24 Hours of Le Mans

[vwpilot]

Just got back from the greatest sportscar race in the world and let me tell you, it sure lived up to that billing. And let me say, its just as hard photographing the thing I think as actually running it. With only 1 1/2 hours of sleep on a media center floor from 8 am Saturday to 8 pm on Sunday, it was a lot of work. But I would not change that for the world and am already looking forward to next year.

Here are a few shots from the event. Full galleries can be seen at the www.speedarena.com Le Mans section. Enjoy.

http://speedarena.com/special/lemans_05/gallery/albums//Le%20Mans/2005/04%20Practice%20and%20Qualifying/014.jpg

http://speedarena.com/special/lemans_05/gallery/albums//Le%20Mans/2005/04%20Practice%20and%20Qualifying/124.jpg

http://speedarena.com/special/lemans_05/gallery/albums//Le%20Mans/2005/04%20Practice%20and%20Qualifying/169.jpg

http://speedarena.com/special/lemans_05/gallery/albums//Le%20Mans/2005/04%20Practice%20and%20Qualifying/087.jpg

http://speedarena.com/special/lemans_05/gallery/albums//Le%20Mans/2005/09%20Race%20Gallery%201/044.jpg

http://speedarena.com/special/lemans_05/gallery/albums//Le%20Mans/2005/09%20Race%20Gallery%201/085.jpg

http://speedarena.com/special/lemans_05/gallery/albums//Le%20Mans/2005/09%20Race%20Gallery%201/072.jpg

http://speedarena.com/special/lemans_05/gallery/albums//Le%20Mans/2005/09%20Race%20Gallery%201/095.jpg

http://www.speedarena.com/gallery/albums//Sportscar/Le%20Mans/2005/10%20Race%20Gallery%202%20and%20Podium/023.jpg

http://speedarena.com/special/lemans_05/gallery/albums//Le%20Mans/2005/09%20Race%20Gallery%201/135.jpg

http://speedarena.com/special/lemans_05/gallery/albums//Le%20Mans/2005/09%20Race%20Gallery%201/126.jpg

http://speedarena.com/special/lemans_05/gallery/albums//Le%20Mans/2005/10%20Race%20Gallery%202%20and%20Podium/023.jpg[img]

[img]http://speedarena.com/special/lemans_05/gallery/albums//Le%20Mans/2005/10%20Race%20Gallery%202%20and%20Podium/031.jpg

http://speedarena.com/special/lemans_05/gallery/albums//Le%20Mans/2005/10%20Race%20Gallery%202%20and%20Podium/060.jpg

http://www.speedarena.com/gallery/albums//Sportscar/Le%20Mans/2005/10%20Race%20Gallery%202%20and%20Podium/011.jpg

http://speedarena.com/special/lemans_05/gallery/albums//Le%20Mans/2005/10%20Race%20Gallery%202%20and%20Podium/076.jpg

http://speedarena.com/special/lemans_05/gallery/albums//Le%20Mans/2005/10%20Race%20Gallery%202%20and%20Podium/085.jpg

http://speedarena.com/special/lemans_05/gallery/albums//Le%20Mans/2005/09%20Race%20Gallery%201/033.jpg

Thanks for looking and comments (good and bad) always welcome.

[Skip Souza]

Yes, vwpilot, it is the greatest sports car race in the world. Great photos. Thanks for posting.
How did you do that first one?

[vwpilot]

How did you do that first one?

Relatively slow shutter, I think it was around 1/30, manual exposure, and manual control over the flash with it set at a low power so that it will not actually illuminate the car, but will illuminate the reflective graphics on the car.

I hate using flash for night photos when it is bright enough to expose the car "correctly." When that happens it freezes all the action, wheels are frozen, you can read lettering on the tires, it stops all motion of the roadway, etc. Just looks bad. So normally I go for these kinds of shots when shooting at night and try to use what, if any, available light there is and only have the flash accentuate the graphics, not be the main lighting source.

[Belmondo]

Absolutely excellent.

What kind of flash?

[vwpilot]

Canon 550EX.

