Motorsport Photography Anybody?

[Ice]

Don't seem to much people doing motorsports photography. But anyway I just love it....nothing beats capturing a bike going round a corner at a 120kph. well if there are anyone of you doing motorsports photography, pehaps we can exchange some pointers coz I'm only a amatur in this

 

[Jed]

Pop a list of the equipment you are using and I'll come up with something.

 

[Ice]

Well.....currently I'm using a EOS 33 with Canon 100-300mm as well as a Sigma 28-200mm. So far I've gone to Pasir Gudang Race Track in Malaysia....I've already shot about 4 rolls. So far I've only shot during weekdays and on sunday practices. It's the only time I can get really close.

On race day your are only limited to the concrete barriers. I'll post some photos soon so you can tell me what you think

 

[Ice]

These are some of my photos....tell me what you think. Can't seem to get the colors in Adobe to match the actual photograph though.......

 

[Jed]

Hi Ice,

You've got some nice shots, but they're not altogether sharp unfortunately. The second one is unacceptably out of focus, while the other two lack critical focus as well. When you're just starting out, stick to safe shots with a faster shutter speeds. You've achieved a significant amount of panning effect, which can be reduced. A slightly higher shutter speed will help on the sharpness front, of the main subject of course.

I'd stick to the 100-300 and forget the 28-200. Try to get access to more inside corners if you can, these usually pack more impact with the rider leaning in towards you, as in the third shot. Watch your exposure, I don't know if it's the scanning or the printing or the exposing, but somewhere along the way you're losing highlight detail. The blank white patches on the first two shots are unacceptable, and are both a bit overexposed/overprinted anyway.
Otherwise you're doing well. Shoot lots, that will get you more experience and give you more opportunity to capture vital moments -- wheelies, crashes, etc. Being more comfortable with the camera to your eyes will help you get more familiar and help you react better as well.

Good luck! :thumbsup:

 

[Ice]

Hi Jed,

Thanks for all the advice. I've also been trying to get good shot from the inside of the turn, however, due to the speed, it's pretty hard getting a good shot. Anyway here's one from the inside:

Do you have any shutter speeds to recommend for taking racing shot. I would like to catpure the wheels still in motion, but motion blur in the background. So far I've experimented with 1/125 to 1/500. I think 1/125 gives the best result, but suffers a motion blur. I attribute this to my poor panning techniques. Pehaps, I should get a monopod. What do you think?

 

[Jed]

Forget the monopod. At those speeds, with a little lens, you're far better off hand holding. That pic is again a little overexposed and not the sharpest in the world. Practice your panning by taking shots without film in the camera until you feel confident. Practice sessions are good because you have a lot of traffic coming by. Keep panning around the same corner. Another good time to take the bikes is just before the end of the corner when the bikes are just about to get on the gas. 1/125 should be pannable without too much difficulty, so a bit of practice should get you there.

 

[Ice]

Thanks for the tips Jed!! Really appreciate it. You seem to know a lot about race photography. So where so you normall shoot? Maybe we can go on a field trip together someday.

I'm really try to hone my skills so that I'll be better prepared for the Malaysian Wold GP sometime this October

For now, I'm just trying to get my shots to look as good as in the bike magazines;p

 

[Jed]

Hi Ice,

Sorry for the late reply, thread got lost in the mass of posts on clubsnap!
No problem at all, always glad to help out. I shoot very motor sport these days, but I am based in the UK, so shooting together sometime might be a bit difficult... but if I'm ever back in Singapore then I'll give you a shout. I'm fortunate to be able to have shot at places like Brands Hatch and Donington.
Keep going, you're on the right track and I'm sure you'll get better!

 

[sbs99]

Originally posted by Jed
Hi Ice,

Sorry for the late reply, thread got lost in the mass of posts on clubsnap!
No problem at all, always glad to help out. I shoot very motor sport these days, but I am based in the UK, so shooting together sometime might be a bit difficult... but if I'm ever back in Singapore then I'll give you a shout. I'm fortunate to be able to have shot at places like Brands Hatch and Donington.
Keep going, you're on the right track and I'm sure you'll get better!

I would like to learn a thing or two bout this kind of photography....wat kind of heavy duty equipment u need for basics?

 

[Jed]

Depends on what you want to shoot (cars, bikes...), how close you can get (inside the track, outside, spectator stands), the level of competition...

Nothing wrong with a manual SLR where you will probably want to be prefocusing, and with a telephoto zoom in the 80-200mm range if you can get fairly close. Obviously, having a supertele in the 400-600mm range will help you get different shots, but you don't need them to start taking motorsport pics. So too will wide angle lenses for different shots.

 

[Ice]

To sbs99,

Hey if you want, you can come down to the track with me this Sunday. I be going there to take photos