my attempt at brands hatch

[scoobytone]

 

[Ady N]

Tony - What do you think of your shots? What do you think works/doesn't?

 

[scoobytone]

to be honest i dont really like to many of my shots,i like the last one here as i think it captures the mood of what had happened.

 

[Carlh]

Hi Tony,

I think the 1st shot and last shot are your strongest, but they need to be in focus and or have a faster shutterspeed - that last one would have been a belter if it was crispy sharp.

What camera, lens and settings did you use bud?

 

[scoobytone]

a canon 600d i think with a sigma 75-300 for these particular shots and to be honest i dont have a clue what settings,very amateur with my photography sorry.

 

[scoobytone]

over 100 views but only 2 comments?

 

[Ady N]

I think a faster shutter speed would have been in order as that shows through in the pics. You seem to have had a good spot from where you took the pics so build on this by looking at your settings to optimize your shots. This is not my genre but for what it's worth set a minimum speed on your camera and spend a bit of time pp. Take a look at similar subject matter on this forum (and others) and get advice from the togs who took them in order to improve. Hope this helps.

 

[RodNeill]

Hi Tony. Are you letting the camera decide settings (sports mode, auto)? You need to select the shutter speed depending on the type of action/photo you are taking - freeze action or panning. As Ady said, check out tips on the forum or ask a tog at the next race for some guidance. Good luck

 

[damianmkv]

For me, and putting aside that a few are OOF, they're too tight in the frame - you need some more around the car. If you are going for panning, select your shutter speed then focus on the car and follow it round with your camera, take the shot and keep panning - I know it's tempting to fill the frame with the car but having some surroundings will set the scene more.

It's nowhere near as easy as people think so keep at it

 

[andyred]

Hi Tony

A good set of shots showing the action you were after, but as you know, some more work needed.

#1 A great capture, but either a faster shutter speed is required to try to freeze the shot and see it sharp or possibly work on your panning as I think you might have not followed through properly with your panning.

#2-5 Similar, if you look at number 3 where he's head on and your panning is following him, it's a sharper (although still not crisp, unfortunately).

Have a look at our settings used stored on your photos for guidance, pity your not closer, otherwise could have met up at Oulton Park for a session...

Hope this helps.

 

[scoobytone]

Hi Tony. Are you letting the camera decide settings (sports mode, auto)? You need to select the shutter speed depending on the type of action/photo you are taking - freeze action or panning. As Ady said, check out tips on the forum or ask a tog at the next race for some guidance. Good luck

Hi Rod,thank you for your comments,i had the camera settings on tv just cant remember the speed sorry,i got talking to a photographer at brands a couple years ago and it was him who told me a little about shutter speeds so the wheels appear to be turning etc but he had a job to do and had to go lol,i had a 350d then and was getting absolutely terrible results so he helped me a lot.

 

[scoobytone]

For me, and putting aside that a few are OOF, they're too tight in the frame - you need some more around the car. If you are going for panning, select your shutter speed then focus on the car and follow it round with your camera, take the shot and keep panning - I know it's tempting to fill the frame with the car but having some surroundings will set the scene more.

It's nowhere near as easy as people think so keep at it

Hi Damian,i was trying to fill the frame,you hit the nail on the head,next time i go i will take your comments with me,and try and get the shots in focus ofcourse lol.

 

[scoobytone]

Hi Tony

A good set of shots showing the action you were after, but as you know, some more work needed.

#1 A great capture, but either a faster shutter speed is required to try to freeze the shot and see it sharp or possibly work on your panning as I think you might have not followed through properly with your panning.

#2-5 Similar, if you look at number 3 where he's head on and your panning is following him, it's a sharper (although still not crisp, unfortunately).

Have a look at our settings used stored on your photos for guidance, pity your not closer, otherwise could have met up at Oulton Park for a session...

Hope this helps.

Hi Andy,thank you for your comments they will help me a lot,after reading loads of stuff on here and other forums i realized i wasnt following through panning so will try that next time i get out thank you.
Obviously i will adjust shutter speed and aperture and see what results i get,alas i wont be going motor racing for some time because of this horrible thing called winter lol but still might be able to get to oulton especially for the touring cars so may be able to meet up at some point if you are up for it?. Need all the help i can get with photography lol.

 

[andyred]

Hi Andy,thank you for your comments they will help me a lot,after reading loads of stuff on here and other forums i realized i wasnt following through panning so will try that next time i get out thank you.
Obviously i will adjust shutter speed and aperture and see what results i get,alas i wont be going motor racing for some time because of this horrible thing called winter lol but still might be able to get to oulton especially for the touring cars so may be able to meet up at some point if you are up for it?. Need all the help i can get with photography lol.

Glad it was of some help, if you can, try to get to some local meetings rather than the very big events to fine tune your skills.

See if you can get a mate to drive down a main road / dual carriage way where you can safely photo him and practice your panning skills - once you get the shot crisp and clear, you can then experiment with lowering the shutter speed n stages to see how low you can go without it getting blurry and also this then introduces an element of movement to the shot...

End of the day, enjoy yourself, get the shot you want and then have a play with settings ...

 

[andyred]

Here you go Tony. One from the touring cars a couple of years ago - just one on my phone I had, but shows a sense of movement I was on about, not the best of shots as small file as well...

 

[GAZA62]

Tony you must have been stood very close to me as I caught the same off.

The first shot you posted I tried but there was way to much glare coming off the cars due to the position of the sun so the camera will struggle as for the rest of your shots its as said above try upping the shutter speed for some keepers I was shooting between 1/125-1/205th at that spot but could have gone higher without freezing the wheels I only kept a few its not one of my favorite shooting locations at Brands there are far better places to pan just depends where the sun is on a bright day.

The thing is to practice a lot panning is a fine art one I still not got to grips with after 5 years of shooting but I do struggle due to probs with my left arm.

Try going along to some track days over the winter they are free and ideal for trying out new settings I prefer to shoot manual and do it all myself.

Remember to jot down your shutter speeds on any shots you are happy with and where you took them but remember not all Drivers or Riders travel at the same speeds get to know who is the quicker and adjust you speeds accordingly the same goes for different corners some are much faster than others Druids is a great place to practice panning when starting out as they are slower through there so you should get some nice keepers which will help your confidence grow another thing that makes a difference is how close you are to the car or bike the closer you are the higher shutter speed you can use without freezing the wheels.

Hope this helped as its so annoying when you get home and you are not happy with your days work but I still keep going back as its a fun day out so keep trying mate

 

[scoobytone]

Thanks alot guys,i will take on board all that has been said and keep on trying,i love motorsport and quite like taking photos good or bad lol so wont give up just yet.

Thanks again