60163 "Tornado" on the "Border Raider" at Ais Gill on Thursday 24th June 2010.

[genesis070365]

Pure Magic...doing exactly what they always did!!

[balmesh]

Great shot. Were you using a tripod? It is beautifully steady, but panning at speed is a pain with tripod (tis for me, anyway, I keep falling over my feet, or tripod feet).

[softwizz]

@balmesh - exactly my own problem, there just isn't any way to cover an angle of about 150 degrees, as here, without coming to an accommodation with at least one tripod leg :-)

I'm vaguely considering an alternative strategy, though I don't imagine anyone else will be barmy enough to try it - I invested in a Flycam rig a couple of years back, which I've not yet done much with. It would eliminate the dance with the tripod legs, but it would probably introduce other problems. We'll see :-)

[balmesh]

To softwizz

I'm not familiar with the Flycam - it sounds like the proverbial "skyhook" which we are all waiting for . . One thing, when panning at speed, handheld, steadiness is less of a problem, I find. I tend to keep the tripod for "set pieces" where there's time to get it right (and plan jut where the "dance" is to take place.

[softwizz]

@balmesh You can see a very informative video on the Flycam by searching here on "Flycam 5000 - U-Flycam - cheap stabilizers my honest opinion".

But I just saw what might be the final solution (search on "Best Camera Trick Ever! ") and all it takes is a rubber band! (I kid you not) This is what I aim to try next time! Just not sure how well it will control the differential angle-change speeds that we encounter in panning a moving target on an elliptical course.

[balmesh]

To softwizz

I watched both (thanks very much) and found them very helpful. If I doing your sort of major steam event I think I'd try out the rubber band method (though I'm not sure how you can see through the VF). For my very ordinary productions, I shall rely on "steady-shot" and not-too-ambitious zooming!

[acw71000]

Cracking shot at one of my favourite locations. You did well panning, not easy at the speed she was going.

[softwizz]

@acw71000 - from you, that is high praise indeed! I note that your own panning is immaculately smooth.

I was at Scout Green also, but I had a complete sodding failure there - left it on autofocus and it lost focus completely when my framing crossed the tree. Since then I've found a clip on here that demonstrates a much better location there, so I'll have another go next time I can get down-country.

[hurleyfunbags]

Great location and an awesome display of power from Tornado.