Motorsports photography?

[chriswood_7]

Hi guys,

As some of you may know I posted looking for advice on getting into photography. I have been taking pictures for around 4 years now, and my general area of interest is motorsports. My first two cameras I got to grips with and now made the jump up to EOS 400D (with std 18-55mm kit and 90-300mm lens). My question is are there any other motorsports photographers on the forum, and if so, what type of kit do you use? Im keen to find out more information on any further kit I need, or maybe just some pointers/advice on how to capture clean, clear and crisp high speed photographs (i.e. shutter/iso settings etc)

I was at Oulton Park during Sat, Sun and Mon and took a large amount of pics and probably got around 250 pics (only 20 or so are really good). The biggest difference I find with the EOS 400D is the Servo mode which quickly changes the focus on a moving subject (took me most of my first day there to figure that one out).

Anyways, your advice and help is appreciated. Please find below a selection of my better pictures. Constructive critisism welcome

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...l_IMG_0595.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...l_IMG_0508.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...l_IMG_0347.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...l_IMG_0211.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...l_IMG_0196.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...d_7/skippy.jpg

Cheers,

[Hans Voralberg]

Great pics Im not into this so kit wise I cant give you any advice as such, but I think a faster lens would benefit in term of DOF may be ?

[IBM]

Some great shots there....very impressed with several, number three especially (although the blur bottom left spoils it a tad).

You should really watch you're taking a level shot when it's got stuff in the background to make it too obvious, as in no. 5. That building in the background ruins a great action shot. There's some real drama and challenge in that pic.

Anyway, much respect for being able to get anything good when your subject matter is travelling at the speeds those guys get up to. Very impressed.

[chriswood_7]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the advice and critisism. I fully agree with your comments, I found that some of my shots were spoiled by trying to take shots in between fences/people/barriers. That picture spoiled by the blur in the bottom left is actually the very top of one of the marshals hats up at lodge corner (between two fences). I suppose with a bit of photoshopping I could get that sorted

I agree about the building in the background, it kind of spoils a few of the shots. I have a few better ones, but generally there all of the same thing. I must admit the picture quality is much much better than my old standard (which was still excellent) but I suppose thats what your paying £500+ for...

Cheers

[chriswood_7]

Oh, another quick question...

I noticed alot (if not all of the serious type photographers) using a lens hood with their kit. Would it be an advantage for me to invest in one? What benefit would it give me by reducing the amount of sunlight that gets into the lens?

Thanks,

[Butcher]

A hood can help reduce lens flare (if you're getting a lot) and also helps protect the lens from hitting things.

[Zak33]

Oh, another quick question...

I noticed alot (if not all of the serious type photographers) using a lens hood with their kit. Would it be an advantage for me to invest in one? What benefit would it give me by reducing the amount of sunlight that gets into the lens?

Thanks,

Its to stop the light flaring off the lense, and making the pictures go a whitish shade, with a lense flare (as per all PC games for last 10 years, who have deliberately ADDED it in cos it's cool!)

ISO - Higher number = faster film (even on digital), so capable of taking split second shots and reducing blur, BUT grainier, as the light is collected faster on larger areas of the sensor

ISO - lower, = slower film, but finer, less grain, sharper IF you're in focus.

Shutter Speed= FASTER the better for grabbing a crisp shot but needs a lot of light, as it'll literally be open for 1/200h of a secod or less.

The faster the subject matter, the quciker the shutter needs to be and therefore the brighter the sun must be or the higher the ISO needs to be (making it grainer)

HOWEVER.... a larger aperture (lower F number) will allow more light in but your depth of field will be much shallower, so you need to be pre focused on the right depth (ie on the previous motor bike to come through, you need to focus, and then pray the next bloke comes through the same distance from you)

This will also blur the foreground & background as it'll be out of focus (DOF)

Lastly....this is the part that makes a good photographer (and claypigeon shooter actually)...you need to learn to PAN with the subject.

That way you can take a slightly slower shot (1/50 or even less) and it'll be sharp but the background will be blurry.

The better you get...the slower you can make it, and the more blurred the background and the more light you can get in, hence a lower ISO and a finer picture.

LAst but not least.....set the F number uber high for a tiny aperture, put camera on tripod on dark corner of street, set the ISO for very slow (100) and open shutter for several seconds, using a timer or a remote, so you dont touch the camera & jog it...

you'll get all the headlights blurred past, but the ground, road etc in uber sharp detail

[RavenNight]

A lens hood is almost always a good idea, it protects your lens (in busy crowds, rain/spray) But most importantly it makes your camera look awesome! Nothing like strolling up beside people with camera phones and compacts and pulling out a monster telephoto and a huge hood!

[Hans Voralberg]

Yeah even in the odd occasion when it serves no purpose what so ever it help to impress the female models Lens hood looks cool, like you gonna poke ppl with your lens so they stay away and make space.

Kudo to Zak for all that info to arrive @ Panning, i was like wtf? for a few secs before i can figure out what he's trying to say

[Bobster]

a lens hood will also aid in keeping the contrast in a picture

for motorsports you want to be shooting as slow as possible 1/125-1/200 to keep the sense of motion in the wheels, there's nothing like frozen wheels to ruin a motor sport photo.. face on you'll want 1/500+ to help keep the rider/car in focus - and don't worry about f stop, the motion / focal length of the lens will take care of the background

you did well with shooting @ 1/200 for your first time out with the 400D

[Tarffie]

Fixed =)

[chriswood_7]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the advice everyone. My next race meeting is at Croft up in North Yorkshire, so I cant wait to get down and get the camera out

Is there a way to increase or maintain the sharpness of the picture or is that part and parcel of mastering panning. Its much easier to pan with the 400D than any other camera ive used before, it feels much more natural. However I still suffer with a bit of jerk, im sure this will get better and better

I think ill invest in a lense hood, are the canon type better to go for? Or is there a 3rd party company just as good?

Thanks guys

[Funkstar]

An image stabilising lens can help a lot too.

Most of them have a mode that you can pan one way and it will only try to stabilise in the other axis. So if you are moving left to right, it helps keep a stable up and down.

[Butcher]

You can (and should) do some sharpening in photoshop (but not too much). Other than that just smooth panning and making sure the focus is right.

[chriswood_7]

Just been playing with my camera trying different settings and colours

Decided to take off my watch and try some low shutter speed with low aperture, any pointers?



I like the way the second hand has 4 ghosts,

Advice welcome, Cheers

[chriswood_7]

Well, just back from another "motorsport" weekend, a bit sunburnt and sore. The BTCC came back to Croft so I couldnt resist my local circuit, and loaded up with the 400D (and a new monopod might I add) I was happily snapping away all weekend.

Thanks for all the advice you guys gave me, Im still learning but my pictures have improved since Oulton Park in May. However, I still seem to be lacking that "sharpness" I was hoping for, but I think to get that sort of image I would have to invest hundreds of ££, so for now I think ill have to stick with mine

Pictures to follow when I get home tonight