Christina: You have all the techincal info in the description..so here is the rest of my so-called "technique".

For these racing shots, I have to stand on a step stool in order to shoot over a 6ft high chain-link fence. So I don't use a monopod or a tripod cause they just get in the way. I brace the mid-section of my body against the fence in order to keep still while keeping my upper body free to "swivel". If you don't have a fence just make sure your lower body stays very still, only moving your sholders/upper body.

If your camera has a continuous focus feature use it. If not it makes it harder to do, but not impossible. I used to get some decent pans with my Coolpix 950 so it can be done with lower-end cameras. My camera also helps me with focus because the D1X has a Dynamic Area Autofocus feature. It will focus on the subject at a point in the frame that you select to start (in the far right of the frame for this one), and then continuously scan all of it's 5 focus areas to maintain focus as the subject moves across the viewfinder or other "focus areas".

So with everything set, I just wait until a car comes into the right of my viewfinder, track it smoothly with the camera going in the direction the subject is moving, and press the shutter at some point. You don't have to "swivel" or pan all that far really. And the bigger the focal length of the lense you have on, the less distance you will have to pan. With practice will you get a sense of how much you must pan the camera.

I always use shutter priority, and generally shoot between 1/40 and 1/60. All depends on how much blur you want, how much light is available, etc. Make sure to bracket your pans. I will shoot at different speeds within one session just to be sure, and I will also use my +/- exposure for further bracketing.

I hope this helped!!! #11067