Calling motorsport togs

marko

marko

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Mark
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My brother has got a new light meter and we were testing it out by trying different modes on the camera i.e. aperture shutter and manual.
We came to the conclusion that manual exposure was best every time.
(We were doing still life with two flash guns.)
So I fancy trying manual at motorsport, so how can you get the right exposure on the day.
Do you use a light meter on the day and how.

Cheers
:thinking:
 
I'm not specifically a motorsport tog, but I did mess about with a light meter a couple of years back when photographing speeding beasts...

They are great when the weather is pretty stable, and the spot you are standing is getting the same light as your subject. Otherwise you'll be taking a new reading and changing settings every few minutes. Not what you need on the day.
 
And you can't really venture out on track - even if you have press access the Marshalls will only permit you to cross the track between sessions. At least you have the histogram and review screen to examine and adjust accordingly.
 
i bought a Polaris light meter a few years ago but never got round to using it properly always just rely on the camera
 
I ges it a no no with the light meter then, I thought ther might be a way of doing it.
 
In terms of using manual priority the only real way to go with motorsport is to use the laps to your benefit. The vehicles come round past you on a regular basis so that gives you the opportunity to take a shot on either aperture or shutter priority, check the montior and then make fine adjustments on manual priority until you're happy with the tones.

Motorsports subjects come in varying sizes, shades and levels of "buffed-ness" (i.e. highly polished bodywork) and this does play havoc with 'auto' settings. Manual priority gets you around this.

Your downside with manual is the light in the UK never stays consistent so you always find you get engrossed with your subject matter and your compositions to then find out your shots are over or under exposed cos the light's changed without you noticing.

To be honest, I got so hacked off messing shots up because I was concentrating more on the important stuff like the action, my positioning on-track and the compositions, that I mainly used Shutter and Aperture. Manual only got dragged out if the lighting was that dodgy that it was the only way to get the subject exposed properly at a particular moment.
 
CopeImages said:
In terms of using manual priority the only real way to go with motorsport is to use the laps to your benefit. The vehicles come round past you on a regular basis so that gives you the opportunity to take a shot on either aperture or shutter priority, check the montior and then make fine adjustments on manual priority until you're happy with the tones.

Motorsports subjects come in varying sizes, shades and levels of "buffed-ness" (i.e. highly polished bodywork) and this does play havoc with 'auto' settings. Manual priority gets you around this.

Your downside with manual is the light in the UK never stays consistent so you always find you get engrossed with your subject matter and your compositions to then find out your shots are over or under exposed cos the light's changed without you noticing.

To be honest, I got so hacked off messing shots up because I was concentrating more on the important stuff like the action, my positioning on-track and the compositions, that I mainly used Shutter and Aperture. Manual only got dragged out if the lighting was that dodgy that it was the only way to get the subject exposed properly at a particular moment.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that ill give it a go at a track day in manual but me thinks on race day aperture and shutter speed will be the best option as I don’t think ill catch a descant photo all day otherwise.
 
surely digital takes away the need for a light meter, you can just chimp?
And if you shoot RAW you can move one stop exposure up or down to cover the changing light levels as long as you check frequently
 
I gave up trying to shoot in manual at Knockhill as the light changes so quickly - I find shutter priority keeps my blood pressure down :lol: I can't really see the point in using a handheld light meter though...
 
I try and keep things fairly simple so as not to miss too much of the action.

For panning shots I use Shutter priority setting the shutter speed based on the place I am standing and the speed of the vehicle as they pass me. I also use shutter priority if I want to capture the action using a high shutter speed.

For still shots I go for Aperture priority to control the depth of field

Steve
 
Even in manual mode, your in-viewfinder exposure meter still works... you can see over and under exposure as you shoot...
 
david1701 said:
surely digital takes away the need for a light meter, you can just chimp?
And if you shoot RAW you can move one stop exposure up or down to cover the changing light levels as long as you check frequently
Click to expand...


you mean like every second???
 
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