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!

How Digital Photography Began

The history of digital photography is synonymous with two scientists, George Smith and Willard Boyle who invented the charge coupled device (CCD) on 17 October 1969. The CCD forms a better part of all digital camera since it carries the sensors. Boyle and Smith intended to use the CCD in a variety of applications involving computer semiconductor memory. But they found themselves with what became the basis of the history of digital photography.

Boyle and Smith’s invention was also aimed at designing a solid-state digital camera that would be used in recording video applications. They spent only two hours to outline a plan of the elementary design of the CCD, explain its operation method, and state its applications. The following year (1970), Boyle and Smith incorporated the CCD into the world’s first video camera.

By 1975, the CCD was in use in applications involving video broadcast. Later, the CCD was progressively integrated in digital still cameras and this was a milestone achieved. When the CCD technology became widespread, Sony Corporation released the Magnetic Video Camera (abbreviated Mavica camera). The camera used the CCD to record and store video on a compressed floppy disk. The camera was only relevant for capturing of freeze frames for digital video clips.

In the year 1986, Kodak developed the first full featured digital still camera. The camera was considered the most advanced at the time since it had a high resolution of 1,400,000 pixels and could produce fine 5 by 7 inch images. Later advancements involved modification of the camera to produce the Nikon F3 digital camera, an initiative between Nikon and Kodak. The camera was highly advanced and had features of characteristic of fine digital photography with an inclination towards dedicated photojournalists.

Digital Photography has become a very wide field today with a lot of opportunities different kinds of style. There are photo journalists who use digital photography regularly, and there are others such as portrait photographer, street photographer and more. If the field interests you, after reading it’s rich history, then take sometime to focus on any one of the fields.

5 Top Tips for Cheaper Wedding Photos

A wedding is a wonderful occasion, both for the happy couple, and their friends and family. When you look at the amount of expense that goes into that one day, however, you may think it causes more misery financially than it does happiness on the day itself. Last year, the average US couple spent $20k on their wedding, with the average in the UK being far higher at a whopping £20k, or $38k. That’s probably the most expensive day you’ll ever have (unless you one day throw a winning lottery ticket in the wash). And with the credit crunch showing no signs of easing, prospective brides and grooms are actively looking for ways to cut costs without spoiling the magic of their special day. Couples are cutting down guest lists, asking for friends and family to help out instead of hiring caterers, DJs and videographers, and brides are increasingly considering pre-worn wedding dresses. Yet the photography is one area few are prepared to compromise on, and with good reason. Your wedding pictures are one of the few lasting memories you have from that all too fleeting day, and of course it’s something you’d want done perfectly and in style. I’ve put together my 5 top tips for how to find a fantastic wedding photographer without breaking the bank.

 

1. Making the best of Google

The majority of modern wedding photographers have their own websites, and one of the most common ways of finding them is via search engines like Google. However with competition being so fierce it’s not hard for prospective brides and grooms to miss out on some really special and talented photographers by not looking far enough when searching. Do not make the mistake of not going beyond the first page of results or the top few sponsored links in Google. Make sure you spend time going deep into the search results and coming up with a shortlist of photographers in your budget so you can really compare a range of styles and options. Additionally use specialist search terms like “black and white”, “reportage”, etc, as well as looking for wedding photographers from other towns within a couple of hundred miles from you, as most are happy to travel. For example for my wedding I not only searched for “Wedding Photographer in Brighton” – we also looked at other surrounding areas such as Kent, Hampshire, London and Surrey.

 

2. Watch Out for Hidden Costs

Gone are the days when your wedding photographer had to develop their own prints in a darkroom – its all digital now. Which means that the wedding photographer prices are a lot more simple now too. So I’m amazed that so many photographers still charge their customers an extra fee for each print on top of the booking! Always look for photographers willing to give you all the images from the day on CD. That way you can get prints done at a fraction of the cost at your local photo printing lab.

 

3. Albums and Extras: Do It Yourself!

With digital photography the era of the traditional wedding photo album has passed. Today you have stylish wedding photography books are a big hit with most couples – but the problem is if you go through your photographer these will often cost you an arm and a leg. However if you can spare the time and energy, it’s possible to design and create very stylish photobooks yourself, and get them printed at a relatively tiny cost. Ditto when it comes to canvas prints or blow up posters really – as long as you have high quality original image files from your photographer, you can pretty much do it all yourself!

 

4. Be Wary of Wedding Photography Scams

I have heard so many stories of unfortunate couples who have been taken in by unscrupulous con artists posing as wedding photographers. These swindlers will poach couples with cheap prices and slick sales pitches, receive their deposits or even full booking payments and then never be heard from again. It breaks my heart to hear about this sort of thing. The thing is, if you’re vigilant they’re pretty easy to spot and avoid. Firstly, ensure that any payment of deposits or fees are done via bank transfer – its the most secure method of payment, and can be traced and reversed in the event of a problem. And be sure to get a proper contract from the photographer which makes clear what you are getting and what you are paying for – this provides protection to the couple. Finally, and probably most importantly, the phrase “constant vigilance” applies here – go and visit the photographer before money changes hands, make sure you see examples of their work and ask questions about how everything will work – a good photographer will put your fears to rest.

 

5. Dont be Overzealous in Your Moneysaving Crusade!

Now this one may sound counter-intuitive when it comes to ‘credit crunch weddings’ but I feel it’s an important one. In your quest to cut your wedding budget don’t go too far! It’s worth repeating that out of all the services you pay for on your wedding day, the photography is quite possibly the most important to get right. There are hundreds of amateur and inexperienced ‘photographers’ out there who are trying their luck as a side income. Judging from their prices alone you’d think you’ve struck gold. But sometimes the biggest bargains can be found by going up one price point. Remember that if you don’t look at your photographer’s work and go “wow” what is the point in spending all that money on a professional?

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