Panning with different shutter speeds

I decided to pick birds as the subject for the exercise which turned out to be quite a challenge as obviously they are difficult to predict and I must have took close to 200 pictures to try to get a few decent ones.I experimented with a range of different shutter speeds and settled on between 1/125 and 1/200. I set the camera on shutter priority so the aperture was on automatic.The backgrounds are not as blurred as I would like but do look a little better if you open up the whole picture.

Shutter speeds

For this exercise I thought I would try to take some pictures of my wife on her push bike at various shutter speeds in our local car park in Swanage.The pictures were taken at shutter speeds of 1/400, 1/100, and 1/20. Personally I like the one at 1/20 which really seems to give the sensation of speed.

Focus at different apertures

For this exercise it took me quite a while to get any part of the train out of focus with the kit lens. It always all seemed to be sharp across the whole length of the train.
I then tried a 50mm lens that I had bought and this seemed to work better. The focus point was half way down the train and one picture was taken at f1.4 and the other at F16. I did take one at f8 as well but could tell no difference between that and the one taken at f16.

Focus with a set aperture

Exercise two

For this exercise I decided to visit the local pier in Swanage. I would have preferred the picture to have no people in it, but Swanage in summer is very busy, and it was impossible to find a time with no people at all around.

Both pictures were taken at F3.5 and as it was a very bright day I experimented with the exposure compensation facility on the camera. I ended up with -0.3ev which seemed to work best for me. I much prefer the picture with the blurred background and sharp foreground. Both pictures were taken with the standard 18-105mm lens.

Focal length and angle of view

For exercise 1 I decided to take a picture of the bandstand in our local park in Swanage. The first picture was to work out the standard focal length, and involved making the object seen through the camera the same size as seen by the naked eye, which gave a focal length of between 55mm and 60mm. Further pictures were taken at the widest angle of view which was 18mm, and at the furthest telephoto setting which was 105mm.

After printing the pictures I returned to the same spot. Holding the first picture up it was slightly less than half arms length to make the printed scene the same as the real scene. At the widest angle of view I was unable to make it the same because the picture was too fuzzy due to having to hold it too close to my eyes. The furthest telephoto setting was beyond arms length so I couldnt make the two images the same.