40 Years of Williams

benjo09

benjo09

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Hi Ben
I don't know if you've just started out taking motor racing photos or if this was the first time you've tried it with F1 cars. Looks as though you may have been in/around Club Corner for these shots. I was at the same event but it was one of those very rare days for me that I watched more of the track action than spending time on photography.
This is a good, clear set of shots and you should be really happy with what you've achieved, particularly if you haven't taken many photos of fast paced cars before.
What I will say - and this comes from years of going to Silverstone - is that the more often you go, the more adventurous you become with your photography to the point that good, clear/sharp shots are no longer sufficient and you increasingly look for something "different" - perhaps panning with lower shutter speeds to give the impression of motion/speed, etc.
I don't know if you're planning to go to just Silverstone or other circuits as well. If Silverstone, what I would say is that I find the "Classic" held late July to be one of the most enjoyable events I go to. Apart from the wide range of cars taking to the track over 2/3 days, your ticket also gives "roving grandstand" access so that you can walk the circuit and benefit from the different views afforded by those grandstands open. If you're interested, let me know and I can always let you know my favourite locations.
Just to add that I am no more than an enthusiastic amateur and I am sure that you may well have more replies from fellow members who are far more experienced than me.
Regards
Stuart
 
Thanks @goinggreynow. It was my second time shooting any kind of motorsport (first was WEC earlier in the year https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/wec-at-silverstone.667532/#post-8004750)

I found the track access quite limited for the Williams day with Club being about the only decent place it seemed (tried Stowe but 300mm wasn't quite enough reach hence a 150-600mm is on the wish list!) The first fw events I've been to I've had my momento hat on, wanting to get a good shot of every car, but editing 200 pictures of the same shot with a different car in is tedious so definitely going to push myself for more unique shots this coming year.

Thanks for the heads up on the Classic. I'm going to push myself to go to a range of tracks and events next year and just watched the highlights from this year and it looks fantastic. Is the full track open including the inner circuit for this event?
 
benjo09 said:
Thanks @goinggreynow. It was my second time shooting any kind of motorsport (first was WEC earlier in the year https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/wec-at-silverstone.667532/#post-8004750)

I found the track access quite limited for the Williams day with Club being about the only decent place it seemed (tried Stowe but 300mm wasn't quite enough reach hence a 150-600mm is on the wish list!) The first fw events I've been to I've had my momento hat on, wanting to get a good shot of every car, but editing 200 pictures of the same shot with a different car in is tedious so definitely going to push myself for more unique shots this coming year.

Thanks for the heads up on the Classic. I'm going to push myself to go to a range of tracks and events next year and just watched the highlights from this year and it looks fantastic. Is the full track open including the inner circuit for this event?
Click to expand...

You're right about the Williams day. We were basically allowed into just a small area of the circuit and a couple of grandstands. Understandable in the circumstances.

Re the Silverstone Classic - I've been going most years since around 2009 and there has always been excellent spectator access. Not every grandstand is open, but a good number usually are. If I recall correctly, this year I sat in grandstands at Club, Pit straight, Village, Wellington Straight, Luffield, Woodcote, Copse and Becketts. If for no other reason, I tend to have a sit down and see what type of view I get and whether it's any good for photography. In addition, I do tend to walk the circuit, usually the outside and anti-clockwise. Re the inner circuit - again, this has been open for the last few years (at the Classic) and I normally walk to the Wing and pits area rather than taking the shuttle bus. It is always very clear where you can and cannot walk. Also, when walking the inner circuit to the rear of the "new" pits, there are a couple of reasonably good locations for photos.

Obviously, things can always change (i.e. what's open and what isn't) and I would suggest you have a good look at both the Silverstone and Silverstone Classic websites. Again and IIRC, I was able to find out details of which grandstands were open in advance of arrival.

Interested by your comments about lenses. I have been using a Canon crop camera with a 70-300 lens and have always found it long enough for my needs. Then again, I tend to do more panning than anything else.

Finally , I understand completely your comment about "momento shots". Up until a couple of years ago, I did exactly the same. Now though - with so many thousand photos on my hard drive - I arrive at the circuit promising myself I won't use a shutter speed faster than "1/xx" (excluding any head-on shots!). Last time out, I think my limit may have been 1/100, but very soon that fell to around 1/40sec. What I sometimes forget, though, is that I need to review shutter speeds depending on where I am on the track, how close to the action, how far zoomed in I am and also the speed of the cars which at the Classic can vary from race to race. With so many photos taken over the years, I am in the position of being fairly relaxed about how many "good" shots I end up with at future events.

IF I'm honest I go to motor races to take photos and not watch the racing. It was never meant to be this way! As long as my camera kit is with me, I feel almost obligated to keep taking photos in case I miss that "special moment". It took a great deal of self control for me to put my camera away for the penumtimate race at this year's Classic but I did it and have to say that for the first time in many years I watched a whole race (albeit 30/40minutes long) and had great fun doing so. I think there is a lesson here for me in the future.

Hope at least some of this is of help.

Kind regards
 
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