My 2018 Motorsport Thread

Nazbit

Nazbit

Nazbit

Soldato
Joined
11 Dec 2004
Posts
3,871
Hi,

One of my goals for 2018 is to improve my motorsport photography. I am planning to attend more events than I have over the last few years and I hope that I can use this thread to learn, pick up some tips and suggestions and that the quality of the images will get better as the year goes on.

I'm currently shooting with:
7D + Sigma 120-300mm f2.8 OS Sport
5D ii + Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS mkii

I've also joined Flickr to host these images, so if you're on there and you have similar interests please feel free to send me a friend request or whatever the equivalent is on there.

Thanks!
 
British GT Championship

These are from Round 1 of the 2018 British GT Championship at Oulton Park, mainly from the Friday test session.

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Various Club Racing

This is a mixture from the various club racing weekends at Oulton Park so far this spring including the BARC and BRSCC meetings.

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Some nice cars and images there. Although a few are out of focus and you need to try to show more motion - like the panning kart shot. I also think that tight framing and crops work but you need to mix it up and show the environment they are racing in too; like the photo of the Porsche crossing the line and the team clapping in the background.
 
Well done for having a project and goal this year, hope it goes well. I like #37 :)

There are a few that look like they are parked on the track ie too fast shutter speed on your panning but I guess that's one of the things you're working on. The crops are a little too tight, it can work in some shots but certainly not so well on side on shots where you want to leave more room in the front of the car so the car has something to move into. Nice start to the season though :)
 
Thanks for the replies so far.

The panning is definitely something that I am working on, with mixed results so far!

Next time I will take a wider lens and also try some wider cropping. I must admit that I do enjoy a fairly tight crop on a nice sharp frontal / quarter view, but this year is about learning and trying new things and improving overall so I'll definitely give it a go.

Hoping to get to another club meet at Oulton probably not tomorrow, probably 14th April and then after that its BTCC at Donington on 28/29th which is a new track for me to explore.
 
Wedge said:
Slow that shutter down and get a little more creative, google Darren Heath for inspiration ;) ... Good Luck!
Click to expand...

This, he's also really good at responding and helping with ideas. Clearly he has access that most of us don't, but he still looks for something different.

37 stood out for me for that reason, the remainder were pretty standard. It isn't easy - I go to F1 testing every year and try to capture something different, but normally come back with the same photos as the previous year.
 
I just recently acquired a 70-200 f2.8 (Sigma version) and one of my goals is also to try and get some more motorsport in my portfolio although living in NI means it's more bikes than cars! One thing I am wondering, how do you fare with panning with your 70-200? It is an absolute beast and I'm not sure I could hold it steady enough to pan - even with the OS. Would some sort of monopod be in order?
 
GMac11 said:
I just recently acquired a 70-200 f2.8 (Sigma version) and one of my goals is also to try and get some more motorsport in my portfolio although living in NI means it's more bikes than cars! One thing I am wondering, how do you fare with panning with your 70-200? It is an absolute beast and I'm not sure I could hold it steady enough to pan - even with the OS. Would some sort of monopod be in order?
Click to expand...

monopods do help i find , but i hand hold a 100-400 mk1 and pan just fine
 
Thanks for all of the replies so far. Off to Donnington for the BTCC this weekend, not been there before.

GMac11 said:
I just recently acquired a 70-200 f2.8 (Sigma version) and one of my goals is also to try and get some more motorsport in my portfolio although living in NI means it's more bikes than cars! One thing I am wondering, how do you fare with panning with your 70-200? It is an absolute beast and I'm not sure I could hold it steady enough to pan - even with the OS. Would some sort of monopod be in order?
Click to expand...

I take a monopod for use with the 120-300 and I do sometimes use it with the 70-200 but I find that I can pan hand held with that. The monopod does help with the weight especially as the day goes on but how useful it is for particular panning shots depends on where you are in relation to the track and angle and speed of the cars. Panning on a monopod forces you to pivot in a slightly different, perhaps less natural way, this is fine in some corners but doesn't suit others, particularly if its a high speed section and you're up close.

Worth the investment if you are shooting all day.
 
Hi,

Here are some pictures from the BTCC at Donington. These are all from the practice and qualifying sessions on Saturday which were fairly wet.

First time at Donington, from reading previous threads it seems like there used to be catch fencing at some corners and not at others. However there is now catch fencing around all of the outer perimeter of the track. There are only gaps for marshal posts and many of those don't making good viewing spots.

There are some places at Brands where you can get right up to the catch fencing and then shoot through it with distant focus and a wide aperture making it invisible, but I didn't find anywhere you can get close enough here.

All of these were taken from the infield, which for now is probably 3/4s free of catch fence but maybe since the MSV take over we will see it around 100% of the track eventually? I guess that they are trying to compete with Silverstone for more international events?

The fence was disappointing but the racing was great and the track was a lot steeper than I'd imagined form the TV with plenty of hills.

I tried to take on board all of the comments that I've had in this thread but the main thing that I tried to focus on to begin with was using a slower shutter speed.

Please let me have your thoughts and comments, good or bad.

Thanks

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Whilst i dont dislike these, I dont find myself stopping for more than a second to look at each one. They are what they are, good pictures of cars going round a track. #47 being my pick of the bunch.

I dont pretend to be an expert at this type of photography, but im guessing you are shooting at 1/100 and above, there is a real skill to shooting at 1/60 and below, I found myself hitting 1 in about 30 attempts to get what I was looking for, But i'd rather hit one shot at 1/20/1/30 etc than 50 at 1/100 as the results are pretty predictable.

Some of my efforts from the cheap seats Silverstone 2017

3gev7.jpg

ercqh4.jpg

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.....and the Great man himself, Darren not me ;)
15p28id.jpg
 
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