Everyone knows this feeling. You’ve bought countless numbers of motorcycle magazines and admired the amazing race photos of crazy fast machines battling it out for that last inch on the race track. You totally psyche yourself up in order to be ready the next time at a race where you’ll be ready to capture some pictures just like in the magazines. You are now officially interested in motorsport photography and ready to rock and roll. How is this really accomplished?
1) Owning a DSLR Is A Must
It’s been said that pure talent is enough in most types of photography, with equipment playing a minor role however motorsports is one of the rare exceptions where you definitely need special equipment. A good example of this would be when an aspiring photographer with an average skill level with a point and shoot can capture a beautiful landscape image while a relative newbie could totally botch it up with a state of the art DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex). All the skills in the world will not help you capture a motorcycle traveling at speeds over 200mph: One needs a DSLR for that. Specifically it is the speed and control a DSLR offers.
Main features that are important is a high frames per second shooting mode, high-speed auto focus and the near absence of shutter lag. The faster the above the better although even an entry-level DSLR these days will do the job. A higher end, faster DSLR will just make your life easier. As for lenses, obviously the longer zoom range you have the more options are open to you but that doesn’t mean having a short lens will mean it’s hopeless. Remember to work with what you have and don’t spend all your time dreaming what you don’t have.
3) Knowing The Track Layout
Unless you’ve been to this track multiple times, it is very important to explore the rest of the track as best you can to scope out decent potential spots to shoot from. If you haven’t been to a racetrack before your first try, you’ll find it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the size of many tracks. In some cases moving from one end of the track to the other can easily be a 20 minute walk or more.
When it’s actually time to shoot the race, you want to know the exact locations you’ll go after you’ve finished capturing all the pictures you wanted at a particular spot. If you’re unprepared, you’ll probably get stuck in the same place the entire time or miss numerous laps (or possibly even the rest of the race) from walking around trying to discover another suitable spot to shoot from. A race weekend will usually include practice sessions for the racers. You can use them as your practice sessions too.
3) Totally Embracing The Sport
Having a good understanding of the sport is not necessary to take great motorsports shots but it can at least decrease the learning curve a bit and allow you to quickly move up the ranks to being a motorsport photographer. For an example, lets look specifically at motorcycle racing. Were you looking to get a pic of racers dragging their knees? Position yourself at tight, relatively high speed corners to get a good one.
How about a motorcyclist tucked in low and tight behind the windscreen? Keep away from braking zones where they need to sit up to prepare for corner entry. Need to capture a stand-up wheelie shot? No one intentionally tries any celebratory antics in the middle of a race, so wait till the end.
Even though the above three tips may possibly give you a head start in your journey, what they cannot replace is good old practice and the inevitable amount of trial and error. The first time out may prove to be a rude awakening, but once you get more acquainted with the speed of your subjects and the capabilities of your equipment, it will come together soon enough. The most important thing is to have fun!
