Being able to capture good images using a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera can be extremely rewarding and some of the best pictures that we can take tend to sometimes be the hardest. Once we have a pretty good understanding of some of the cameras functions both on automatic and manual we can focus on the job of putting this information to good use. One of the hardest images to capture tends to be of something that is moving, but there are ways to make it a little easier to master…

Photographing inanimate objects really is the place to start and by using the same object in totally different settings and light can give us a lot of information and feedback. It is also a good idea to place some objects up high so as to see what is needed to make these a clear and focussed picture.

Moving on from static objects with more knowledge we now want to explore the world of moving objects and photography. The technique of photographing a moving object is known as panning, this involves levelling the camera with the subject, finding it in the viewfinder (This is best done by first having the zoom completely in showing the object furthest away) zooming in and then focusing either automatically or manually.

When starting out using panning photography it is best to first revert back to the automatic settings until confident that being on manual will not be the difference between capturing the shot and missing a great shot. Once you have the image firmly locked on start to follow the images motion slowly with the camera, while at the same time zooming until the image is now the size that you want for your picture. Take the shot and review.

Learning to take good pictures panning can be achieved on a gradual progressive basis like this. Find a road that you can stand a reasonable distance from and not be in any danger from passing cars. For best results you want to find a fairly long road where you will have plenty of time to locate a car in the viewfinder focus, zoom and shoot.

A good result should show the car as clear as if it was standing still and you captured the image using a tripod, while the foreground and background should be blurred from camera motion and not aperture settings.

Try the same method on a motorbike, this is improving your technique as it is not only a smaller object to focus on, but also tends to be moving a lot faster. Taking pictures of anything outdoors on the ground is always made better when the sun is behind you and certainly Not in front of you, this is essential to great results for panning photography, unless you want the images to be silhouettes.

Moving on again we are now going to focus on objects that fly. With anything flying it is always best to try where possible to capture the image from a side angle and with the subject as low down as is possible. This is because whether the sun is behind you or not if you photograph something in daylight looking straight up in will more than likely have the silhouette effect.

A good way to hone your panning skills of flying objects is to visit air-shows, or even by getting close to an airport. Air-shows are good as they have a variety of aircraft that you can practise on, not only that, but you can get some really good photograph sessions from air-shows.

One of the main reasons it is a good idea to start photographing flying objects by using aircraft is due to their overall size, this in itself tends to make panning photography with them a great starting and learning point.

Now onto birds in flight, using the car and aircraft theory we want to start off with something that is not only big, but also slow and graceful. That way we will find it much easier to keep track of and photograph while also making sure we can get the timing and lighting right. One of the best birds to start learning panning skills on is the seagull; they tend to tick all the boxes when it comes to getting a great shot.

The seagull is fairly slow in flight and tends to glide more than fly, not only that but they also do a lot of low level flying when it comes to catching fish or hovering in a bay on the thermals.

Moving on from the seagull should be a natural progression, but as a rule of thumb, the bigger the bird the easier it is to capture in flight. When you move down to smaller birds it can often be the case of hit and miss many times, but one little trick I have learned is that if there is a specific bird in your area that you are trying to photograph it is well worth simply watching his/her movements a few times before you actually try and photograph him/her.

By knowing which tree he/she is going to fly to or from can often give you an upper hand due to knowing the direction or target of his/her flight. Also setting up shots for birds is a good way of getting great pictures too. Using food to entice them or even a stick strategically placed on a riverbank can reward the photographer with a stunning image of a kingfisher.

Panning photography is certainly an art, but if the photographer studies and learns from initial attempts the end results can be pretty staggering in a relatively short period of time. Keeping the camera steady and smooth at all times is critical to the overall results, and it is even possible to use a mono-pod in some instances for even more clarity, but panning free hand should be mastered first.

Photography is not just a great hobby and interest that people can enjoy and share with each other, it can be seriously relaxing and in some cases therapeutic. Expressing the many aspects of some great photography is myphotographblog.com.

A blog that allows visitors to explore the many boundaries and wonders of modern day photography with some amazing photographs and links for added enjoyment. So whether you are a professional or a complete novice to photography make your way over to myphotographblog.com and be truly inspired.

Clive Anderson

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Eleven surviving whales, measuring up to 6m long, were taken by truck to Flinders Bay on Tuesday and released. Five trucks were involved in the operation One of the eleven had to be put down after becoming distressed and separating from the pod. Six of the ten survivors subsequently beached themselves again about 6km from where they were released.

The huge rescue effort involved up to 180 volunteers, wildlife officers and vets. Full story.

Related story: Whale Stranding on King Island near Tasmania

54 pilot whales and the five dolphins were rescued from the beach and guided out to sea by island residents, volunteers and parks and wildlife staff. One of them cam back onshore again overnight

According to a Tasmanian marine conservation expert, the shape of the sea floor may be partly responsible for a number of whale strandings in the area. They come close to shore and get caught at low tide on the shallow sloping beaches. This is the fourth stranding in Tasmania since November.

In January, 48 sperm whales stranded and died at Perkins Island.  That was the second-largest stranding of sperm whales in Tasmania.

Here is a link to a video of the whale rescue.

• 577 great white sharks caught off New South Wales beaches between 1950 and 2008
• 901 great white sharks caught off  Queensland since 1962.
• Over 45,000 sharks caught in Queensland nets since they were introduced, according to the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries.
• 578 sharks were netted off Queensland beaches, in 2008. Almost half of them over 2m long.
• 1025 sharks were netted off Queensland beaches, in 1988
• 61 people have been killed by sharks in Australia during the past 50 years,
• Last fatal shark attack off Queensland was in January 2006 (believed to have been a bull shark at Amity Point on North Stradbroke Island).
• Largest shark caught off Queensland in 2008 was a 5.3m tiger shark, from off Lamberts Beach in Mackay.

The descriptions (fact sheets) will be added progressively over next few weeks.

Click here for more info on the Freshwater Crocodile (Crocodylus johnstoni)

Click here for more info on the Australian Brush-turkey (Alectura lathami)

Tree Kangaroos spend most of their time in trees and feed on leaves and fruit.  They have long and well muscled forearms with curved claws on the front feet, and short broad hind feet with soft pads to assist with climbing.  They can leap several metres from branch to branch and can jump down to the ground from 15m.

Unlike ground dwelling kangaroos, Tree Kangaroos can move their hind legs independently without hopping in a foot over foot action.

The Australian species have been added to OzAnimals.com.

Click here for more info on Bennett’s Tree-kangaroo
(Dendrolagus bennettianus)

Click here for more info on Lumholtz’s Tree-kangaroo
(Dendrolagus lumholtzi)

On the OzAnimals.com site we also have Goodfellow’s Tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus goodfellowi). This species is from Papua New Guinea, but can be seen in a number of Australian zoos and wildlife sanctuaries.

It has 214 pages and about 400 colour photos. Now there are over 20,000 species of moths in Australia, so this book only covers a small percentage of species. But it is handy for helping to identify the families. For each family it gives the characteristics of that family and some photos of representative species.

Worth a look if you want to know a bit more about Australian moths …

The shot of the bat in flight is neat, and I had no idea that the sandpiper photo was thousands of birds until I read the caption.