Ralph Schumacher (GER) ToyotaF1

Would you mind sharing you impressions?

Congratulations on getting this one of the great man himself. Good panning job Cristi. I've never photographed Formula One myself but I have seen them. They just flash by so fast that I imagine it's no easy matter to nail one like you have here. I'd be interested to know any settings that you used. Kind regards, Neil

Thank you, Neil, for you kind comments. They are pretty fast, indeed. Here they were exiting the pit stop lane and especially on friday, a free practice day, they were varying the speeds and accelerations a lot. I had set my camera on shutter priority and used a shutter speed between 1/250s and 1/400s. This one here was on 1/250s, F14, 220mm and ISO 400. I had to increase the ISO speed because of the lens: on that friday it was a bit cloudy and the maximum aperture is f5.6 on the long end of my lens.

 

Besides, I really tried my best to make do with the position and equipment I have had available. The position itself was great for panning (in the stands that is) and the equipment was up to the task within limits of course; a press pass is next to impossible to obtain for a non-professional; the rules are draconian in F1; as for a dream lens... well maybe some other time :) . Even so, IMO, it was worth it and then some. You should try to go next year. It is a unique experience and a must for a motorsport enthusiast with a camera :)

 

All the best, Cristi