motorsport photography workshop

[birdie3]

Hi
Can anyone help new to motorsport and DSLR photography in general, I am looking for a good motorsport photography workshop to attend for a day or maybe a weekend, can anyone recommend any or point me in right direction
thanks

[Cadwell]

The best advice I can give is this. Spend a year visiting race tracks every weekend to watch all kinds of racing without your camera. Watch carefully and learn about motor-racing and car dynamics. Understand the racing line and how a car looks going through a corner. Once you really understand the sport, get your camera out and start taking photos; taking photos is the easiest part.

I see many, many technically good photos of cars on race tracks on this forum but very, very few good motorsport photos. "Workshops" are a waste of time in my opinion; you can't be taught how to take a good motorsport photo in a workshop.

[GSH]

Hi
Can anyone help new to motorsport and DSLR photography in general, I am looking for a good motorsport photography workshop to attend for a day or maybe a weekend, can anyone recommend any or point me in right direction
thanks

I'll happily teach you all i know for £500. My courses start at 9am and the transfer of knowledge should take..oohh...shall we say 10 minutes?. I'll even buy the bacon butties and coffee. ;)

And now for the serious answer..

Read Glenn's advice above, read all the info that is available free of charge on POTN then take your camera to a track, preferably a smaller one as trying to learn at somewhere like Silverstone or Donington (if you're in the UK) will put you off Motorsports photography for life.

There is absolutely no need to pay to "learn" anything. Keep the money in your pocket or spend it on kit.

[RichardC27]

Can't really add much to what's been said above. If you're new to motorsport as well as photography, get yourself to as many different events as you can next season, at a variety of tracks. Most circuits in this country will hold something in the region of 25-35 meetings a season, plus track days and testing during the week. Get yourself the best equipment you can afford and start shooting. There's no substitute for practicing taking pictures of fast moving objects quite a distance away. Whereabouts are you based? Various people on here will be able to give you advice on different circuits.

[DC Fan]

In the U.S., we're lucky to have around 1,800 race tracks, and there's a good online source to find those tracks. (http://www.speedwaysonline.com/) At most of those facilities, you need only the price of a ticket or a pit pass to get yourself in a good place to get good pictures.

Travel to enough tracks in your area, and you'll become familiar with the area's greybeard veteran photographers. Those are the people who can serve as your "workshop." If you're gently curious, you can learn from the veterans. You'll also find plenty of places online (http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/racing.shtml) where you can get advice from experienced photographers. (http://www.takegreatpictures.com/HOME/Columns/Master_Photographers_Tell_You_How/Details/params/object/9790/default.aspx)

You also might want to look at the web sites of other racing photographers online, (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&as_q=racing+photography&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&num=100&lr=&as_filetype=&ft=i&as_sitesearch=&as_qdr=all&as_rights=&as_occt=any&cr=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&safe=images) to see what images they generate. Not to copy their work or styles, but to get a general idea of the kind of motorsports images that are preferred.

With some travel, you can get to at least one track every weekend in most parts of the U.S. from May through October. If you're determined enough, you can get to two or three events in a weekend. Just be ready to spend a lot of time on your feet, and be ready for weekends of heat and mud.

[birdie3]

Thanks for the valued advice chaps, will do as you suggest and spend the money on kit. cheers

[Philscbx]

I'll add one experience that shocked the entire grandstand, and more so, Me.

I and crew drove all day to get to Knoxville World of Outlaws.
I brought my Contax at the time, and also helped out in the Pits.
As the evening wore on, I asked the crew in the pits if the were ready for chow.

I wait for a clearing, and run across the track. The guard opens the gate section for me
to escape, and I head to the truck and make lunch for the crew.

I grab cold ones and head for the gate loaded down, and the guard opens the gate for me to enter the track.
I tell him, I think I'll wait this round out for a moment. Set the load down to grab some shots from the fence line squatted down low as they come out of turn 4 heading up the straight.
As the pack approach turn 4, I see chaos and duck low face down.
Hard clumps of track pelt me pretty good.
Then the entire grandstand start screaming.