By the way, this car:

http://www.speedarena.com/gallery/albums//Sportscar/Le%20Mans/2005/04%20Practice%20and%20Qualifying/159.jpg

And its sister car:

http://www.speedarena.com/gallery/albums//Sportscar/Le%20Mans/2005/09%20Race%20Gallery%201/111.jpg

Are from BELMONDO Racing. :)

[Belmondo]

If true, then they should've won. :evil:

I'm a little surprised the 550 has that kind of reach. How close were you?

[vwpilot]

The 550 is pretty powerful, but remember, I was not going for full illumination on those with the flash. I had the flash manually set at about 1/64 power, just enough to make the reflective graphics glow.

I'm terrible with distance estimates, but maybe 50 feet or so. That was with the 70-200 and set at 70mm. So its not real far away. But again, when using a higher ISO, the 550 will reach pretty far.

[rosco1971]

great shots....very cool ...i like the last 2 shots

[PaCiFiSt]

Wow, you and DaveG have totally differnt styles (I think thats the word I'm looking for). Your pictures are from the same event but have a totally differnt feel to them. I like them both

Number 1 is really amazing. Number 15 also really does it for me. Look forward to your post after nextyears Le Mans :-D

[Persian-Rice]

Awsome, thats not fair, press access shots, I'm so jelous. I love the vantage points you get.

That my new motto. It's not the Camera or the lens, it's all about the press access. loL

[Croasdail]

awsome stuff.... I hope to be there next year. you did good.

[ImperialRed]

Some of the best shots I've ever seen on the forum! Bow.....

[SonicZoom]

your pictures > all

[Wazza]

Far out, some incredible shots.

Now have a new life goal. To photograph Le-Mans. Those night shots are VERY impressive. :)

[Dave_G]

Wow, you and DaveG have totally differnt styles (I think thats the word I'm looking for). Your pictures are from the same event but have a totally differnt feel to them. I like them both

haha

these make mine look crap!

superb photos, mine cannot possibly compare!

[blackscooby]

Amazing shots, deeply jealous ! I was sweating it out in Dunlop grandstand. Amazing weekend. 1st time I've been for about 25 years and we're planning 2006 already ~ next time I'll hopefully have a more capable camera though.

Cheers

Mark.

[Dave_G]

I managed to get seats in the grandstand above the pits - in the shade. 60 Euros!

[cmM]

I like it. Very cool shots!

[Dave_G]

they totally rock my socks off

[sixshot]

I like them all.

[Simon Barnes]

Wow, fantastic shots! I was so jealous of the people on the other side of the safety fencing. It's a pain in the arse trying to get shots from behind them :confused:

Managed to get a few I was quite pleased with though.

http://www.simonbarnes.net/gallery/gallery/albums/Race/IMG_1664.jpg

http://www.simonbarnes.net/gallery/gallery/albums/Night-Shots/IMG_2246.jpg

http://www.simonbarnes.net/gallery/gallery/albums/Race/IMG_2422.jpg

http://www.simonbarnes.net/gallery/gallery/Le-Mans-2005 (http://www.simonbarnes.net/gallery/gallery/Le-Mans-2005)

[Dave_G]

Awesome!

What kit were you using, if you don't mind me asking?

[Simon Barnes]

I was using a 20D, 17-40F4L, 70-200F4L, 1.4xTC and a borrowed 300F4L (which was very nice indeed)

[Dave_G]

Ta :)

[vwpilot]

Simon, those first two are really good shots, especially if you were dealing with the fencing. Its not easy to shoot anymore from spectator areas. Good stuff.

One little trick you can try another time. If you have an external flash you can set manually, on taht shot with the Audi, if you set it manually for a very low power, like 1/64 or something like that, it would have been enough to just make the graphics glow, like in my first shot, but still not be bright enough to change any of the exposure on the car or track. So you would have ended up with essentially the same thing, but with the bright graphics. Not all cars use the reflective graphics so it will only work with them, but its something to try and play with.

Regardless, that is a great shot, but you might want to try the flash thing as well. Both styles work.

