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6 - TRACKING AND PANNING

Tracking is usually the preserve of handheld shooting and panning is best done with a tripod. These techniques can create movement and bring a static scene to life.

Tracking is a film industry term for shots taken on tracks using a camera mounted on a dolly, but this isn’t really a backpack-friendly option for travellers on the road. But the principles of tracking can be applied from any vehicle in any region of the world. Track wildlife from a 4x4 on an African game drive. Track river scenes from the bow of a slow boat down the Mekong River.

Anything that moves can be used as a vehicle to experiment with tracking.

It’s even possible to track on foot, but you’ll need a steady hand and even ground. Handheld tracking is definitely not for scenes in snow and ice or sand or rocks, so forget any mountain or desert experimentation.

One of the most rewarding uses of panning is the reveal, coming off a close-up subject to reveal a wider, dramatic scene. Start on a Buddhist carving before panning round to reveal the temples of Bagan scattered across the Irrawaddy plain. Focus on a flower before panning round to reveal a landscaped garden.

Panning is also good for crowd shots. Pan across a room at a dinner party and familiar faces appear and disappear in and out of shot, achieving a completely different effect to filming the same scene from a wide position.
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