Herewith a sprinkling of snaps from the weekend just past. I forgot to get trackside in time for the historic parade on either Friday or Saturday, so had to make amends on Sunday. Given the slightly cramped raceday timetable - and the fact that the circuit's twin paddocks are in different counties (strange, but true) - I subsequently had to miss either the Red Arrows, lunch or a grid walk. After due consideration, I opted for the Red Arrows and an egg mayonnaise sandwich, so I'm afraid the traditional grid shots are absent...


1 - Fernando Alonso spent much of his weekend being hassled by Red Bulls. This is Daniel Ricciardo in pursuit on Friday (K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4, DA 1.4TC)


2 - The essence of a Silverstone summer (K-5, DA 17-70mm f4, three shots stitched together)


3 - The other essence of a Silverstone summer, with race winner thrown in (K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4)


4 - Damon Hill and the art of the selfie, taken aboard his dad's Lotus 49B (K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4)


5 - British racing driver in the foreground, British Racing Drivers' Club pavilion over his shoulder (K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4)


6 - Opposites being attractive (K5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4)


7 - The only way to make a Caterham look vaguely quick (Kamui Kobayashi at 1/125, with K-5 IIs and Sigma 100-300mm f4)


8 - Prince tunes in to racetrack royalty (K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4


9 - Some more of the weekend's closest action (K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4)


10 - Daniel Ricciardo (K-5, DA 17-70mm f4 at 1/60)

It might.

At some circuits, those with a tabard are not allowed to stay trackside when trucks are on the loose - and even marshals are required to stand behind the debris fencing. Fortunately, though, the cabs are large enough that 250-300mm is sufficient from a long way back...

Hi again Derek

I try to sort out the background before everything else. I don't mind having a few marshals in shot - often they add a certain something, as perhaps in the example below - but I try to avoid sawn-off trees, stray elbows and legs, bits of building and other potential distractions.



Generally, I'll walk at least one full lap of a circuit during the day and, again, a tabard helps because you can cross the track between races to save time.

I look forward to seeing your future endeavours. Any further questions, feel free to ask and I'll do my best to assist (as, I'm sure, will others with relevant experience - there are a fair few on here).

Hi Derek

Yes, leave some space ahead of the car or bike, but not necessarily too much. Of course, what looks balanced to me might appear lopsided to you, and vice versa. And there's no need to make all of them look exactly the same...

Pleased to hear you're in line for accreditation. I've had the privilege of trackside access since 1980 and it obviously makes a massive difference, but still I tear my hair out (or would, if I had much) when I see some of the stuff that goes on.

In F1, quite a few of the pros operate mostly in machine-gun mode - I pity the poor digital editor who has to sift through frame after frame of more or less the same shot. Equally, when I was at the Cholmondeley Pageant two weeks ago (pics are on here somewhere), I saw one accredited snapper stand in exactly the same spot throughout a one-hour motocross session. It was a good spot, but by no means the only one.

A tabard helps, but is by no means a panacea...

Hi Derek

Herewith a bit of C&C, as requested in another thread. All purely subjective (and much of it quite possibly wrong), so you don't have to take any notice...

I've been to Mondello only once, probably about 15 years ago, and was on that occasion behind wheel rather than lens, so I don't know what photographic access is like. There might not be many places that offer a clear shot of the circuit (and a pleasing backdrop), but as a general rule I think it's always best to seek a wide variety of angles rather than one or two corners. Easier said than done, I know, given the proliferation of debris fencing at most tracks. It's sometimes possible to shoot through a fence, though, without it compromising the shot.

These are all crisp and sharp, but if it were me I'd be tempted to crop some of them a little more tightly. As below, for instance (hope you don't mind).



It's important to allow photographs to 'breathe' - and a tiny car can work quite well as a detail in an appropriate landscape - but I think some of these have an excess of asphalt that makes the subject a little too remote. At the same time, for the sake of context it's important not to crop too tightly (that Lola T90 Indycar - #24 in the first batch - for instance).

