Panning the Busy Night Streets of Taipei

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While waiting for the the others to regroup after dinner and some light shopping, standing by the side of a busy street somewhere in Taipei city, I noticed there were as many motorcycles as they were cars and the occasional buses, I thought I would put whatever time and opportunity I had to good use. Traffic was heavy but there were opportunity gaps in-between moving vehicles where a motorcycle could be singled out, I thought.

Panning is a great technique for fast moving subjects where, when properly executed, the main subject remains sharp against a blurred background. The idea is to follow the subject as it passes in front of you and continue to follow it as you press the shutter and keeping it pressed for a little while more even after the shot is taken.