Motorsport Photography – 3 Things To Improve Your Picture

You know the 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. Now how is this actually accomplished?

1) 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 a person with average skills can capture a beautiful landscape image with a regular point and shoot camera however a newbie could botch it up with a state of the art DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex). With the motorcycles traveling at speeds in excess of 200mph, all the skills in the world could not help you capture that: You need a DSLR. More specifically it’s the outright 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 owning lenses, obviously the longer zoom range will give you more options but having a short lens doesn’t mean that everything is hopeless. Work with what you have, and don’t spend time dreaming about what you don’t have.

3) Knowing The Track Layout

Unless you’ve been to the track numerous times, it’s important to explore the track as best as you can to scope out acceptable potential spots to shoot from. If you have never been to a racetrack before at all, it’s simple to get caught off guard by just how monstrous a track can be. Many times just moving from one side of the track to the other can easily be a 20 minute walk or much more.

When it’s time to shoot the race, you want to know exactly where you can go after you’ve finished grabbing all the pics you want at a particular spot. Being unprepared will probably get you stuck in the same place the entire race or you’ll miss numerous laps (possibly even the rest of the race) by walking around trying to discover another spot to shoot from. A race weekend will usually include practice sessions for the racers. Remember you can use them as your practice sessions also.

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 example take a look at motorcycle racing. Looking to get a picture of racers dragging their knees? It’s best to position yourself at tight, relatively high speed corners to get a good one.

How about a rider tucked in low behind the windscreen? Keep away from braking zones where they need to sit up to prepare for corner entry. Need to grab a stand-up wheelie shot? No one will be trying any celebratory antics in the middle of a race, so wait until the end.

It’s possible the above three tips may give you a head start of sorts but what they can’t replace is practice and the inevitable amount of trial and error you’ll endure. The very first time you attempt this may be accompanied by a rude awakening but once you get used to the speed of your subjects and the capabilities of your equipment all will come together. The most important thing is to have fun!