Le Mans 24hr - advice?

Hallsy

Hallsy

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Andy
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I'm off to Le Mans 24hr this year, my first time, but will be travelling with a few that go year on year.

I thought it would be a good opportunity to get some good pics.

I'll be taking my 300D, 18-55mm kit lens, 55-250mm IS and 50mm f/1.8. I have one 2GB card.

Is there anything else I should consider adding? I was going to take my tripod but was told by someone who had been before that it would probably just be a hinderance.

Any tips from anyone who has been before? Any good places for getting some good shots? Will I find it hard work carrying around my kit, with all the people around, drinking plenty of beer, etc!!??

Secondly, which method would I be best using, MF with pre-focus and panning, or panning using the (difficult to engage) AF servo?
 
Sorry - no space for any more passengers :(

Dellipher - I'll make sure I don't stray too far from a toilet..........or bush ;)
 
i personally would buy more memory, 4gb at least. I know when i got to motorsport events i take at least 700+ pictures.

Also think of power, if your snapping for 2 days, do you have enough batterys?
 
Ah forgot to mention, I've got one good spare battery, and another so-so one.

I think I may buy another 2gb card just in case - oh, and maybe an ND filter.
 
24hours is a long time. i'd be tempted to get another 2 4gb cards if you are shooting raw, you'll soon fill them up. get another battery too just in case....
 
Yep definately more storage or a hard disk or laptop thingy. If you intend to be sober by night fall then a tripod would come in handy, leave it behind in the tent during the day and go and pick it up for the nightshots. Thursday night practice I reckong is one of the best times to get night shots, long light trails etc, not as many people around and you can get a different view from highish up as all of the grandstands are open to all.

You also need to move around a lot, the fences in general are huge but there are places where you can get above, below and through. Last year directly under the vidi wall at the start of the pit straight, theres a wall, that if you're tall enough you can get completely unimpeded views, no fence or anything, cars heading straight at you. But there's loads of spots like that around.

There's loads of shots on my web site here that might give you some ideas.

BTW take sun creme and an umbrella (although surely it can;t rain two years on the trot)
 
Thanks for that mate - and hello to a fellow Suffolk man!!

I'll take a look at your shots in a mo.

We're travelling up friday so will miss the practice :( I don't intend to be in a terrible state all weekend, but I will be on the beer a fair amount I guess!! Just thought carrying about/setting up a tripod would be extra work in an already busy environment.

But I did want to get some light trail shots, might have to find something to lean on!
 
as said more storgae

i took 1200 pics in 6 hours at a car racing event earlier this year and if your there 4 times that i can only imaging lol
 
as said plenty of storage, spare batteries and a charger is handy, I suspect you will use the 50-250 most of the time, i only had MF on film when i last went, using a prefocus point and then panning as the cars went by

Have fun
 
i'll be honest with you. there arent many good places to get shots, there are plenty of fences in the way and even at 5am there are big crowds of people stopping you from getting a good shot. Its a lot of walking too, so dont take too much stuff with you to lug around. Make sure you store your stuff secure and out of site, as there are quite a few theives around, and the chav population is increasing at le mans year on year.
To shoot between holes in the catch fencing you will need a long lens.

but my advice would be this:
leave all your camera equipment at home, take a point and shoot to take pics of your mates doing daft stuff, and enjoy yourself instead of getting frustrated finding somewhere to get a good shot.

see you there!
 
I suggest on top of what you have,

Pro Plus - 2 boxes
Red Bull - 12 Cans
Coffee - Lots

oh and a couple more memory cards too :)
 
shots at dusk of the cars with lights blazing and the brake disks glowing bright orange are stunning - try and get one.

there is also the day before the race when a lot of cars go round a bit of the circuit - very slowly - allowing lots of time to catch the cars.


enjoy :)
 
leave all your camera equipment at home, take a point and shoot to take pics of your mates doing daft stuff, and enjoy yourself instead of getting frustrated finding somewhere to get a good shot.
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That is the best advice you're going to get. Enjoy the event, party hard and look at some shots on the web when you get back.
 
Go on the big wheel!

Don't get too caught up on getting good photos, as there are only a few places you can shoot through the barriers, and they are crowded all the time.

Unless you are at a campsite with allocated pitches try to get there earlier to make sure you have space, we got there on the Thursday last year and struggled to find somewhere!

Go to "the roundabout" and if it is anything like last year waterproofs, umbrella, wellies, wetsuit, snorkel etc are essential!
 
Hmm, so a few are advising to leave my gear at home. That's a tough one, as if possible I wanted to see if I could get some nice shots, but had worried about being a little much for the occasion, or being a target for thieves (not that I'd be stupid enough to leave stuff laying around!).

We are camping on the outskirts friday night, travelling to the track saturday then going back to campsite sunday night. Any sleep, if necessary, will be done in the car. I suppose I could take my stuff with me, then if it seemed like a bad idea just out it back in the car?
 
badgerbaiter said:
bare in mind that the roads are chocca, and after the race on sunday you wont get further than a mile in about 4 hours
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I don't know the exact plans/times, etc but the guys I'm going with go year on year so I'm sure they know what they're doing :)

Thanks for the heads up though :thumbs:
 
I'm a Le Mans Noob as well this year, I can't go until friday but plan to get to Le Mans town for the parade in the evening.

I was thinking about renting a 300mm lens from Lensesforhire.co.uk (Nikon AF-S 300mm f/4 D IF-ED)
Any thoughts on the suitablilty of this lens on a D40 body?
I'm wondering its its going to be worth the effort of hiring it? Although I'll have room for it in my camera bag and as I'll have that with me then am thinking might as well??

We're stopping at a farmhouse about 20 mins drive away from the track - in real terms how long is it going to take to get to the track on Saturday?

Can anyone guide to where the "crowded but good shooting positions are?
 
Getting closer to the event now - really looking forward to it.

Now suggestions for anyone with experience of the race / track?:shrug:
Cheers
Stu:thumbs:
 
This is my sixth year going. Personally I think it's great for photography, but not necesssarily the on track stuff. There's not many places that are very good, everyone knows where they are now, and it could possibly get frustrating and detract from the enjoyment of the party.

There's loads of other stuff going on though, and plenty of exotic cars to shoot. I shot with media accreditation last year, but not bothering this year. It's cool, but at the same time I want to relax with my mates, have a beer or ten when I feel like it, sleep when I feel like it, and be under no pressure. I've been working bloody hard recently and need a rest. But I will definitely take some gear, but I can see my G9 being the most used...
 
my main advice for any sort of event like this is:

"there is no such thing as too much beer"

too little beer yes.. but too much.. no. no such thing.
 
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