Britcar at Night
Discussion
Was thinking of nipping down myself!
Best advice is to try everything! Try different ISO settings, shutter speeds, exposure...
Shoot RAW and you'll have a far wider scope of editing capability.
Creatively speaking, don't be afraid to take the camera off the tripod for some panning shots. You can get some interesting images if you use, say a 1 second exposure, and pan the opposite way to that which the car is travelling. Grabbed these at LeMans by way of example:
Best advice is to try everything! Try different ISO settings, shutter speeds, exposure...
Shoot RAW and you'll have a far wider scope of editing capability.
Creatively speaking, don't be afraid to take the camera off the tripod for some panning shots. You can get some interesting images if you use, say a 1 second exposure, and pan the opposite way to that which the car is travelling. Grabbed these at LeMans by way of example:
If you're after light trails then a tripod is fairly vital but don't assume you'll need it for everything. I would save it for the last 10 minutes.
Shooting in raw is definitely a good idea.
Car headlights are going to be pretty much your only light source so be aware of how they illuminate the cars in front. It's easy to get some nice rear and panning shots this way.
Shooting straight on can be interesting but bare in mind the headlights will screw up your metering so I would advise shooting fully manual and look at the screen to dial in the right exposure, Make sure headlights aren't pointing right at you, just slightly to the side can be enough to bring down their brilliance meaning you can see more of the car. This isn't about you moving your position but watching the car as it approaches and shooting as it changes track.
Head on shots but illuminated by a following car can be very effective, doubly so if it's raining and there is spray. A wet track will also give you interesting reflections so look out for them.
Look at backgrounds if there is a mass of lights in the back ground then you can pan through them very effectively but to be fair you'll struggle for that at Brands.
At the top of Clearways is a good spot for a number of different shots as you can catch them coming at you, past you and away from you.
The inside of Druids is good for glowing brakes.
Here are my shots from the last time I shot the Britcar night race at Brands if you need some inspiration.
https://www.gt-report.com/2016/12/24/end-of-term/
Shooting in raw is definitely a good idea.
Car headlights are going to be pretty much your only light source so be aware of how they illuminate the cars in front. It's easy to get some nice rear and panning shots this way.
Shooting straight on can be interesting but bare in mind the headlights will screw up your metering so I would advise shooting fully manual and look at the screen to dial in the right exposure, Make sure headlights aren't pointing right at you, just slightly to the side can be enough to bring down their brilliance meaning you can see more of the car. This isn't about you moving your position but watching the car as it approaches and shooting as it changes track.
Head on shots but illuminated by a following car can be very effective, doubly so if it's raining and there is spray. A wet track will also give you interesting reflections so look out for them.
Look at backgrounds if there is a mass of lights in the back ground then you can pan through them very effectively but to be fair you'll struggle for that at Brands.
At the top of Clearways is a good spot for a number of different shots as you can catch them coming at you, past you and away from you.
The inside of Druids is good for glowing brakes.
Here are my shots from the last time I shot the Britcar night race at Brands if you need some inspiration.
https://www.gt-report.com/2016/12/24/end-of-term/
My main job will be helping a friend out so I'm hoping to test out my portrait lens in and around the garage but during other races I hope to get out & shoot a lot especially for panning practice.
Will still take my tripod as I might get to do a few long exposure shots which will be needed. I'm assuming no flash on safety grounds?
I think they'll be some nice trails given the small track.
Any advice in good places to be at Brands Hatch?
Will still take my tripod as I might get to do a few long exposure shots which will be needed. I'm assuming no flash on safety grounds?
I think they'll be some nice trails given the small track.
Any advice in good places to be at Brands Hatch?
You can use flash but opinion on it's usefulness is divided. It'll mostly kill the atmosphere of your shot but if you combine with a long shutter speed it can be effective.
If you are going to be mostly in the paddock during the race but want to try some light trails then head up to the roof of the pit building, it's easy to get up there and with a wide lens you can get a very good light trail shot.
If you are going to be mostly in the paddock during the race but want to try some light trails then head up to the roof of the pit building, it's easy to get up there and with a wide lens you can get a very good light trail shot.
bobski1 said:
Any advice in good places to be at Brands Hatch?
If you don't have a press pass you'll have to contend with shooting through chain link fencing. They put in some holes (top of Druids and Clearways) for photographers which are worth exploring. There's fence-free viewing on the run down to Graham Hill bend from the infield at Druids and the banking on the inside of Graham Hill Bend gets you shots over the fencing.One of the reasons I rarely go to Brands now is the very restricted access for Joe Public with a camera. I used to love the section from Sheene’s to Stirling’s, but not only is there high fencing there now, but spectators can’t stand there. Yes, I’m quite aware of safety blah blah blah, but there is very little to coax me into the drive from Suffolk.
