Motorsport technical tips

desantnik

desantnik

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Anyone got any good tips for motorsport photography?

I'd be interested in hearing anything you might consider a "gem".

For example, I've been shooting with shutter priority for a while now, but after the Brands day last weekend I have been toying with the idea of manual mode, but am concerned about under/over exposure. Is it worth making the effort to try this?

Does exposure bracketing work or does Murphy's Law dictate the actual shot you wanted will be one of the two incorrectly exposed?? :bang:
 
Oh and can anyone tell me how it is possible to shoot through a catch fence?

Alternatively is there any way of software removing the annoying grey haze of the fence???
 
Try this guide by one of our members. Very usefull i found. edit: Oh acually thats just Brands ... Its here somewhere I'm sure. :)

If your right up to the fence you should find; as long as you stay focused on the vehicles, that the fence disappears (almost), often a little work in paint shop can sort any bigger problems (clone tool) ....if you can set your AF to max distance only, that will stop it jumping onto the fence in that annoying way.
 
Yeah the jumping is bad, but the grey haze is far worse as even a shot that focuses on the car/bike seems to get trashed with it :(

Would a different apperture size fix it? Wider?
 
PRACTICE!

OK, this is just my technique, but I find, especially where catch fences are concerned, that manual is easier. get yourself settled in a nice spot as close to fence as pos, then focus the camera on the bit of tarmac the car is going to be on [hopefully] as you take the shot [in other words, the natural racing line at that point on the circuit, it pays to watch a few laps first to see where it is]., Set a nice shallow depth of field [wide aperture] this will focus out the fence in theory], then use aperture priority just to meter the spot and see what the camera says you should be using shutter wise, then go back to manual. That just gives you a rough idea, because exposure times can vary as the light changes and even for different coloured cars, so that is just a case of getting plenty of shots at slightly different settings to see what works.

Then just pan withthe cars as they come past, and click away. I am not sure my technique is perfect, but I have reached the point where 90% of shots are in focus and exposed about right. I need to learn to slow shutter speed now just to get a little motion blur on wheels, etc, but thats this seasons target! ;)

this is from last year, through a catch fence at silvo - not perfect, I didnt get dof shallow enough to get rid of fence entirely, but I got better with practice

SilverstoneClassic6.jpg
 
What aperture size is "wide" though to you? Obviously it depends on your equipment, which is something I am questioning here - would say being able to get to F2.8 eliminate it totally?

Then the other follow on question would be whether an object the size of a car start to loose depth itself if you open it up that far?

I did some rough calculations and figured its probably always far enough away at least sideways on to all be there tho - I think!!!
 
longer lens for the fences, ive not been since i got my 500mm but im hoping that will allow me to stand where i like rather than just inside the hairpin or near the ambulance station where the international circuit meets the indie layout
 
Hmmmm ok, longer lens eh?

Longer/wider lens is something I've not tried because I don't have either, but maybe next time I shall try my friends 300mm F2.8, that with some TC's should be able to test both theories in one sitting :D
 
My biggest advice is to have a large collection of memory cards, I ended up shooting 6gb at Donnington last saturday.

Everyone has a different way of taking photo's, the method I have just started using is to set my 350D to shutter prioity, and then to manually change the exposure whilst in this mode, so that the pic is just slightly under exposed, I then use Canon's RAw software to correct the exposure when i get home if I feel it is needed. Some of the photos I took last weekend were so bright due to the sun that being under exposed actually made them work.

This is only my way of doing it, so others may and probably will suggest its not the best. A couple of examples of my photos using this method can be found at:

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=23994
 
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