In a post that will be somewhat related to what I had talked about last week, I thought it would be appropriate to discus somewhat of a “discovery” (quotes because I actually doubt I’m the first to do this, but it was new to me nonetheless) made while shooting last week: what I will describe as focal panning because I’m not too sure what else to call it. Essentially, the results seen in the attached files are achieved by setting the camera’s shutter slow enough to allow for light painting or an ordinary panning shot, and manipulating the lens’ focal length to cause an effect relatively similar to a panning shot, albeit from a stationary position that somewhat combines the appearance of light painting and motion while not directly resembling either in some cases.
This appears as if it would be something quite interesting if utilized in a manner that fully takes advantage of its effects, a starry sky or streetlights at night for example, and it would certainly be worth examining how different lighting scenarios would impact the results. In this setting I do find the way the leaves are interacting with the background to be particularly successful, although if I were to do this again I would try to emphasize composition a bit more than I did here. I would also be curious to see if a lens with a broader depth of focal length would have a better result, considering the lens used here has a rather short range. In addition, it would likely be worth investigating which, if any, shutter speeds are most effective given the conditions. 
