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View Full Version : Shooting drag bikes tomorrow. Any suggestions?

scottcolbath
30th of March 2007 (Fri), 23:28
The motorcycles are so much smaller than cars at the drag strip. Any ideas on how to capture them without losing them in the background?

S.C.
Steve Beck
31st of March 2007 (Sat), 00:31
where you shooting at?

I will be in Commerce GA doing the ama prostar....
Got Gates?
31st of March 2007 (Sat), 00:32
What track?
Steve Beck
31st of March 2007 (Sat), 00:32
i usually get to stabnd next to the track, about 39 feet down and shoot with my 24-70.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=294729
scottcolbath
31st of March 2007 (Sat), 01:09
I'll be at Firebird for the AHDRA event.

Steve, I love the shots. Especially the Busas, seeing how I own two of them. :cool:

S.C.
Steve Beck
31st of March 2007 (Sat), 01:34
Yeah I own that I race one on occasion. I have a Motorhead built and tuned 540hp turbo Busa. Should hit high 6's tommorrow...
NordieBoy
31st of March 2007 (Sat), 06:13
Zoom in and use a shallow DOF.
Panning helps to blur out the background as well.
scottcolbath
31st of March 2007 (Sat), 08:51
Yeah I own that I race one on occasion. I have a Motorhead built and tuned 540hp turbo Busa. Should hit high 6's tommorrow...


Mmmmmm. I heard Dennis isn't doing very well these days. :( Problems with his life and business.

Post up some pics of your bike.

S.C.
scottcolbath
31st of March 2007 (Sat), 08:51
Zoom in and use a shallow DOF.
Panning helps to blur out the background as well.

Thanks Nordie.

S.C.
NordieBoy
31st of March 2007 (Sat), 17:14
How close can you get to the track?
scottcolbath
31st of March 2007 (Sat), 20:19
How close can you get to the track?

I'll tell you how close. I did it again. Full access with the pro photogs, just like at the NHRA last month. I was on the wall baby! :cool:

I am just downloading today's pics now for review. I'll post up anything worth looking at. I'm going back tomorrow for more of the same.

S.C.
scottcolbath
31st of March 2007 (Sat), 22:08
Ugh! Horrible, horrible shots.

This is an example of something I tried to salvage from what I had. Look at the hose, the people in the background, the lack of exposure on the engine and the overexposure of the background. Trying to get a shot where there wasn't some BS in the pic was impossible.
http://wookiee.smugmug.com/photos/140028592-O.jpg

This is just not sharp.
http://wookiee.smugmug.com/photos/140027951-L.jpg

OK, don't ask me for the details on my settings because I haven't dug that data out yet, but here's a couple more shots as taken, only resized. From what I can gather, I was shooting at too slow a shutter speed. I was using ISO 100 most of the time, then I switched to 200 but the pics don't show the difference in the increased shutter speed that bought me.
http://wookiee.smugmug.com/photos/140036076-L.jpg

Look at this! I pre-focused on the spot on the track where I wanted the bike to be in prefct focus, and this is what I got. Maybe it's time for an eye exam.:mad:
http://wookiee.smugmug.com/photos/140036084-L.jpg

I must admit that I was not shooting wide open at all today........Something I had tried at the NHRA event but didn't like my results. People have told me that's the way to go.

Also, what about manually setting white balance at the track? Would playing around with that maybe help the pics with the colors?

The plan for Sunday:
I'm going back tomorrow for another shot. I'm bringing my laptop with me so I can download pics, review and make adjustments to my settings as I go. I am going to start shooting at ISO 400.

S.C.