time to shoot some old cars.

[scott_lewis3]

In less than two weeks at Hockenheim F1 track is the Jim Clark

revival. I�m well hyped and will spend the wholes weekend shooting.

 

http://www.jimclark-revival.com/en/home/

 

I have a Dynax 7 and 7D plus several lenses ranging from 19 to

500mm. Any one here have a lot of experience in the field of motor

sport that could leave a few tips. Thanks

[nick_evans1]

Hello some free tips :o)

 

Corners are good as the cars slow down making for interesting action shots.

 

Cars coming towards you are easier to track, make sure your AF is on continuous.

 

500mm lens can be used but due to the narrow field of view will make panning and tracking fast moving cars tricky, I use 200mm or 300mm and can fill the frame with the cars

 

Watch the light espically if you are shooting in a shaded area. I look for a mid tone off the track, set the camera on manual then shoot (works 8 out of 10 times) where the light is more even I let the camera sort it out

 

If you stand on the inside of the corners you'll get the driver / rider leaning in.

 

When looking through the viewfinder, have BOTH eyes open, its amazing how much more you see.

 

Panning is good, experiment with different speeds, starts are good, but panning is tricky on the very fast straights.

 

If your using film take loads and fire away, don't be sparing, likewise with digital. When you get your pictures back look and learn for the next time. Any you like blow them up and hang them on the wall,or get them on the web..

 

19mm lens on film will be good if you can get into the pit area, and go for closeups of engines, bodywork, look for candids of people working on the cars or drivers talking to each other.

 

Be polite, if you ask nicely then people will happly pose for you (most of the time, unless they have crashed or lost the race)

 

You can get more people shots when the drivers are on the podiums receiving there prizes.

 

Have a quick search around the web to see how other people shoot these events then you can look for vantage points around the circuit (there must be loads from Hockenheim as it has been used for F1 races)

 

I am sure there is more but lunch time has finished

 

HTH and have fun

 

Nick

[sknowles]

Best suggestion I can make is go on the preliminary days for better access (buy a pit pass if it's available) and the lessor races where the crowds are smaller. From what I've seen of the track on TV it's not the same as when I was there for sports car races in the early 1960's (sadly) and far harder to find easy places to photograph with the runoff areas and fences. Back then the outer areas weren't well guarded, didn't have much if any safety barriers, and you could get close to the track. And Jim Clark was a great driver, I saw him in several GP's. Ah, the memories, thanks. Take your telephoto lenses, and good luck.

[andykowalczyk]

I assume you will just have a regular admission and not any special press privileges. Looking at the ticket descriptions it seems that all the special VIP options give you access to hospitality venues but no special access to the "action". Because of safety concerns, pit access is more and more restricted, but paddock access is the place for good closeups of cars and drivers.

 

At these events people will drive their antique and collector cars to the event. Most of the marquee clubs will have reserved areas just for their own brand. So this becomes a kind of impromptu concourse d'elegance, with all the old Ferraris over here and all the old Porsches over there and all the Morgans under that tree, etc. A wonderful chance to get pictures of these older cars.

[harry_voutsinas]

I have shot alot of sports car racing. Thses races allow spectators to walk to differt parts of the track,rather then have to sit in a seat. I recently shot the 12 Hours of Sebring race with a Minolta 5D and a Tamron 28-200mm, and Minolta 100-300mm lenes.

On the fast straights, I pre-focus on the spot that i want the car, and then I wait for the car ,and pan as soon as it appears. I then press the shutter just before the car reaches the pre-focused point.It is important to continue the pan after you press the shutter so as not to jerk the camera.I have gotten sharp pictures as slow as 1/125 sec, with a very blurred background, but this takes practice. You might start at 1/250 sec. I get lots of bad shots, but it's great to see what i got right away, and can erase the bad ones. I used to throw aay a lot of exposed film.

Other folks have allready given you good advice,so i won't repeat it.

Wear good shoes and walk alot to differt parts of the track. I walk about 7 miles at Sebring,but it is a 12 hour race.

I have posted son=me of my racing pictures on Photosig.

Good shooting.

Harry<div></div>

[andykowalczyk]

Harry

Great shot of the Lola. It's almost 3-D, I get dizzy staring at it.

 

Usually the Armco barriers in the background of pictures is so distracting, but in this picture the way the barrier lines up with the wing and that the colors are a perfect match for the colors on the car, it just works well.

 

Scott, remember to stay hydrated!

[TomHildreth]

When I stay away from 1/500, shooting panned shots in the 1/60-1/250 range, I like the results.<div></div>

[TomHildreth]

That shot above was taken with a Minolta X-370 and the old 300mm MC Rokkor-X f4.5 lens.