Thanks for all these helpful tips, Paul!
I'm still not exactly sure where I'm going to be located, but I do
believe I'll have a pit pass. I checked the NHRA site for their media
credentials policy and it turned out to be a good bit more restrictive
than I'd hoped. So, it looks like I'll be shooting from the stands --
though, I'm told I'll be in a good location, near the starting line.
I'll most likely use my 70-300, which sounds suitable according to your
advice, even though it's not my sharpest lens.
Many thanks for taking the time to respond! The advice is very much
appreciated.
-- Walt
On 5/28/2012 10:28 AM, Paul Stenquist wrote:
As an addendum to my previous message, let me add that shooting drag racing is
somewhat different than shooting other motorsports. You don't have to rely on
blur to create interest. In fact, pans of top fuel cars and funny cars are very
hit and miss, because a shutter speed that produces lots of wheel rotation will
also give you an image that appears soft overall, because the cars vibrate at a
very high frequency. Pans of amateur class cars can be nice from a spot about
100 feet from the starting line. A 200 mm lens and a shutter speed of 1/30th is
usually effective there.
Some of the best spectator pics I've seen have been shot from the grandstands
near the finish line during the first qualifying session on Friday afternoon.
At that time, the stands won't be full, and the cars will be on the edge.
During the first session, there will be a lot of finish line fires and
explosions, as the teams try to sort out the conditions.The last session on
Saturday evening is a good one as well, as it's the chance to make the show and
the cars will be on overkill.
At the finish line, what you want is detail, so shooting at 1/1000 of a second
or faster is fine. Most often the chutes will be starting to come out as the
cars cross the finish line and flames and engine parts may be coming out as
well. At minimum, there will be lots of fuel vapor and smoke. All that makes
for interesting, sometimes extremely dramatic, detail. You will want to pan,
even at that speed, because you're not going to get a 300 mph car in frame any
other way. If you want to try for some blur and wheel rotation at the finish
line, shoot at 1/250th. You'll get about a half a rotation of the rear wheels
at that speed and a full rotation of the front wheels. But the real killer
finish-line shots I've seen were crisp, high shutter-speed pics. Manual focus
is most effective here as you can predict the position of the car as it crosses
the line. Just look for the tire tracks left by previous cars and focus on the
finish line tire track intersection closest to you. All of the drivers will try
to stay in the groove.
If you want some interesting shots away from the track, you'll need a pit pass.
If you have spectator-side tickets, you can buy a pit-side pass at the track.
The fuel teams warm up their cars wearing gas masks, and it takes a crew of
four or five to do the job. That can make an interesting pic. But fans will
start lining up at the edge of a pit space when they think a team is getting
ready to warm the car, so you have to anticipate to get a good front-row spot.
BTW, if the wind is blowing your way, you'll soon find out why the crew wears
gas masks:-).
Paul
On May 28, 2012, at 7:58 AM, Paul Stenquist wrote:
St. Louis at the end of September. That would be Gateway. It's a national
event, so there will be a full complement of photographers, probably fifty or
more. You'll need press credentials to get into the photo area near the
starting line. Generally, only a handful will shoot the amateur classes, but it
fills up quickly for the pro classes, so it's good to time your arrival. From
most venues I've shoot at, you need to shoot with a lens of around 200
millimeters, but it's hard to pinpoint the exact focal length you'll need as
your position may depend on the number of photos and background elements. I
would definitely want to work with a zoom, in my case it would be the 60-250,
although something like the 80-310 would be very good as well. Shooting at a 45
degree angle or so, you'll need about f8 to maintain depth of field when
focusing on the front of a funny car. Top fuel cars I used to shoot at f11 and
focus on the driver.
Put a high quality UV filter on your lens and bring some lens cleaner and lens
cleaning cloths if you shoot top fuel and funny cars from the starting-line
photographers area. You'll be getting some rubber particles on the lens on a
regular basis.
Usually only a few photographers are allowed to shoot near the finish line.
Most often those who work for the house organ, National Dragster. When I was
shooting commercials for Fram and Autolite, they let one of my camera guys camp
down there, but I had to provide security in the form of extra insurance and
production people to watch out for him.
If you have to shoot from the stands, you'll definitely need as much focal
length as you can handhold, and you might want to try to use a monopod. When
the pro classes run, the spectators will all stand, so it's going to be hard to
shoot. Again, you'll have better luck shooting the amateur classes, some of
which can be quite entertaining. Many of the super stock cars, for example,
lift the front wheels, and some are muscle car classics, such as late sixties
Mopars, Chevelles, etc.
Paul
On May 28, 2012, at 12:11 AM, Walt Gilbert wrote:
Hi all,
First, please forgive my lack of participation in the list of late, in the
event it caused any sleepless nights among this peculiar throng of
photographers great and small. Life has just been busy, the weather
inhospitable, and I have been too tired, lazy and mired in a photographic rut
-- so, I haven't had any shots to share.
That said, come the end of September I'll be going to the NHRA drag races in
St. Louis. I've taken plenty of shots at drag races, but nothing like the ones
that'll be happening that day. But, from what I understand, I'll be in a good
place for taking photos -- assuming I have a clue what I'm doing, which is no
small caveat.
I know a few of the guys on the list have a lot of experience shooting
motorsports, so I figured I'd ask for any pointers on how to get interesting
shots. One of the main drawbacks of the drag races I've shot before is the
sheer monotony of the photos given the limited number of vantage points
available from which to shoot.
Most of the shots I've taken in the past have been from the starting line,
where I try to capture the action at take-off -- the warped tire walls, wheel
stands, etc. I suspect the NHRA cars are going to be more of a challenge in
that aspect, given that they'll be moving a whole lot faster off the line. So,
any pointers on how to get decent images out of this opportunity will be
greatly appreciated.
Thanks for any input y'all might have!
-- Walt
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