Comments on: Photographing MotoGP Races

By: Merryl

Merryl — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 03:11:04 +0000

Thanks for this post. We went to the Philip Island GP last year and my 14yr old son was closest to the fence, so he took my camera and did the shooting. At that stage I hadn’t graduated to a DSLR -just had a decent Kodak point and click. He took some fabulous photos by simply pannning – even won 1st prize in the junior division for photography at the local show. I was very proud of his efforts as he persisted with checking his results and correcting from there. So to all who are trying this for the first time – practice, practice, practice!

By: Gary

Gary — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 18:33:31 +0000

Great post! As a motorsports blogger, I recently picked up a Panasonic DMC FZ-8. I figured it was one of the better point and shoots, with lots of frames per second and quick shutter response. I made the right choice, but as a neophyte photographer, what a steep learning curve!

Last weekend, I spent 2 days at the Steelback Grand Prix in Toronto shooting and had some results that I’m really happy with from the pits. The on track stuff is going to take a lot of practice, but it’s fun practice!

You can see some of my pics from last weekend here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thegarage/sets/72157600719247303/

By: David

David — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 00:55:53 +0000

Thanks Dave! Inspiring article – to sheddy above – a VR lens is really helpful for handheld, especially in low light.

By: Shirley

Shirley — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 17:24:21 +0000

I appreciated this article. As an amateur, I have had difficulty with motion shots. I am not into this sport, but I thought it was geared toward people like me.

Thank you!

By: JACalvo

JACalvo — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 07:10:47 +0000

I got some nice shoots in Jerez this year.
Look them at http://www.jacalvo.com
(there’s a direct link in the home page to the Jerez gallery)

By: RamÃ³n Burgos-RuÃz

RamÃ³n Burgos-RuÃz — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 23:16:49 +0000

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I can’t wait for Barry’s sensational photography!
That said, thanks Dave for thinking about others and providing tips and your take on MotoGP photography.

By: Andrew Ferguson

Andrew Ferguson — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 22:39:26 +0000

Thanks for clarifying on the settings, Paul & publicenergy.

By: Cash

Cash — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 20:30:47 +0000

@Fraser and Dave, thanks for taking the time to clarify my doubts…..I am not sure if I can try these techniques out directly at the races, but will certainly practice these on vehicles in the street and see how good results I can get……so those photo lenses might have to wait a bit…….as a hindsight, as Dave says, a photo lens decreases one’s exposure……i.e. easier to use longer shutter speeds…better panning effect…(being optimistic!!)
Thanks again!

By: sheddy

sheddy — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 11:03:53 +0000

Nice post – as a keen motorcyclist and (very) amateur photographer who visits his local club races in search of that elusive top-draw action shot, I read this post with interest – I’d love to hear some more advice on shooting motorsport!

In my experience a monopod is definitely the way to go, especially with long focal lengths as it makes the tracking a lot easier than a tripod, even one with a pan head. I’ve found that tracking the bikes with the shutter half pressed is definitely the best way to get a sharp shot and although it may sound obvious zooming in as far as you can on the LCD once the shot is taken is great advice. I know from experience -the first meet I went to consisted of mostly blurred shots…

I’d be keen to hear of anyones’ experiences on shooting motorsport with a VR lens and the advantages (if any) as I’m seriously considering getting one for my D70.

By: Fraser

Fraser — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 09:28:57 +0000

I was at knockhill for the BSB on Sunday and was lucky enough to get close to a guy from double red, by zooming in on his 30D i could poach his cameras settings. This proved a good tactic as some of the shots i got were really crisp. I’ve not processed them all yet, so i’ve no examples to show yet…sorry.

From my time taking pictures at MTB races and MX the most valuable piece of advice i was given is to move the focus to the AE lock button if you shoot with a 20D or 30D, this way you can lock the Exposure with the shutter release and then change your focus and composition. this makes a huge difference if you have a lot of grass or sky in your images.
On the 20D this is custom function 14. Nikons have this as default i think – any Nikon shooters want to clarify? -

Also when panning, if a monopod is not feasible i use the Armco or the fence and rest one elbow on it and use that as a pivot.

Oh and at British races make sure you have plastic bags and cloths aplenty, you’ll need them for protecting your kit from the elements.

Here are my settings from Sunday:
Manual – for stopping the action.
ISO 200, 800, F5.6, Servo mode, partial metering.

Aperture priority – for capturing the motion.
ISO400, F4, Single shot, partial metering

I’ll post my results when i get a chance to process them.