Track limits
The Mercedes-AMG SLS of Adam Christodoulou-Richard Neary uses all of the circuit - and a bit more - during a British GT Championship race at Brands Hatch, Augus...
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The Mercedes-AMG SLS of Adam Christodoulou-Richard Neary uses all of the circuit - and a bit more - during a British GT Championship race at Brands Hatch, August 6 2017. Lens: Nikkor 300mm f4
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Aug, 2017Views
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Awards
Winner in Mercedes-Benz only Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This is from the British GT Championship meeting at Brands Hatch, Kent, on August 6 2017. It's the Rollcentre Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Adam Christodoulou and Richard Neary (not sure who was driving at this stage), taking liberties with the kerbing at Sheene Curve.Time
Mid-afternoon. It was a two-hour race, which allowed plenty of scope for covering a great deal of ground on both sides of the 2.43-mile/3.91-kilometre track.Lighting
All natural. Although racing circuits have a finite number of places in which you can stand, I always try to look for fresh angles - no matter how familiar the surroundings. It might be a matter of tilting the lens, or else going to the same place at different times of the day to see whether sunlight and shadows can be used to frame a car slightly differently. In this instance there was a pool of light just beyond the foreground shadows, so I used spot metering to make sure the Merc was correctly exposed as it passed through.Equipment
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 300mm f4, hand-held. That's it...Inspiration
Motor sport has always inspired me - I've loved it since I was a small child and half a century later nothing has changed.have Some circuits are more photogenic than others - and in the UK we're lucky to have many venues with pastoral backdrops. There are one or two exceptions, but I tend to visit those only when absolutely necessary. We're also privileged to have a very diverse motor sport culture, with events for pretty much anything with wheels.Editing
Customary dull answer: no! I should probably learn to do more with PS Elements (14), but my range of 'skills' remains rather limited. It did take a slight crop, but that apart...In my camera bag
My inventory has increased slightly since last I filled in one of these. I regularly carry Nikon D800 and D700 bodies, with Nikkor 300mm f4, Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 and Sigma 24-105mm f4. I have also acquired a Sigma 105mm 2.8 macro and a Sigma 18-35 f1.8 (a crop-format lens, but it works fine on the D800 from about 21mm and the f1.8 is very useful). I use the 24-105 quite a lot for motor racing, because I like wider-angle shots that provide a sense of location. I am perplexed when I see photographers spending all day shooting with a 500mm lens at a scenic circuit - there is much more to motor racing than simply the cars (though having said that, I have just acquired a Nikon 200-500mm f5.6, as yet largely untried). I also have a Manfrotto tripod for twilight urban landscapes. Cameras, lenses, SD cards and spare batteries apart, my most important accessories are two Storm Jacket rain covers - light, space-efficient and very effective.Feedback
I should point out that this shot couldn't be taken from a public area - at most motor sport events, I have the unfair advantage of professional accreditation. My main advice to those on the spectator banks would be to favour circuits that give spectators some clear, fence-free views (Cadwell Park, Oulton Park, Lydden Hill and Mallory Park are good in the UK, while Brands Hatch has some decent options and also allows photographers to get close enough to the debris fencing to shoo through it at wide aperture without any distortion. Beyond that, experiment constantly, vary your focal lengths while standing in the same spot, look for backgrounds that will complement the action and avoid tight crops that show nothing but the car and a bit of asphalt...