I look up as cars are still wide open throttle, and 2-3 cars get tangled up in the middle are now heading into the pits out of control. Hitting everything in their path, and takes out my crew where I was just standing 10 minutes before.

Towers of tool boxes flying, tires stacked flying, and then silence.
I run across the track trying to find the crew in all the mess, and complete shock sets in when I find their bodies twisted among the debris.

Miraculously, they survived, but severely injured.
So just when you think your in a fairly secure area, it can all change in a second.
This happened roughly 20 years ago, and maybe some one recalls the event.

Still odd though, that I decided not to cross as the guard opened the gate.

[Simon Harrison]

A shocking story, and I'm glad you're friends and colleagues survived the incident and sincerely hope they made full recoveries with no long term problems, but I'm not sure what it has to do with the OPs original question about motorsport photography workshops...........

I'll add one experience that shocked the entire grandstand, and more so, Me.

I and crew drove all day to get to Knoxville World of Outlaws.
I brought my Contax at the time, and also helped out in the Pits.
As the evening wore on, I asked the crew in the pits if the were ready for chow.

I wait for a clearing, and run across the track. The guard opens the gate section for me
to escape, and I head to the truck and make lunch for the crew.

I grab cold ones and head for the gate loaded down, and the guard opens the gate for me to enter the track.
I tell him, I think I'll wait this round out for a moment. Set the load down to grab some shots from the fence line squatted down low as they come out of turn 4 heading up the straight.
As the pack approach turn 4, I see chaos and duck low face down.
Hard clumps of track pelt me pretty good.
Then the entire grandstand start screaming.

I look up as cars are still wide open throttle, and 2-3 cars get tangled up in the middle are now heading into the pits out of control. Hitting everything in their path, and takes out my crew where I was just standing 10 minutes before.

Towers of tool boxes flying, tires stacked flying, and then silence.
I run across the track trying to find the crew in all the mess, and complete shock sets in when I find their bodies twisted among the debris.

Miraculously, they survived, but severely injured.
So just when you think your in a fairly secure area, it can all change in a second.
This happened roughly 20 years ago, and maybe some one recalls the event.

Still odd though, that I decided not to cross as the guard opened the gate.

[Mike Hoyer]

Give me some money, and I'll teach you!

[thumper 8]

The best advice I can give is this. Spend a year visiting race tracks every weekend to watch all kinds of racing without your camera. Watch carefully and learn about motor-racing and car dynamics. Understand the racing line and how a car looks going through a corner. Once you really understand the sport, get your camera out and start taking photos; taking photos is the easiest part.



I will add one more thing to this excellent advice - if you are going to hang around some tracks without a camera, volunteer at the track as a marshall/cornerworker. As well as building up some contacts, you will get a sense of the speed and danger and be able to observe other photographers in action. You will soon learn the do's and don'ts so that when you do get to a track with your camera, you will have a bit more experience and stay safe... good luck!

[g_robins]

(QUOTE) I'll happily teach you all i know for £500. My courses start at 9am and the transfer of knowledge should take..oohh...shall we say 10 minutes?. I'll even buy the bacon butties and coffee. ;)

Had I of known you were running a course including food I would have signed up:D. £500 for ten mins. of your time is well worth it.;)

[PhotosGuy]

If you're gently curious, you can learn from the veterans. We have some great ones here, too!
See the info & links in:
Suggestions for Shooting Outdoor Motorcycle Racing (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=536607)

[GSH]

Had I of known you were running a course including food I would have signed up:D. £500 for ten mins. of your time is well worth it.;)

I'll do you a discount. How does £499.95p sound ? ;)

[neilwood32]

I will add one more thing to this excellent advice - if you are going to hang around some tracks without a camera, volunteer at the track as a marshall/cornerworker. As well as building up some contacts, you will get a sense of the speed and danger and be able to observe other photographers in action. You will soon learn the do's and don'ts so that when you do get to a track with your camera, you will have a bit more experience and stay safe... good luck!

Add to that, once you get to know the marshalls and staff, you may be able to wangle your way in to trackside areas normally reserved for professional photogs.