I like the fact that you've included some paddock clutter - a good habit. I always try to arrive at least an hour before anything happens at a circuit, to allow time for paddock shots (plus coffee, scrambled eggs etc). I don't often post them on here, but they create pleasing snapshots of what will one day feel like the distant past. When I look back at early racetrack shots (mid-1970s, in my case), the road cars and dress sense are at least as interesting as anything with numbers and a rollcage.

Overall I can't see much wrong with your technique - and a nice, sharp pan at 1/100 confirms as much. With panning, I usually default to 1/100 or 1/125, but vary things between 1/60 and 1/250 depending on location and relative performance of whatever happens to be passing. Where possible, I like to find a busy background for panning shots - spectators in brightly coloured clothes can be a useful prop. The shot below was taken at 1/80 at Brands Hatch - it won't be to everyone's taste, but it's what I wanted.



I'm not sure I can offer much practical advice, other than to court diversity... and to keep practising (which we all need). I know you have relatively few permanent facilities on your side of the Irish Sea (and that we're completely spoilt over here), but you have motorcycle road racing (and lots of rallying) by way of compensation...

Cheers, and happy shooting,
SA

You wait an eternity for one Cadwell Park thread to materialise... and then two turn up within a fortnight. Sorry about the shameless repetition, but it is a particularly charming racetrack. I was due to cover the Nürburgring 24 Hours last weekend, but circumstance obliged me to cry off at the last minute and I ended up heading for Lincolnshire rather than the Eifel Mountains. Herewith a sprinkling of consequences, all taken with K-5 IIs and Sigma 100-300mm f4 unless otherwise stated.


1 - Two-stroke tussle between a brace of DKWs


2 - The future night be orange, but so was the past: this Argo JM6 is 34 years old


3 - Eligibility stewards contemplate whether Volvo PV544 qualifies as car or truck (Sigma 50-150mm f2.8, K-5)


4 - War of the Wolds


5 - Thirst among equals


6 - One of the world's most splendid inventions (K-5, Sigma 50-150mm f2.8, 1/100)


7 - Prized Turner


8 - Cortina driver preserving tyre life


9 - Cortina drivers doing anything but...


10 - Rural pursuit

Some terrific stuff there, George, but number 20 doesn't look much like Gordon Shedden to me...

Also, I'm intrigued by shot 23 (which is very definitely Gordon Shedden) because the perspective is unusual. It looks like Lodge Corner, but taken from a slightly different angle so that you have a tree as the background rather than the customary brick gates. Or is it taken from the entry bridge, looking back towards Druids?

Either way, I like it.

Some of those look passably familiar! I love the shot of Chris Williams leaving the start in his Napier Bentley - I was always in the wrong place to capture that.

And the crisp action shots underline the fine value of that Tamron 70-300.

Dates have already been announced for next year, Mike: June 12-14.

Herewith another sprinkling of internal combustion nonsense. The event was a little less busy this year - the powerboat racing had been canned, for instance - but it remains of of the UK's unsung motorsport gems. Nice to meet Mike Edwards (droopsnoot) on Saturday, too.


1 - Chris Williams' Napier Bentley: everybody needs 24 litres... (K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4)


2 - Playing to the crowd (K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4)


3 - Grass guzzlers (K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4)


4 - Morgan three-wheeler harbours a dream (Sigma 50-150mm f2.8, K-5)


5 - Forest gumption (K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4)


6 - Arc de Triumph (Sigma 50-150mm f2.8, K-5)


7 - Bentley with only four litres... and twin turbos (K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4)


8 - Bridge of size (K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4)


9 - Leaping beauty (K-5 IIs, Sigma 100-300mm f4)

And another round of grateful thanks.

@Russ: Mallory Park probably serves the best British motorsport breakfast - the price seems to vary every time, even when you order the same thing, but it's usually about a fiver for a fry-up and a large mug of tea. The MSV circuits (Brands Hatch, Oulton Park, Snetterton and Cadwell Park) are pretty good, though: the illustrated feast was mine for £6.20.

@Jonathan: yes, it looks better when drivers use period-style helmets in old cars - and those are the only ones I ever convert to mono. I understand why many opt for full-face protection, though.