| How to Photograph Drift Racing Oct 2nd 2012, 20:00 Drifting is a popular motorsport which provides many great photo opportunities for the aspiring racing photographer. Here's how to get started taking photographs of it. - Set up your camera. In time, you'll learn all sorts of tricks that will contradict these instructions, such as trap-focusing in manual-focus mode, but to get you started these setting suggestions will help:
- Autofocus: Set this to continuous (C or AF-C on Nikon cameras, SERVO on Canon cameras).
- Frame rate: Faster is not always better! Remember, with your SLR, the faster your frame rate, the greater time is spent with your SLR's mirror in the up position, and consequently, you might have problems tracking the action with your viewfinder blacked out for so much of the time. On the other hand, faster frame rates give you an opportunity to catch the action at exactly the right moment, which is why professional sports photographers love them.
- Image stabilisation: Nikon calls this VR (vibration reduction). You probably want this on, even for panning shots (which this article will cover later).[1]
- Exposure mode: Start out with shutter-priority mode (S on Nikon cameras, Tv on Canon cameras); this mode lets you pick a shutter speed and the camera will pick an aperture to match. It's more likely that you'll need to control your shutter speed than control your depth of field while photographing drifting. Of course, you can just use Program and shift the program to your desired combination of shutter speed and aperture. Don't use the "Sports" mode on your camera if you have one; this locks out several of your controls and forces fast shutter speeds that result in boring photographs (which will be covered later).
- Image quality: Most motor racing photographers shoot raw. Some people prefer shooting JPEGs. This is a religious subject which won't be touched on here; use whatever works for you.
- Start with a fast shutter speed, like 1/250 or faster, until you get used to tracking action with your camera. You'll notice that at these fast shutter speeds the photographs will be boring, with little sense of movement. Sometimes you'll need these shutter speeds to get a certain shot, but for now, just shoot at these speeds to get used to shooting your camera.
- Keep using slower and slower shutter speeds. You want to use a speed such that it's obvious wheels are turning, at the least. Slow shutter speeds can't freeze action (more on that in a second), but it'll be more obvious that something is actually moving.
- Learn to pan. Panning is a technique where you keep moving the camera with the action, even after the shutter has closed and the mirror is up. In this case, you smoothly move your camera with the car, keeping it in a constant place in the frame; shoot at a slow enough shutter speed and the background will be motion-blurred, while the car will be sharp. Thom Hogan recommends[1] this: Pan with your subject and take a picture. Your viewfinder (on an SLR) will temporarily black out. If the subject isn't in the same place in the viewfinder when the mirror returns, you are not panning smoothly enough. Try again until you get it right; it takes tons of practice.
- Keep shooting at slower and slower speeds until you hit the limits of your technique. Nikon's VR and Canon's IS are huge helps here if you have them; it means you can hand-hold lenses at shutter speeds way below the traditional safe speed of 1/focal length. They also help to stabilise the pan, dampening up-and-down camera shake without trying to counter panning.
- If you're shooting on a very bright day and you don't have a neutral density filter handy, and you just want to grab the slowest shutter speed you can that won't max out your lens' minimum aperture (resulting in overexposure), then switch over to aperture-priority mode and shoot at your lens's smallest aperture (typically f/22 or f/32). Beware that the shots will be a little softer due to diffraction. Likewise, if you can't grab a shutter speed fast enough under your lighting conditions, shoot in aperture priority mode at your lens' widest aperture and the camera will always grab the fastest shutter speed that it can.
- If your lens focuses slowly, or if your camera hunts a lot during focusing, then pre-focus it (either with your AF or manually) to a point near where you think a subject will be, then track the motion of an approaching vehicle through your viewfinder and only activate your autofocus once the car is at that closer point.
- Don't expect to get more than a very small ratio of "keepers" your first time, especially if you are insanely self-critical. Like everything else in photography (and everything other than photography), it takes time and patience to get consistently great results.
Edit Warnings - As far as motorsports go, legal drift racing is rather safe, and serious accidents are extremely rare. However, be aware of what's happening around you. Always follow instructions on signs and from track marshalls.
Edit Things You'll Need - A digital camera. A digital SLR, even a cheap one, is almost a necessity; they focus much faster and can track focus much better than compact cameras.
- A lens. Fast (f/2.8) professional zoom lenses aren't a necessity unless you're shooting at last light or at night (though these will make for stunning shots). Far more important than this is the autofocus speed; some f/2.8 telephotos focus slower than some f/4-5.6 zooms. You don't need enormous telephoto lenses when you're starting out doing it for fun; you'll get much better results with a mid-range zoom and getting as close to the action as you are allowed.
- Plenty of memory. You'll be shooting rapidly and filling up your cards much quicker than you think, especially if you're shooting raw.
Edit Related wikiHows Edit Sources and Citations | |
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