my first attempts at panning(motocross pictures)

[MxFlyer43]

Here's my first tries at panning photographs as suggested in my dirt jumping thread as well as a few other photos. I just picked a few different shutter speed and tried them each. Is there a way you can suggest to pick a shutter speed or is it just trial and error?
Thanks.

comments and critiques are welcome

[AnthonyB]

For me personally, I find it less important to have the correct shutter speed (although of course it is important) and key to have the correct timing down so that you move with your subject.

[JSPhoto]

Practice practice practice....like anything, panning takes lots of practice, lots of patience and of course, more practice. I can pan in my sleep now after 5 years of practice

Of course you need to be able to get the correct exposure so, yes, shutter speed, ISO and aperature are all important. The slower the shutter speed the more impressive the results can be. The biggest thing is timing, and that is what takes the most practice. You also have to make certain, especially at lower shutter speeds that you don't move the camera when you actually push the shutter button. Many do this without realizing it.
One thing that really has a bearing on how well you can pan and wether or not you move the camera when pressing the shutter button is camera weight and balance. A heavy camera is much easier to pan with than a light camera and you have less possibility of moving the camera vertically when pressing the shutter button. The heavier camera will help you to pan slower.
The first time I used a Canon 1D I had 30% more keepers because I was able to pan smoother and didn't pan too fast as I had with lighter cameras.

The below shots are from different lighting conditions and subjects as well as various shutter speeds. The slowest shutter speed is the yellow and white race car, I think it was 1/60th second.

JS

[JETA]

Stop it JS! You are killin' me here. Those pics are awesome!

Mx, I think you are doing a great job for your first time. I followed JS's directions and had a remarkable change with my pics. In the beginning (I shot football) I had maybe 30 keepers. By the end of the season over 200 much of the time.

Keep up the good work!.