Motorsport Photography – Ways To A Perfect Picture

Posted on | October 4, 2009 | No Comments

You know the feeling. You buy countless numbers of motorcycle magazines and drooled over the amazing race photos of these crazy fast machines battling it out for that last inch on the race track. You totally psyche yourself up in order to be ready the next time at a race where you’ll be ready to capture some pictures just like in the magazines. You are now officially interested in motorsport photography and ready to rock and roll. Now how is this really accomplished?

1) A DSLR Is A Must

It’s been said that pure talent is enough in most types of photography, with equipment playing a minor role however motorsports is one of the rare exceptions where you definitely need special equipment. A good example would be when a person with pretty good skills can capture a beautiful landscape image with a point and shoot camera however a relative newbie could botch it up with a state of the art DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex). With the motorcycles traveling at speeds in excess of 200mph, all the skills in the world could not help you capture that: You need a DSLR. More specifically it’s the outright speed and control a DSLR offers.

Main features that are important is a high frames per second shooting mode, high-speed auto focus and the near absence of shutter lag. The faster the above the better however even an entry-level DSLR can do the trick these days. A higher end, faster DSLR will just make your life easier. As for lenses, obviously the longer zoom range you have the more options are open to you but that doesn’t mean having a short lens will mean it’s hopeless. Work with what you’ve got and don’t spend too much time dreaming about what you don’t have.

3) Knowing The Track Layout

Unless you’ve been to the track numerous times, it’s critical to explore the track as best as you can to scope out the best possible spots to shoot from. If you have never been to a racetrack at all you will see it’s simple to get caught off guard by the sheer size of the track premises. What you will soon learn is that going from one side of the track to the other can easily be a 20 minute walk or more.

When it’s actually time to shoot the race, you want to know the exact locations you’ll go after you’ve finished capturing all the pictures you wanted at a particular spot. Being unprepared will probably get you stuck in the same place the entire race or you’ll miss numerous laps (possibly even the rest of the race) by walking around trying to discover another spot to shoot from. A race weekend will usually include practice sessions for the racers. You can use them as your practice sessions too.

3) Really Understanding The Sport

Having a good understanding of the sport is not necessary to take great motorsports shots but it can at least decrease the learning curve a bit and allow you to quickly move up the ranks to being a motorsport photographer. For an example, lets look specifically at motorcycle racing. Looking to get a picture of racers dragging their knees? Put yourself in places such as tight, relatively high speed corners to get a good one.

What about a rider tucked in low behind the windscreen? Keep away from braking zones where they need to sit up to prepare for corner entry. Need to capture a stand-up wheelie shot? No one intentionally tries any celebratory antics in the middle of a race, so wait till the end.

It’s possible the above three tips may give you a head start of sorts but what they can’t replace is practice and the inevitable amount of trial and error you’ll endure. Brace yourself for a rude awakening on your first attempt, but once you get acclimated to the speed of your subjects and the capabilities of your equipment all will come together soon enough. Most importantly, have fun!

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photography

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