Some advice from the experts please. - Page 3

Damon · 25 Aug 2003, 21:56 (Ref:698717)

This is one of the rising star that is Lewis Hamilton, on a day on which he was on top form:

Damon · 25 Aug 2003, 21:57 (Ref:698720)

Finally, action during the Renault Clio race:

Damon · 25 Aug 2003, 22:04 (Ref:698725)

With the following, I tried to take some advice about composing interesting portraits and static shots in the pics. How do these look? The first shot is Dan Eaves.

Damon · 25 Aug 2003, 22:14 (Ref:698731)

David Leslie:

Damon · 25 Aug 2003, 22:16 (Ref:698733)

James Thompson:

Damon · 25 Aug 2003, 22:16 (Ref:698735)

Yvan Muller:

Damon · 25 Aug 2003, 22:17 (Ref:698736)

Lewis Hamilton:

Damon · 25 Aug 2003, 22:19 (Ref:698739)

Phil Bennett, trying very hard:

Damon · 25 Aug 2003, 22:20 (Ref:698743)

Someone's clearly impressed:

Damon · 25 Aug 2003, 22:21 (Ref:698746)

And finally a few car shots. This is the works Honda:

Damon · 25 Aug 2003, 22:22 (Ref:698747)

The MG:

Damon · 25 Aug 2003, 22:23 (Ref:698750)

and finally the Vauxhall. So what do you think? An improvement?

**Tim Falce** · 26 Aug 2003, 05:19 (Ref:698983)

Damon, those pictures are very good. Did you edit any of them in a photo editor? The people ones could do with sharpening up and a bit of work on brightness/contrast etc. on one or two of them. Even the top digital SLR cameras need some sort of photo editing out of the camera.
They are a lot better than the ones I took with my Canon Sureshot this weekend.

neil_davidson2 · 26 Aug 2003, 08:32 (Ref:699107)

The static car shots are great Damon. I suspect that the panned shots may have suffered slightly from shutter lag, but keep at it and remember to keep panning after you've pressed the button.

G_Ilott · 26 Aug 2003, 12:31 (Ref:699344)

The portraits suffer from poor focussing. As I've never used a digital camera, I don't know whether you can focus manually with them. If you can, it might be worth trying. I like the candid feel of most of them. I like how you managed to shoot with the subject in a racing context, although wearing those race suits helps. Pay attention to background as some are messy with tubing or other people's faces detracting from the subject. If you camera allows you to set aperture, set it to it's lower figure (i.e f3.5) to isolate your subject. Try to get colourful sponsor graphics behind the drivers but make sure it doesn't take attention away from them. Or try to compose to show more elements of why you are taking the picture - shoot from behind showing the crowd of fans all jockeying for an autograph, or the driver chatting earnestly to a team member with the car (out-of-focus) in the background. The Honda shot with the helmet : if the driver was around, you could have composed with the helmet and part of the roof in the foreground with the driver's head (hopefully with fireproof balaclava on) to one side of the shot. That gives you a progression - it's a portrait showing what's going on and what'll happen next. He'll put the helmet on.

You've got an eye for a picture with the grid girl shots; just need to improve sharpness.

Do you use a monopod? If not, make sure you're not holding the camera out in front of you and using the LCD (easy way to camera shake), use a fast shutter speed, lean against a post or place the camera on top of it.

The static car shots : I would recommend getting lower to make the car more prominent in the picture. I get some funny looks while scrabbling on the floor with my angle finder but the pictures are worth it. People also take you more seriously and get out of your way (if they notice you). I waited for 10 minutes to get a shot of a Special GT car yesterday because people didn't see me on the other side of the paddock road.

Damon · 26 Aug 2003, 17:52 (Ref:699748)

Thanks for the compents again. I know focus seems to be an issue. The camera only has an autofocus and I think a rush slightly in my haste to get the shot while there was a gap in the crowds. And I am also using the LCD screen so perhaps a move to using the view finder would help. The advice you've given is great, everything you've said sounds like common sence now, but at the time I wouldn't have thought about it.

rdjones · 26 Aug 2003, 18:26 (Ref:699785)

Not bad Damon - I had a really bad weekend photograph wise these are the best I could come up with, both taken during the 2nd Race yesterday. Again please free to give me some feedback

rdjones · 26 Aug 2003, 18:28 (Ref:699786)

and this is the best one I took all weekend IMO

Damon · 26 Aug 2003, 18:35 (Ref:699791)

They look pretty damn good to me Rob. How did you manage to get all the cars in focus in that first shot?

Which corner were you at btw, I can't place it from these photos.

rdjones · 26 Aug 2003, 18:53 (Ref:699815)

Quote:

Originally posted by Damon
They look pretty damn good to me Rob. How did you manage to get all the cars in focus in that first shot?

My Camara has a pretty good and quick auto focus - In fact that shot was taken using the rapid shot function

Quote:

Originally posted by Damon
Which corner were you at btw, I can't place it from these photos.

I was stood at the bottom of Paddock Hill

**Aysedasi** · 26 Aug 2003, 18:56 (Ref:699819)

So why didn't you two take a picture of each other?

Damon · 26 Aug 2003, 19:08 (Ref:699847)

Crikey, you can't have been far away then Rob!

**Aysedasi** · 26 Aug 2003, 19:08 (Ref:699849)

Didn't you two know you were both there then?

Damon · 26 Aug 2003, 19:13 (Ref:699863)

Sort off. Although I struggled finding my own group of mates when I came back from getting a cup of tea so finding someone who a don't know would have been virtually impossible.

**Aysedasi** · 26 Aug 2003, 19:18 (Ref:699876)

"Cup of tea" eh?

"Struggled to find my mates" eh?

A likely story.

You were on your tenth pint by then, surely.....

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