Rallying - Speyside Stages

drfrallyphotos

drfrallyphotos

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Dan Forsyth
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Hello everyone,

This weekend I am going to the Speyside Stages Rally in Elgin. I was hoping to try a few panning shot. I haven't really ever tried these before so anychance someone could give me a few tips on them?
My kit is a Nikon D40X with 18-55 Kit lens or a Sigma 55-200 len.


Also anyone going to this Rally?

Cheers Daniel
 
I'm going to this mate.. will be borrowing my dads 50-500 hopefully, will be at cooper park in the morning and will be at a few stages hopefully. Using it as a practice before the BTCC the weekend after.. Might go out some week night to practice on unsuspecting cars.

This is the first time i'll be using my SLR at a motorsport event.
 
Ugh, I'd like to go to that, but the Superbikes are at Knockhill this weekend.

Panning shots...let's see....

ideally you want to be at around 1/320 (some people will say slower, but 1/320 will give you a better chance of getting some good shots). I've seen it suggested in the camera mags that you shoot in aperture and let the camera select the speed :thinking: but this is tosh. Shoot in Shutter priority at 1/320 or even up to 1/640 (although it won't give you such a dramatic shot) and start following the car well before the point you intend to take the shot at. When you press the shutter KEEP panning, don't stop where you hit the button and you should get a nice sharp shot with the background blurred.

Why not go out and try some practice shots with the traffic beforehand if you can? Don't wear a hi-viz jacket though - drivers tend to slow down when they see someone in one of those pointing a camera at them :lol:
 
drfrallyphotos said:
Hello everyone,

This weekend I am going to the Speyside Stages Rally in Elgin. I was hoping to try a few panning shot. I haven't really ever tried these before so anychance someone could give me a few tips on them?
My kit is a Nikon D40X with 18-55 Kit lens or a Sigma 55-200 len.


Also anyone going to this Rally?

Cheers Daniel
Click to expand...

Shutter speed of 125 ish aperture of anything from f5.6 to f11,set continuous shooting on your camera,i find using the longer lens makes it that bit easier, and plenty of practice ,what i sometimes do is stand at the side of any main road and try panning using different settings .Hope this helps,i'm sure you'll get more help on here soon enough, have fun.:thumbs:
 
leon1p said:
I'm going to this mate.. will be borrowing my dads 50-500 hopefully, will be at cooper park in the morning and will be at a few stages hopefully. Using it as a practice before the BTCC the weekend after.. Might go out some week night to practice on unsuspecting cars.

This is the first time i'll be using my SLR at a motorsport event.
Click to expand...

Graeme, drop me a pm re the BTCC, if you're going early enough I'll give you a few pointers trackside. I'll probably be there Friday, Saturday and Sunday :cuckoo:
 
Daniel.. never spied your location before.. if you want you can photograph me driving about :lol:
 
leon1p said:
Daniel.. never spied your location before.. if you want you can photograph me driving about :lol:
Click to expand...

Do you live in Elgin too?

Thanks everyone for such a quick reply! Cheers!
I have attached a panning shot fromthe Snowman rally earlier this year is that a good enough panning shot?

ISO-400 Shutter Speed-1/60


Daniel
 
Won't make it this time, first I'll have missed for a good while :(

I'll need to shift this into the general section as well, the threads in here are really supposed to be for images rather than general discussion :)

Have fun at the weekend :thumbs:
 
drfrallyphotos said:
Do you live in Elgin too?

Thanks everyone for such a quick reply! Cheers!
I have attached a panning shot fromthe Snowman rally earlier this year is that a good enough panning shot?

ISO-400 Shutter Speed-1/60


Daniel
Click to expand...


spot on for me :thumbs:
 
Crap - forgot that was on this weekend as well:) I'm going to the hillclimb/sprint at Fintray instead. Although I could do the rally on Saturday, and hillclimb on Sunday...

Anyone got stage details handy, other than Cooper Park?
 
Not yet.. I'll be able to tell you when I get prog through the door though.
 
As it's your first time my advice would be to start with a high shutter speed, somewhere in the 250 region and start panning with that. Then as you start getting more and more keepers then start stopping it down you'll be surprised by just how low you can get it stepping it down this way.

Aside from the panning issue for general rally shots I just tend to wander about a lot and try to change my elevation as much as possible. Shots taken form where most spectators are standing at head height generally will look quite dull so I move about a lot. I also try to include a lot of the surrounding scenery to give the shots a bit more of a setting. I find close cropped rally shots fairly boring for the most part as it's just a tight crop of a rally car which could be driving down a famous stage or it could be rolling down to the start line. If im going for a tight crop I will generally try to have something of interest so it's not just a head on or 3/4 of a car.

Lens wise i've used a very wide range of them before at rallys everything from 10mm to 600mm (300 + 2x), my most used range is 70-200 with the occasional use of the 300 if I cant get reasonably close without being in a dangerous position.

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I think I'll remember the advice about adding more to the picture.. all your pictures demonstrate that brilliantly.
 
I'm going up to SS5 and SS8 on Gartly Moor - should hopefully be meeting Graeme there:)

If you're making it down that far Daniel, if you're heading down that way, give us a shout...

Alasdair
 
reddeathdrinker said:
I'm going up to SS5 and SS8 on Gartly Moor - should hopefully be meeting Graeme there:)

If you're making it down that far Daniel, if you're heading down that way, give us a shout...

Alasdair
Click to expand...

Yea thats what my plan for tomorrow is too

Cooper Park / Whiteash then out to Garty for the double run.
I'll have on my Speyside Stages Polo Shirt (Black with a red/yellow coller, 63 car club logo on the arms) if you see me give me a shout :D
 
I'll wear a pink carnation.. see you under the clock ;)

Unsure what I'm wearing.. probably a bench hoodie if it's dry and i'll have a black backpack somewhere.
 
I'll be fairly noticable - D300 with the Sigma 100-300mm f/4 (and lens hood) on top a rather chunky Manfrotto monopod:)

I'll keep my eyes peeled!
 
I always snigger when I see the togs with huge lenses.. "Do you think they are compensating for something?" sorta thing. Tables have turned now :D

I should have a Sigma 50-500 and be fiddling with settings and cursing because my photos are blurred.

Anyone going to scrutineering tonight in elgin?
 
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