Motorsport Shooting Technique

looking through motorsport mags, i was wondering how a certain effect is created by shooting, or pp?

when a car or bike is shot as the focal point and the background has motion blur?

how is this effect created?

Without you posting an example, all I can say is the shot has an element of panning - this is where you track the motion of the vehicle and the background is blurred due to a slowish shutter speed.

this is a terrible pic from the net, but imagine the car is in focus and the motion blur is the background....
there are generally this kind of shot in most car magazines giving the effect of fast motion.....


http://www.kalitelires​imler.com …33/Subaru-Impreza-WRC.jpg

EDIT: You must not embed photos that you didn't take! Read the image posting rules, please.

jaebo wrote in post #9523688
looking through motorsport mags, i was wondering how a certain effect is created by shooting, or pp?

when a car or bike is shot as the focal point and the background has motion blur?

how is this effect created?

It's generally called "panning." Slow shutter speed to create motion blur and an illusion of motion.

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

Yep, that's a typical panning shot - select a slow shutter speed and follow the car with your camera. Start moving before you press the shutter button all the way down and keep the movement for a bit longer after you have released the button, that way you'll have nice smooth motion. That's all there is to it.

edit: I'm too slow to type today

A lot of the magazine stuff i see is created by a Technique known as "Photoshop"

thanks for that!

i'm guessing if you don't pan correctly your subject will also get blurred?
how does the camera track the subject?
is it best to use a tripod for this?

jaebo wrote in post #9526626
thanks for that!

i'm guessing if you don't pan correctly your subject will also get blurred?
how does the camera track the subject?
is it best to use a tripod for this?

Handheld, no tripod.

From previous responses:

The basics: choose a shutter speed from 1/80-1/200. Find a place with a clear view of the vehicle for a couple of seconds. Pan the camera with the vehicle, keeping the center focus mark in the middle of the target. For newcomers to the technique, it's best to have the camera in continuous shooting mode, to increase the chance that one frame will work. Also, try shutter speeds in the 1/200 range at the beginning, and expect that you'll have more unusable frames than usable ones until you get the moves down straight.

Somewhere, someone probably could create a formula that uses turn radius, car speed and distance from the target to calculate a good shutter speed for the panning motion blur. Until then, it's best to just guess at a good speed and play with that for a while.

Also, while it means additional wear on the shutter mechanism, the most vulnerable part of a DSLR, it doesn't hurt to use the continuous shooting mode when you're trying for a panning shot. Why? Because it can be best to concentrate on the panning motion rather than choosing a moment to trigger the shutter, an act which can upset a smooth arc. It's best in many cases to pick up the target, push the shutter and let the camera fire frames as you track the target, then later review the images to find where your technique works.

jaebo wrote in post #9526626
is it best to use a tripod for this?

Tripods & Motorsports generally don't mix. People tend to fall over the legs as they wander about watching what's on track rather than the random lump of metal (etc) that your camera is attached to

great.

thanks for the responses.
i'll have to experiment at an event now

love the shot with the Subaru

If I'd shot it, I would have thrown the Subaru shot away. Bad technique and poor results...

The flat-track Honda, on the other hand, is excellent. Nicely done!

I beg to differ about the Subaru shot, it is excellent, and conveys the speed of the car beautifully. Some of the very best motorsports shooters use this method to great effect, check out Darren Heath's F1 pictures as an example...

Twenty-odd years ago when I was active, I too would have binned a shot like this, but today, it is perfectly acceptable. Tastes have changed considerably over the years.

BrendanMcF wrote in post #9861352
I beg to differ about the Subaru shot, it is excellent, and conveys the speed of the car beautifully.

Matter of taste. In my opinion the Subaru shot is rubbish and wouldn't have survived my delete button had I taken it. If something on the car wasn't motion blurred I might have been able to live with it.