Motorsport photography - Saxperience

Ryan^p · 21st January 2008, 17:46

Right as alot of people on the forum are getting cameras/SLRs there seems to be alot of interest into motorsport photography. I dont claim to be the best but here are a few tips from what ive picked up over the last 2 years.

setting the camera up, for motorsport most people will need to use TV mode on an SLR as they are not confident in full manual. I also advise setting the camera up on AI servo function with a center point focus system. This will help track the cars are speed as most of the images people take are center frame, obviously for more creative stuff you can move the focus points about. I usually aim to shoot at iso 100 for image quality, but for example the british weather or trees dont allways make this possible, and so you will need to adjust the iso accordingly to keep the shutter speed you want.

Panning
one of the most fun shots imo, and really shows the speed of the vehicle (if the shutter speed is correct) the shot is mostly a side on shot and the aim is to move/pan with the vehicle staying in the frame. This is where AI servo will help as on most slrs you will have the button depressed half way to track and autofocus on the vehicle, until you depress the button fully to take the image. Panning at the speed of the vehicles and maintaining the vehicle in full frame can be hard at first as you need to get your body used to moving in syn with the car. For most shots id advise setting the camera to 1/125 of a second for a good crispt shot that shows speed. However for faster vehicles (say an F1 car) you might need to go faster, and obviously the more confident you get the slower you can go with the shutter to show more speed in the image. At a shutter of 1/125 the aperture is such that the car will be mostly all in focus, if not all, and due to the speed have blurred wheels and back ground.

a few pans.

if you want to get a bit more creative with angles

Head on shot
at most places you are shooting through a fence, so if your lens has it set it to the maximum distance for focusing, (some canons are 1.5 or 2.5M) to avoid it trying to focus on the fence. The camera for a head on shot will usually need a faster shutter speed, ranging from 1/320 - 1/500. Same as before pick the car up early and use the AI servo to track the car coming towards you, once you feel you are happy with the framing hit the shot. This shot you will tend to get alot in braking zones, and so smoke/flames/crashes can be caught if you are on the ball.

Head on shot in the trees

you can also make use of the viewing places and slopes of tracks to get a slightly different shot of the vehicle head on, from above. This can be alot harder to track as you may be moving all over the place, and sometimes if you have an image stabilised lens it may throw a spaz on you.

the 3/4 shot
This is very similar to the head on shot, but obviously can create alot more depth to the image as you have more vehicle in shot, and can have the ability to show more speed. For shutter speeds i try and use 1/250-1/320 but can adjust either way depending on speed. As with all AI servo to track the car, from the right angle you can get the vehicle entering or exiting a corner for a cool shot. The technique is very similar to panning as you have some form of side angle in your shot.

Through the TV flap at clearways (brands hatch)

you can get more creative again the more confident you get.

If you have the right focal length you can also play with some cropped shots from this angle, focusing on wheels/helmets etc..

Thats the basics for now, i will add more when i get time. Remeber this is just a guide and you should play with your camera/speed settings to find where you are comfortable.

Ryan

Barry123 · 21st January 2008, 17:49

remember to add the bit about if you're crap at it, you get an IS lens

Viper · 21st January 2008, 17:52

you can show me what you mean when i see you in london

but for people who understand all the technical jargon, thats a good guide, with some very good pics!

Ryan^p · 21st January 2008, 17:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by adsayer

remember to add the bit about if you're crap at it, you get an IS lens

remeber to add the bit even with IS adam still couldnt get sharp pics on low shutter speeds like me

Barry123 · 21st January 2008, 18:00

remember to add the bit adam only had 2 mins to work out how to use the bloody thing

Ryan^p · 21st January 2008, 18:02

stop spamming my guide you fuckers or ill have to delete it and start a new thread!

Jungle_Jim^m · 21st January 2008, 18:08

Great guide mate, i found for panning shots that its easier to track one part of the car, for instance if you follow just the wing mirror then the rest of the will be sharp (depending upon aperture) where as if you just try to pan the whole car in the frame it is quite easy to end up moving it up and down, making the final image ruined with camera shake

Edit: to clean the thread use the moderation drop down box mate on the right handside below the final post, then if you tick the post it can be deleted or merge etc etc etc

Ryan^p · 21st January 2008, 18:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jungle_Jim

Great guide mate, i found for panning shots that its easier to track one part of the car, for instance if you follow just the wing mirror then the rest of the will be sharp (depending upon aperture) where as if you just try to pan the whole car in the frame it is quite easy to end up moving it up and down, making the final image ruined with camera shake

the number on the door is a great place to. The lock on seems to be good there from what ive found, why center point focus tends to work well as 90% of the time this is center frame.

I know about cleaning thread, just thought id tell em to shut it

mattchewone · 12th May 2008, 12:13

Great guide Ryan only just noticed this.

Audrey_D · 12th May 2008, 12:31

I prob should have read this before yesterday. Didnt even notice it

Shellz · 8th August 2008, 23:26

I think i understood it.

Will see what happens at Bruntingthrope on Sunday!

jus_tin · 18th March 2009, 21:10

those pictures are f*ckin sick mate... love em.... so much so i think i just creamed my pants - whoops...

Nick_T · 18th March 2009, 21:27

Im more swayed towards rally photography than track photography (probably due to the fact when i go to a track im usually on it

)
Got a few rally pics:

Ryan^p · 18th March 2009, 21:31

Care to explain how a photo of a stationary vehicle and a driver is going to help people set up for moving shots nick

Nick_T · 18th March 2009, 21:38

Only 1 is stationary

plus a driver but there are more aspects to motorsport than moving cars.
For example:

Ryan^p · 18th March 2009, 21:51

so a driver and a car shot are both still shots

Its guide mate, not a share photos thread. If you are that keen on posting, add settings and explanations to help members as thats what this he here for

Nick_T · 18th March 2009, 22:03

Yeah ok mate understood, i'll add some settings tomorrow, in the mean time i'll remove the stills haha

Ryan^p · 18th March 2009, 22:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick_T

Yeah ok mate understood, i'll add some settings tomorrow, in the mean time i'll remove the stills haha

coolio, add the settings and explanations so everyone can read and understand. Tis what a guides for

c7borg · 3rd June 2011, 09:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick_T

Im more swayed towards rally photography than track photography (probably due to the fact when i go to a track im usually on it

)
Got a few rally pics:

Not sure if you're still around but was a couple of those pics from the ypres rally in belgium? I've marshalled there a few times beautiful town square!