Photography with stationary subjects can be straightforward: compose, focus and take the picture. However, photographing moving subjects adds another challenge, as their composition constantly shifts as you follow their movements with the camera – which makes it harder for photos of moving subjects to be crisp. To increase your chances of creating clear shots of moving subjects try these tips:

Decide what your desired goal is before setting any camera: Are you trying to capture frozen motion or create blurring effects to express movement? Your chosen method will have an effect on how your settings should be modified as different movements require different shutter speeds.

Use Continuous Shooting Mode: For accurate depictions of fast moving objects, setting your camera to burst or continuous shooting mode will increase your chance of getting sharp photos in quick succession. By switching on burst mode or continuous shooting mode you will capture more shots with sharp images than otherwise possible.

Pre-focus: Knowing where the moving subject will appear in your frame allows you to prepare by pre-focusing the camera in advance on that area, making it easier for it to stay focused when pressing the shutter button.

Try panning: Panning is a technique whereby the camera moves alongside a subject in order to highlight their movement by blurring everything else in the picture. When done well, this can be very powerful but requires practice before perfecting its timing and movements.