Boeing 747-4BF captured by Z 6II / Z70-200f2.8
Fast is smooth and smooth is fast. This very simple mantra applies 100% to panning and photographing aircraft in flight. The more you practice, the faster you are at panning and the smoother you are at panning. And the sharper your images will become at slower shutter speeds the smoother and faster your are. How do you get to that point? Practice and there’s the rub. The majority of regional and major airports post on the web the arrival and departure times of aircraft. You can look at those times, look at the weather, look at the look and checkout your own schedule and figure out when you can practice that fits you! That’s what I do. It only requires 10-20 minutes of time. I get to the airport, close down the aperture until I reach the slowest shutter speed I want to use for practice and then start shooting the aircraft. The key is doing it once or twice a month. You will be profoundly impressed how good how fast you will become and how sharp your images with this simple approach. Just remember, make it on your time!