Drag Racing?

I am going to Commerce Ga. this weekend for the races. Wondering if anyone

here could give me some tips on photographing burnouts and racing. All i have

ever done is nature so this is a first. Not sure what lens to use, I guess the

only usefull lens I have for this would be the 18-200mm, but this lens is not

at all sharp. What would be a good lens for drag races? Would you use

aperture, shutter or manual?

 

Thanks for any tips

How close will you be to the action?What time of day is the race?....Your 18-200, while you say is not that sharp, may give you acceptable results if you pan the lens with the moving cars...Doing this will give the viewer the feel of speed as the background will blur out but the car will be in sharper focus...Not all photos have to be critically sharp. Make sure to use the largest aperture opening (F3.5)& as slow a shutter speed as possible to achieve this...ND filter can help...If you have a 80-200 F2.8 that would be the better lens yo use though.

 

Scott (Dallas, Ga)

hi Derek ...

 

i have shot a number of local drag races. the key to properly answering you is, "do you have -backstage- privileges? if not, then you are limited to using long primes and zooms.

 

inside the court, i use the 28-70 2.8 predominately. occasionally, i'll bring out the 17-35 2.8 (mostly in the pits). the best shots are from ground zero at 45 degrees in front of or behind the dragsters ... i use a waist level finder (D200/D2x) for this. shooting from behind can be painful because of the debris.

 

if shooting from the stands, i would recommend the 70-200 2.8 VR. shoot from the front, so you can get both dragsters leaving the christmas tree - wait until the moment their rear tires leave the light, as you capture the feeling of competition ... the lights are still on and the tires are smoking.

 

the other spectrum is at the finish line. but honestly, everything AFTER the starting line is BORING, as far as photography goes. of course, if you want to sell photos of the winners, i'd suggest spending a LOT of time at the finish line :)

 

regards, michael

Use shutter priority and set the shutter slow enough (probably not faster than 1/250) so you don't freeze the wheels. If you shoot too fast the car will look like it's standing still. You want to capture the sense of motion with some nice blur in the wheels and background. It takes some practice. Shoot continuous mode and blast away as you pan the car.

 

I keep forgetting to switch back from Aperture mode after shooting int he paddock, etc. and end up without the action look. What I really need is 2 bodies -- one with a 70-200/2.8 VR and the other with a 18-70/2.8 or 17-55/2.8.

 

I've shot ALMS (sports cars) racing with the 18-200 VR with pretty good results, but I think I'm going to replace it with a 70-200/2.8 VR.

Not sure where we are sitting yet. We normally get general seating. I think we will try reserved seating this time. We could still end up with seats a mile away. However, reserved seats are at the start line.

 

If you get reserved seats can you stand at ground level to get photos? I noticed last year that you are real close to the action where you enter the stands at ground level.

Hey Dean, can you handhold that shot? One way or the other I imagine there will be enough smoke to cover up any loss of sharpness. The blurred look is what I am shooting for.

 

I love those close wide angle shots at 45 degrees from behind and down low of dragbike burn outs on ESPN. It would be nice to get that close!

I've just done one race so far with my gear (12 Hours of Sebring). Next race for me is the USGP in June, and then Petit Le Mans in October.

 

I handheld with my 18-200 VR (and a Sigma 150/2.8). I used a monopod with my 300/4 AF-S.

 

I've never been to a drag race so I can't offer anything specific about that form of racing. I'm a sports car and open-wheel road racing fan (ALMS, F1, ChampCar, etc) -- there's not really any smoke with these cars (unless they literally crash & burn).

hi Derek ...

 

our dragstrip is on the circuit ... fortunately, folks that buy tickets can pretty much go anywhere they want. they do have reserved, but they're perpendicular to the start line - personally, i think those shots are less than ideal.

 

as i mentioned and as you've confirmed, the 45 degree and low to the ground shots are some of the best. personally, i hand-hold all my shots.

 

it might be worth it for you to talk to a local paper and ask if they will accept work from you - or at least review your work. if so, they could call in a press pass for you to get on the tarmac. or, if you're good at social engineering, you could swing a pass with the track's folks.

 

regards, michael

If your lens does not give you sharp images, sent it in to be repaired. I had the same problem with mine and after Nikon fixed it, I finally got the results I expected I would get - night and day difference!

 

Try some slower shutter speeds while you are panning your camera with the cars - you should get some interesting effects (VR off).

The location you can shoot from has some bearing on the lens you can use. If you manage to get close, a AF 300mm or a AF 80-200mm will be good.<div></div>

I shot some photos at drag races a few years ago. I used a 70-200 4.0L on my Canon. It worked pretty well if you can get close to the track you can get away with a shorter lens. It was a sunny day and was able to shoot at 1/2000 which at the time I thought was great. After looking at the photos as home I wished I had used a slower shutter speed. All the cars just looked like they were sitting on the track with no sense of movement. If you can get down close to the track you will get your best shots of the burnouts. Shutter priority would probably be best since you are shooting something moving.

 

As for the lens not being sharp, I just shipped mine off to Nikon today for the same reason. I have owned it for a month and have yet get a photo I wanted to keep with it, very soft.