The few times I’ve been since the extra restrictions were put in place have seen me spending most of my time in the pit garages.
The few times I’ve been since the extra restrictions were put in place have seen me spending most of my time in the pit garages.
Tony1963 said:
One of the reasons I rarely go to Brands now is the very restricted access for Joe Public with a camera. I used to love the section from Sheene’s to Stirling’s, but not only is there high fencing there now, but spectators can’t stand there. Yes, I’m quite aware of safety blah blah blah, but there is very little to coax me into the drive from Suffolk.
The few times I’ve been since the extra restrictions were put in place have seen me spending most of my time in the pit garages.
Know what you mean.The few times I’ve been since the extra restrictions were put in place have seen me spending most of my time in the pit garages.
That said, I was there when a Seat Cupra Cup car vaulted the fencing and landed in the public enclosure where my then 12 year old son and I had been standing earlier in the day. There were a few other similar incidents there so I get why they've restricted access at that part of the track.
The GP loop still has some good unencumbered vantage points and the photographer's holes (!) help. The problem with these is that you have these fat, knuckle draggers who get there early and set up their little 'thermos and wind tent' camp claiming the hole for themselves for the whole day rather than taking a few shots and letting others use it.
Overall it went really good, was a good day weather was good & plenty of action.
On the downside I didn't get as many good shots as I'd hoped for but taken away plenty of learning. Annoyed as I left my tripod in the car so not much shooting at night I tried but all the trails were messy & couldn't get it steady enough. My main points which I wouldn't mind advice on are:
1) I had some images which were washed out or very bright due to the reflections of the sun and rain from night before.
2) Not enough motion blur, plenty detail with the car. Partly due to location of where I was as I couldn't follow the car for very long before it went.
3) I had real trouble focusing in dark/manual focus. The lights on the cars caused the camera so start focusing again & in manual it was so dark I couldn't see if it was or wasn't in focus.
4) During the day I spent some time on the pit wall & I really struggled at being able to focus fast enough when the cars were going by. Perhaps I should've had my other lens on as it has a wide angle but not many of what I took worked. Mostly luck or the slower cars.
5) I tried to play about with the focus positions but a lot of the time it ended up not focusing on the right place in photo so again have shots but not useful.
I did also get talking to a few of the media guys & he gave me some tips on how to photograph people which I did okay at.
I'll sort through them properly in the week & will share on here for some feedback
On the downside I didn't get as many good shots as I'd hoped for but taken away plenty of learning. Annoyed as I left my tripod in the car so not much shooting at night I tried but all the trails were messy & couldn't get it steady enough. My main points which I wouldn't mind advice on are:
1) I had some images which were washed out or very bright due to the reflections of the sun and rain from night before.
2) Not enough motion blur, plenty detail with the car. Partly due to location of where I was as I couldn't follow the car for very long before it went.
3) I had real trouble focusing in dark/manual focus. The lights on the cars caused the camera so start focusing again & in manual it was so dark I couldn't see if it was or wasn't in focus.
4) During the day I spent some time on the pit wall & I really struggled at being able to focus fast enough when the cars were going by. Perhaps I should've had my other lens on as it has a wide angle but not many of what I took worked. Mostly luck or the slower cars.
5) I tried to play about with the focus positions but a lot of the time it ended up not focusing on the right place in photo so again have shots but not useful.
I did also get talking to a few of the media guys & he gave me some tips on how to photograph people which I did okay at.
I'll sort through them properly in the week & will share on here for some feedback
Yep, it’s a very lonely feeling not really knowing what to do. However, as you’ve said, you learn a heck of a lot just by trying. As the saying goes, you don’t know what you don’t know!
One tip from me. Don’t try to prepare for every photographic possibility. Sometimes I’ll just take one lens, remove the battery pack, and see what happens.
Olympus OM20, Tamron 80-200, Brands Hatch 1986, Thundersports race, supporting British Grand Prix. Tiff Needell.
One tip from me. Don’t try to prepare for every photographic possibility. Sometimes I’ll just take one lens, remove the battery pack, and see what happens.
Olympus OM20, Tamron 80-200, Brands Hatch 1986, Thundersports race, supporting British Grand Prix. Tiff Needell.
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