that VR helps autofocus since the bird isn't jumping around and it's easier to keep the bird under the focus point.


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## GeneralBenson (Sep 26, 2011)

I think another big thing that helps wit shooting moving subjects is familiarity with the subject. Whether it's football players, certain birds, bike racing or a dance, a big part of shooting moving subjects is anticipating what's coming next. You'll never be fast enough to just purely react faster than the movement itself, especially with tight framings. But if you a very familiar with the subject you're shooting, then to a degree, you can anticipate what's coming next and almost be a step ahead of them.


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## pdq5oh (Sep 26, 2011)

tevo, I use 9 points as I've found for football any more points cause me to get pics with focus on the wrong players. Shooting at f2.8-4 max leaves little room for error in focus. I also use 9 points for car races as it helps keep the car focused as I pan if I move up or down a little off center. I'll switch to 1 point when I feel that's going to work best. AF C (auto focus continuous) tracks action best for me. I don't care for the AF A, auto focus point selection or 3D. I feel the more I can control with regard to camera settings, the better chance I have of getting just what I want.


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## tevo (Sep 26, 2011)

Thank you for all the advice, going to get out sometime tomorrow and practice shooting cars/birds. I'll post results.


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## Derrel (Sep 27, 2011)

For birds like pheasant, I like a side-by-side double for field work; for salwater/marsh work on ducks I prefer the Ithaca Model 37 featherlight pump-action...like a big Nikon pro-level body paired with a 70-200/2.8, all these rigs have a nice,smooth-swinging characteristic, which helps keep the swinging easy and free-flowing. BALANCED gear helps tremendously...too much weight forward makes it hard to hold and swing with the movement...a monopod with NO head is useful too.


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## tevo (Sep 27, 2011)

Derrel said:


> For birds like pheasant, I like a side-by-side double for field work; for salwater/marsh work on ducks I prefer the Ithaca Model 37 featherlight pump-action...like a big Nikon pro-level body paired with a 70-200/2.8, all these rigs have a nice,smooth-swinging characteristic, which helps keep the swinging easy and free-flowing. BALANCED gear helps tremendously...too much weight forward makes it hard to hold and swing with the movement...a monopod with NO head is useful too.



I see... a monopod with no head? For what, just to pivot?


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## GooniesNeverSayDie11 (Sep 27, 2011)

I would use Shutter priority mode and center AF point. I would also turn VR off as it will slow down AF. I would also choose AI SERVO Mode or whatever it is Nikon has. Also use back button focus so you can control AF independently from the shutter release. You can practice panning on cars simply to get used to moving the camera while engaging AF seamlessly, but birds are much much harder than cars and much much more erratic. The hardest part will be to even get them into the viewfinder and keep them in the viewfinder as long as possible. That is only going to come from practicing on birds, not cars.  Try to watch your subject as much as possible. Sometimes movement can be predicted. For instance, if a bird is constantly returning to a nest it is building and then flying out to grab more supplies before returning. You can sit and predict those movements. Also, keep both eyes open as you swing the camera towards the sky to locate the bird. It makes it easier to locate it then simply keeping 1 eye to the viewfinder.


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## tevo (Sep 27, 2011)

GooniesNeverSayDie11 said:
			
		

> I would use Shutter priority mode and center AF point. I would also turn VR off as it will slow down AF. I would also choose AI SERVO Mode or whatever it is Nikon has. Also use back button focus so you can control AF independently from the shutter release. You can practice panning on cars simply to get used to moving the camera while engaging AF seamlessly, but birds are much much harder than cars and much much more erratic. The hardest part will be to even get them into the viewfinder and keep them in the viewfinder as long as possible. That is only going to come from practicing on birds, not cars.  Try to watch your subject as much as possible. Sometimes movement can be predicted. For instance, if a bird is constantly returning to a nest it is building and then flying out to grab more supplies before returning. You can sit and predict those movements. Also, keep both eyes open as you swing the camera towards the sky to locate the bird. It makes it easier to locate it then simply keeping 1 eye to the viewfinder.



You are very helpful (;  Can I have a midget version of you to carry around?  (for travel convenience)


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