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DPChallenge Forums >> Individual Photograph Discussion >> offroad photos, how did I do?
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12/03/2006 01:26:40 AM · #1
Never been before but had fun. Sample of some of the shots from today. How did do? Sugestions? Thanks






Edit to add took about 900 , loss of about 10% to really bad focus, another 10-15% I did not manage to get all of the car in, 1 photo lost due to RUNNING from the car that over shot the curve. All the other shot are about like these.

Message edited by author 2006-12-03 01:38:03.
12/03/2006 01:30:53 AM · #2
Nice collection! In particular, I like the orange VW and the blow-out (bottom centre).
12/03/2006 02:09:32 AM · #3
That looks like tons of fun. Where was it?
12/03/2006 02:11:19 AM · #4
High Desert, Calif
12/03/2006 02:39:56 AM · #5
Very nice job Christine :)
12/03/2006 02:44:45 AM · #6
I like the first two the best. Great shots, must have been a blast.
12/03/2006 03:05:01 AM · #7
Ooooooooh that looks like fun!! Good work Christine! Especially like the first shot, the orange and the blow out 2nd from bottom.
12/03/2006 04:13:26 AM · #8
I think I agree with Ursula...like that one the best.
12/03/2006 05:18:49 AM · #9
Nice shots, but to be honest, I'd like to see more and stronger panning. Many of the scenes, despite flying dirt, are a tad to frozen to convey action. Something to work on the next time.
When I first shot motorcycles I froze everything, thinking that that was the way to do it. Next time I tried panning, and 90% of my shots were total crap. Tried it again and 60% of my shots were crap and the other ones while panned well, were boring anyway.
The time after that it started to work, and the last two times it really came out well.

Compare this one (frozen)
With this one (panned):

Both are from the 2004 WRC rally of Germany, when I was still practicing this stuff. They will open in new windows and are hosted at pbase.

Never shot rally after that again, but concentrated on motorcycles (for my own pleasure, it is not my job):


12/03/2006 08:23:16 AM · #10
Very nice Christine, you must have a really good camera. (oh wait, wrong thread! lol) But seriously, very nice. I was wondering what lens you were using for these?

Lens/shutter/aperture info would all be interested on shots like these.

12/03/2006 02:01:10 PM · #11
Most are taken with 70-300mm. I opted out of the tripod because I didn't want to have to move it around, (or grab it to run).
Timing the pictures was hard enough I'll have to work on panning next time (Jan). Alot of the shots are shot on the action setting as I am still learning M. Looking at the shots the pros sell these folks, I am also not sure they would like panning. I really was shotting for what they are buying. These are free for them, but wanted them too be usable and what the drivers were use to.
12/06/2006 11:08:48 PM · #12
Getting panning down definitely helps. I have shot quite a bit of racing, most of it at the same race each year (American Le Mans Series Laguna Seca). The first year shooting digital, one of the pro photo guys checked out my shots and recommended playing w/ shutter speeds a bit to try to get the car to still be clear, but the wheels, tires, and background blurred giving a good sense of speed. I don't know enough yet to know what speeds to start at, so I often will shoot in auto mode and then look at what settings the camera picked, switch to manual, and adjust from there.

The other thing that seems to help is to simply shoot a LOT of pictures! I see the pro photo guys using monopods. I never have, always shoot handheld so I can move around easily, but then again I am not lugging around a $7K 600mm lens!

I like your first efforts. I'm going to have to try offroad sometime. I definitely have found it is good to be there for the entire race meeting so you can spend a good amount of time shooting atmosphere shots - pit crews, grid girls, cars all torn apart and being worked on, race officials, trophies, etc.

Here's a shot from 2005 that is still one of my best ones:



There are some more in my portfolio. I of course have TONS still to edit that I never get time to do. Bane of shooting racing I suppose - not enough time to catalog and edit everything.

EDIT - one other thing I have started to work on now is to get something decent in the background so I don't have a black car with a tire barrier as backdrop or some other clashing thing in the back.

Message edited by author 2006-12-06 23:10:23.
12/06/2006 11:24:38 PM · #13

Yeah getting motion panning down is tricky at first, but it pays off in the end!



Great work, keep it up!
12/06/2006 11:31:43 PM · #14
I like the shots you got but interest is quickly lost after going through a couple. My biggest criticism is that they all look the same.......frozen shots of different cars from the same perspective......Same shot, different car.......

I'd say mix it up a bit........especially try to change your perspective......lie on your stomach....stand on the roof of your car......rent a helicopter....okay maybe don't do that but you get my point....mix it up............try to get the dust flying, rims churning,....... go wider........zoom way in ....don't worry about getting the whole car.........

.....also, seems like your going for a very average exposure.....try to get one that compliments the sport (ie. pan as many have mentioned....... change your relationship to the light........etc....)

good luck on your next outing! seems like there'd be a wealth of great stuff to be found!

12/06/2006 11:37:35 PM · #15
I really like the first two best because of the background.
Very nice, looks like fun...
12/08/2006 12:50:51 PM · #16
Originally posted by jaxsond:

I like the shots you got but interest is quickly lost after going through a couple. My biggest criticism is that they all look the same.......frozen shots of different cars from the same perspective......Same shot, different car.......

I'd say mix it up a bit........especially try to change your perspective......lie on your stomach....stand on the roof of your car......rent a helicopter....okay maybe don't do that but you get my point....mix it up............try to get the dust flying, rims churning,....... go wider........zoom way in ....don't worry about getting the whole car.........

.....also, seems like your going for a very average exposure.....try to get one that compliments the sport (ie. pan as many have mentioned....... change your relationship to the light........etc....)

good luck on your next outing! seems like there'd be a wealth of great stuff to be found!


The frozen car effect you mentioned is why I was told to mess around w/ shutter speed. If you go w/ what the camera typically does on manual, you freeze the car, but more importantly the wheels and tires also. Slowing shutter speed a little and then panning gets the background and wheels/tires blurred and avoids having a shot of a car at speed look exactly like one parked in a parking lot.
12/08/2006 01:04:50 PM · #17
Originally posted by Azrifel:


Never shot rally after that again, but concentrated on motorcycles (for my own pleasure, it is not my job):


Kind of like this shot of yours? :D I'd say you concentrate well!
12/08/2006 01:40:02 PM · #18
Originally posted by glad2badad:

Originally posted by Azrifel:


Never shot rally after that again, but concentrated on motorcycles (for my own pleasure, it is not my job):


Kind of like this shot of yours? :D I'd say you concentrate well!


Thanks! Added coolness of this shot is that Nicky became MotoGP world champion a couple of weeks ago. The saying goes that whomever wins at Assen also becomes World Champion that year. :)
I don't know if I can make it to the 2007 round, because it clashes a bit with the Europe GTG2 (I thought the race would be a week before it).

I will be at the April 2007 round of World Superbikes again:




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