imager993

I was looking at s4wood's photos on GotBlueMilk.com <a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/racing/msgs/56333.phtml">a few posts down</a> and was thinking about the different types of track day photos.

As people who might buy photos of yourselves at the track, do you prefer photos like GotBlueMilk.com where everything is sharp and the car appears frozen on the track, or do you like photos with motion blur that show the car moving?

I see most track day photographers shooting the frozen style, but I like shooting the motion blur panning style. These are two different styles and I'd like to get everybody's opinions as to what they like.

(This is purely a general inquiry to the tracking audience in the Motorsports Forum, and in no way a promotional or sales thread.)

Here is an example of a few motion blur photos:

<img src="http://www.motorsportlens.com/portfolio/gallery2/images/MSL_Portfolio_003.jpg">

<img src="http://www.motorsportlens.com/portfolio/gallery2/images/MSL_Portfolio_022.jpg">




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V8

I'd like to see the cars be sharper in your two examples.

<img src="http://www.nil.org/download/f1.jpg">

Mike S

Panning is something that gets better with practice and camera/track area (speed in that area) knowledge.

The other thing I noticed in both images was a lack of care as to the lighting in the images, though the F1 images is not as bad and looks to have been captured on a dark/drab day, which certainly limits the overall quality of the image.

Andy's images are creative use of backlight, but I would likely have exposed differently. That being said, Andy, your images are better than 80% of track DE photographers out there who do it for a living!

I, too, found Steve's images to be pretty much parked on track, wheels almost frozen, as if the driver could step right out at any moment. Most also seem to be a follow through one turn or two, not much variety for track imagery, frankly.

Gotbluemilk normally, IMO, shoots better imagery, with more concern for the above.

Mike S<ul><li><a href="http://sidelinesportsphotography.smugmug.com/gallery/4877005_YW326#290758231_LdnRy">A link to some panning samples I threw together a few months back for another Photo Forum Member.</a></li></ul>

imager993

Most pans inherently have some soft parts on the car unless the car is driving in a path around the photographer that does not "rotate" the car in relationship to the photographer. Most of those shots are telephoto shots of the side of the car (with a few exceptions of course). Example:

<img src="http://www.motorsportlens.com/portfolio/gallery/images/AKupferman_0312.jpg">

In most other angles of the car, if you slow down the shutter speed below 1/40th, as I like to do, you tend to exaggerate the soft parts from the rotation. The trick is to keep part of the car sharp. Here is an example of this rotation effect:

<img src="http://www.motorsportlens.com/portfolio/gallery/images/AKupferman_0276.jpg">

I did some 100% crops (not sharpened) of the images in the first post to show the sharp parts of the car. Maybe not the best or sharpest photos, but I was illustrating an example.

<img src="http://www.motorsportlens.com/promo/MSL_RX-8_crop.jpg">

<img src="http://www.motorsportlens.com/promo/MSL_Corvette_crop.jpg">

Again though, I don't mean for this to become a photography discussion in the Motorsports forum, but an inquiry to the general population of drivers to see what they like the best. I could start a thread in the Photography forum if you want to chat about panning more.

Above all though, I don't want this to be a Photographer A vs Photographer B thing. I am looking for a comparison of styles seeing that a majority of track day photographers that I have seen like to burst off a bunch of high shutter speed sharp frozen shots.



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imager993

Oh, and I'm just wondering, who is Andy?

Mike S

and a long day of travel.

Sorry, Bro.


Mike S

Mike S

of the issue, as well as the appropriate aperture to keep the car sharp, tip to tail.

But yes, some rotation cannot be matched by the operator of the camera, usually rotational motion. Essentially, two parts of the car are moving at different speeds, so if the shutter speed is not a "match" for the faster moving part of the car, you will get the sharpness reduction (which is often cool).

Again, sorry about the mix up.


Mike S

imager993

ahhh, HA, that's what you meant. thanks man. no worries.

J. Patterson

The blurred background and wheels gives the sense of speed to the photo.
Including other cars being passed or about to be passed gives a feel for what the experence was like too.


Like -- Holy Cow! I caught a 911 :-)
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/74232/daytona_dec_2007_52.jpg">
Or, Notice eyes on mirror-----Uh Oh! Zo6. :-/
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/74232/daytona_dec_2007_41.jpg">

Mike S

Nice Pictures! ; )