Equipment was:

Canon 1DMkII bodies
24-70 f/2.8
70-200 f/2.8 IS
500 f/4 IS

The shots in the pits were done with the 24-70, the side pans were with the 70-200 and the rest were with the 500 f/4.

Thanks for the comments guys, glad you enjoy looking at them.

[Simon Barnes]

Thanks for the tips :)

I didn't think a flash would be much use when shooting with a 300mm lens but will certainly bear it in mind for the future.

[Dave_G]

I was in the grandstands, there was a guy there with what looked like a 20D, a grey lens of some sort and a 580EX. Probably 50m from the start/finish straight - I assume a 580EX would reach?

[DeltaWebb]

Every pic on here is SWEET!!! Something I would love to try in the future. Really want to learn how to do the panning shots. Any resources that you guys have for a newbie photog would be cool.

Thanks

[MazerRakhm]

Man, what great shots! Looks like the long day paid off!

[vwpilot]

Thanks for the tips :)

I didn't think a flash would be much use when shooting with a 300mm lens but will certainly bear it in mind for the future.

Under normal circumstances and uses it might not. But in this case we are really only barely using the flash. The graphics are so reflective that it doesnt take a lot at all to make them glow. The light doesnt really have to reach the subject in the sense that it will light it up. Its a lot like when you come across an animal in the road at night and sometimes you see the glowing eyes before your headlights actually light up the body of the animal. Same thing, just enough to get the reflective surfaces reflecting, not enough to actually light up the car. If it actually lights the car, you will get frozen wheels and pavement and background since a flash duration is so short.

Like in my first shot. You can see the flash didnt really light up the body of the car, but the graphics are lit up. Same thing could happen in your shot.

Dont get me wrong, great shot as is, but using the flash gives that other little option for another look to the shot. Neither is right or wrong, just two different looks.

[blackscooby]

The Audi with the glowing brake disks is fantastic, well caught !
Those were taken through the wire fencing ?????

Amazing :)

[Simon Barnes]

Thanks. Still not totally convinced by the Audi shot. It was taken @ ISO3200 & 1/50th sec which gave quite a noisy shot. I've run it through noiseware pro but think I might have overdone it a bit.

I'm pretty sure that shot wan't taken through a safety fence, I'd found a spot on a bank where I could shoot over it with a 300mm lens (on the rare occasions where people weren't walking in front of me!)

[blackscooby]

I took a borrowed digital camera (none DSLR). I've learnt the error of my ways and will be equipped differently in 2006. We were sitting in the sweatbox known as Dunlop grandstand for most of the time drinking water we didn't do that much walking around cos it was too hot, I know I'd complain if it rained all the time, but every moment was soo bloody hot from the moment I woke in the tent going "ouch, too hot need to get out now!"

Never been before (except when I was 5). I was overwhelmed by it, totally amazing experience which needs to become an annual pilgramige

[Dave_G]

totally amazing experience which needs to become an annual pilgramige

This year was my 9th trip to the race weekend.

I've been to the pre qualifying test day held in May 6 times now. Can't get enough!!

[grooveandmelody]

Phenomenal Pictures! What clarity! SHARP!

[MrChad]

Wow, those shots are awesome. One day I hope to experience LeMans. Until then I shlup around here in the states at ALMS races. This is one I really like from the Mid-Ohio ALMS race right before LeMans.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/12/web/276000-276999/276824_108_full.jpg
Sorry for the low res site.

No post processing save for a crop angled about 100% PS7. 1/250, f7.1, 140mm focal, ISO100, fine JPEG. I have to deal with fencing so this is good for me. It printed very well to an 11"x14" from an online lab. umm, but it looks way to bright online for me here?

I hope to make it to Elkhart Lake, WI (Road America) and Leguna Seca (Monterey, CA) events this season too. Thanks for letting horde in on the post.

[PaCiFiSt]

Wow that second picture is really tight. I love it.

[PhotosGuy]

Those are just outstanding shots! Night & dawn shots put a whole different "light" on the sport.

[PeteDyer]

love the TVR chasing the DB9