togging bikes at brands

neil_g

neil_g

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Neil
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got my first ever trip to brands this weekend for the superbikes.

its also my first ever time shooting bikes.

any hints/tips/tricks etc for shooting bikes, at brands in what the forecast thinks might be lots of rain?

i have a 120-300 in my arsenal so reach should be okay?

thank yaw :thumbs:
 
Take somebody to hold and umbrella for you or make/buy a camera cover. You can make one from a plastic bag and an elastic band.

As for shooting bikes, you will need to zoom the lens in a little more than for cars, as a bike is much smaller. Try and capture the more dramatic aspects of bike racing; big lean angles, wheelies etc rather than just side on panning shots. A bike can be much more photogenic than a car. If you are going on Saturday as well, try and get the majority of your photography done then, when there will not be as many people there. Sunday will be packed with spectators and you'll find it hard to get decent photo points. I've never been to Brands so can't comment on specific places to shoot from etc, but 300mm should be fine.

Above all, enjoy it. Superbikes are awesome to watch, and mentally fast in a straight line
 
If you've done cars before then a lot of the basics are the same; panning, angles etc.

The key difference with bikes and cars is that the rider is visible, and so you need to pick your focal point with a little more care than normal. Composition of the shot is a bigger factor; do you want a shot of the rider with his knee down? That rear tyre sliding out as he squares off a corner? Two of them battling it out for position?
The reason for this is that there's a lot more movement on a bike as the rider moves around, so you need to make sure you're capturing the right part of the action!

Oh, and keep a keen eye out for crashes, too :)
 
You guys don't half bring back the memories with your passion ... :clap:

Can't add much myself Neil, I used to shoot race bikes many years ago for a few mags, and I found I liked to work one spot for hours in a bid to get the dramatic shots I knew would occur if I kept on….Not so easy to find a good spot nowadays for the viewer side I here …but if you get their early you may be able to hold a good position for the day.

Rains pretty cool for dramatic bikes shots, just the low light to deal with. Good luck. :thumbs:
 
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