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26.01.09

Photographing touring cars

Words by Paul White

The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) is the biggest saloon car championship in the United Kingdom. In 2008 it is being held over 10 races at circuits around the country between March and September. The cars are closely matched (a weight handicapping system applies) and every chance is taken for overtaking, which leads to spectacular racing. In 2007, the championship wasn’t decided until the final race.

For motorsport photographers, the BTCC gives plenty of opportunity to practise your photographic skills. Three separate races take place at each meeting, each one lasting 20 minutes or more. But it’s not only the BTCC cars that are in action; support races involve a wide mixture of saloon cars, sports cars and single seaters.

I got a press pass to get some of the images you see on these page, but I’ve been equally successful taking shots from public areas, too.I always use manual exposure as I have found that reflections off the car’s bodywork can fool autoexposure systems. I take the readings from the nearby track surface or grass. The start of the races is always preceded by a warm-up lap so you can check your settings. As the race proceeds, check the exposure using your DSLR’s histogram (if it has one), but resist checking too much as you may miss a crucial piece of action!

I leave my camera on servo (continuous) autofocus. It’s worth experimenting using all the focusing points or just the centre point in order to achieve greater accuracy. Some photographers successfully use manual focusing, but I prefer autofocus as I find that it is rarely fooled. I set the drive to continuous shooting, but rarely take more than three shots in a single burst. I always shoot using Raw format as that gives me better quality and greater latitude for adjustment later.

There are a number of techniques you can use to capture images, but one of the most popular is panning, where you track the movement of the car. To do this, make sure you are in a comfortable and balanced position. Stand so that you are facing the track. Then, keeping your legs still, turn your body to the side to sight the approaching car and turn with it as it passes. The idea is to turn, or ‘pan’, as smoothly as possible, releasing the shutter as you are square on to the car. Don’t forget to follow through with the car after you’ve taken the shot.

If you have not tried panning before, I suggest that you start with a shutter speed of about 1/500sec. At least in that way you’ll have something to show at the end of the day. Then, progressively use slower shutter speeds and keep checking your results. The ultimate aim is to have a blurred background with a sharp car in the foreground – a shutter speed of around 1/60sec should achieve this, but it does depend on the car’s speed.

For head-on shots of the cars, you will need to use a fast shutter speed, around 1/500sec. Increase the ISO speed if necessary. At some circuits you may find that you have no choice but to shoot through wire fencing. Minimize the effect of the fencing by standing as close as possible to the wire. If your lens has a focus limiter set it so that the minimum focus distance is beyond the fence, and select a wide aperture to ensure it’s completely out of focus.

I find the best locations tend to be on tighter bends. These are places where a lot of action occurs, such as overtaking manoeuvres and contact between the cars. Look for cars riding up the kerbs and tyre smoke under braking.

If you can, try to get to the practice day beforehand, particularly if you are not familiar with the circuit. This will give you a chance to identify the most likely spots for the best photography. Practice days also tend to be less crowded and you may get a better chance to take close-up photographs of the drivers and the cars in the paddock.

When taking your shots don’t forget about the general composition. Try to allow room in the frame for the vehicle to run into. Look out for distracting backgrounds (such as a marshal’s bright overalls or road cones). A backgrounds, however, can enhance the shot, such as a grandstand of spectators that turns into a colourful blur in a panning shot. It is a bonus if you can get not only a good shot of the car but also the driver inside so keep an eye on the direction of the sun and reflections on windscreens.

In hot weather, make sure that you take plenty of water to drink, a hat and sunscreen as (hopefully!) you will be out in the sun for several hours. Given our great British weather also be prepared for rain. Make sure you have protection for the camera equipment. I use a chamois leather draped over the camera and lens, which keeps out all but the worst rain.

One final tip is to take a small stepladder if you can. This can give you an enormous advantage if you have to look over a fence or the heads of a crowd and might give you that different angle for your shots. Prepare to enjoy a great day out and remember to take plenty of memory cards or film as you’re sure to take lots of shots!

KIT BAG

For the photographs in this feature I used (for the first time!) my new Canon EOS 40D DSLR (that replaced a 20D) with 70-210mm and 300mm lenses. I find these lenses are relatively small and light and give excellent results. There is good access for spectators at most circuits but, for safety reasons, you simply will not be allowed to get as close to the track as a professional photographer. As a spectator, I typically use Canon lenses in the range of 125mm to 500mm (at times with a 1.4x converter). A 100-400mm zoom is a good compromise. For heavier lenses I tend to use a monopod, which is easier to use than a tripod.

The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC)

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