NHRA Drag Race Advice

[nerwin]

This weekend, depending on weather I will be going to a NHRA drag race, luckily I have some friends that will be racing so they inviting me to hang with their team and they'll bring me to their favorite spot with their golf cart

But I've never been or shot an event like this, so if any of you have..I am looking for some advice on what I should look for or what I should expect.

Not exactly sure what lens I'll use, but I got a funny feeling it will be my 24-85. I don't really want to carry a bag around all day.

 

[SCraig]

Get close to the tree. By the time they get to the top end of the track they are (obviously) moving very, very fast. Lower classes (Super Gas, Pro Stock, etc.) I usually use about 1/125 to 1/200 second. Fuel cars I normally use 1/250 to 1/500 second. ISO normally 100 or 200 depending on the light. Shutter priority or manual mode always, continuous autofocus always. Don't worry about the aperture, at those shutter speeds it will be plenty. **PAN WITH THE CARS**; absolutely necessary. Focal length will depend on distance from the cars. Leave yourself room on the sides to crop or you'll wind up with chopped-off front or back ends.

 

[Braineack]

the magic happens once you get good below 1/80sec.

 

[Derrel]

Here is my general advice to people who are shooting events they do not generally or frequently shoot. STAY ALERT. Pay attention to what's going on around you. It's going to be noisy, and hot, and quite possibly, a bit disorienting. Watch out for your personal safety. Stay out of peoples' way. Do not walk in front of other people who might be shooting photos. Realize that focus wayyyy off to one side at a steep angle, like at the start, and then in front of you is quite a bit different in terms of distance. As SCraig mentioned, you want AF-C, and I would set the custom function setting to release priority, so you can fire at ANY time YOU decide to mash on the shutter button. I'm not familiar with the D610's AF performance, but with most cameras I've used, 9- or 11-point focusing works better for fast-moving targets, and like SCraig mentioned, at ISO 100 to 200 at the 1/200-1/500 range on a sunny day, you will not need critical,critical ultra-precise focusing, since your aperture will be small enough that DOF will give you a nice good cushion, especially with a lens like a 24-85mm, which does not have high magnification and uber-skinny DOF.

I've seen good racing pics shot at fast speeds, and slow speeds, and everything in-between.

The biggest mistake I see is people not allowing enough room to drive into, in front of the cars! That is so disconcerting to see the front bumper, right at the edge of the image frame...it looks bad! There ought to be more room in front of the car than there is behind it, in almost every shot.

 

[Braineack]

D600 has d9 d24 or d39. I'd use d24 if the cars are large in frame, but would probably stick to d9. When I pan I start, at 1/250sec and work down. Youll get clean good images easy above 1/250 but when you go slower and nail focus/speed they just get that much better, where it's less documenting and more creative. Then you can play with vantage points and focal lengths.

For focus, I pick a spot on the car and try to keep the focus point I'm the viewfinder locked on a spot of choice as it passes by. I almost never burst, doesn't tend to help with keepers.

I have a friend who has some awesome creatively different panning shots that may give you inspiration.

using tapatalk.

 

[SCraig]

the magic happens once you get good below 1/80sec.

Maybe, depends on the shot. This was at 1/100 second and I like the barely readable NHRA logo on the wall. At 1/80 it might have smeared entirely. Then again, maybe not.

 

[Braineack]

here's the panning work @midgeman has done that I was talking about for inspiration:
And across the line 2015 HSR Mitty kennethmidgett.smugmug Flickr - Photo Sharing
Racercolors. HSR Mitty 2015 For prints and complete galler Flickr - Photo Sharing
So Crispy. Classic 24 Hour at Daytona For prints please Flickr - Photo Sharing
1967 911S Classic 24 Hour at Daytona For prints please v Flickr - Photo Sharing

view through his work, his panning stuff is awesome and very different.

 

[jl1975]

I'll leave the photo advice to the others as they have already provided excellent advice. The only thing I would add is to bring ear plugs. Depending on what types of cars, it may be very loud.

 

[nerwin]

Thanks guys for all the great advice. I'm not exactly sure where I'll be or how many people there will be. But goal is capture cars going down the track and behind the scenes type stuff as I get to hang with my friend's team. Ear plugs will be a must for sure, I'm pretty much deaf in my left ear anyways! But I'll keep what I got left. My dad use to be a race car driver, so I'm a little familiar with the environment.

However, I am also there to enjoy myself and experience something I never have before. So I'm not going to try and spend the entire behind the viewfinder, lol.

 

[Dave442]

Sounds like a fun weekend. I remember a very nice drag race photo done with the 70-300 VR lens, but if your going to be up-close with your friends then the 24-85 is probably good to have.
Here is a link to a site that I think Derrel had put up a while back, lots of drag racing shots with camera setting info:
NHRA driver Larry Dixon walks away from frightening 300mph Flight on Mark J. Rebilas Blog

 

[vintagesnaps]

Good point by Derrel, I haven't done motor sports but have done a lot of hockey. Being between the benches at minor pro level I've been right where they were bringing a seriously injured player off. Another time had the team doctor leap from the steps into the tunnel right next to where I was standing. Most of the time not much of concern happens but things can change in a split second and you need to keep an eye on what's going on around you.

Had to watch out for the local news TV camera and their cables running all over the place (gotta make sure you're not in the way of the TV crew!). I had to watch for the mascot and the guys carrying cotton candy and the blimp being flown over the crowd at intermission (and the guys operating it). And 14000 other things happening at any given time. Lots of fun but you need eyes in the back of your head! lol Hope you have a good time.

 

[Braineack]

No, it's really good advice:

Here I am taking pictures at Watkins Glen back in 2008 (yes that's a Canon). Since I wasn't aware of my surrounding, I didn't realize I was standing next to Randy Pobst, who is a very successful winning racer and writer for car magazines.

Luckily my uncle pointing it out after snapping the pic and I was able to meet and talk to him

and just because:


Randy Pobst at Watkins Glen in KPAX #1 Porchse by The Braineack, on Flickr

this is the shot i took of him driving eariler that day.

 

[midgeman]

here's the panning work @midgeman has done that I was talking about for inspiration:
And across the line 2015 HSR Mitty kennethmidgett.smugmug Flickr - Photo Sharing
Racercolors. HSR Mitty 2015 For prints and complete galler Flickr - Photo Sharing
So Crispy. Classic 24 Hour at Daytona For prints please Flickr - Photo Sharing
1967 911S Classic 24 Hour at Daytona For prints please v Flickr - Photo Sharing

view through his work, his panning stuff is awesome and very different.

Thanks for the nod.

I agree with everything that has been said here. Although, I wouldn't let myself be confined to any SS or focal length. Just play around and see what it yields. Have fun with it. Shoot tight and fast to capture the tires off the line or a huge wheel stand. Shoot wide and slow for nice silky pans and uber motion. Out of all motorsport genre, it's my belief that drag photos can be the most repetitive. Try and think outside of the box. Taking shots behind the scenes like you've mentioned will be a plus. I love catching a driver in the staging lanes waiting patiently in his/her car. And most definitely DO NOT forget your earplugs. You may even want to bring hunting style headphone ear protection. Those cars are so loud it hurts. I would also take both lenses, but I've never had a problem carrying around a bag full of heavy gear.

 

[HaveCameraWillTravel]

And hope for the holly grail of drag photos......a fuel funny car going kaboom. (Of course not wanting anyone hurt), but when thr supercharger backfires and the big fireball it's pretty darn cool.

 

[nerwin]

Thanks so much, really appreciate all the advice. I do agree that drag race photos can be repetitive..but I'm not there to shoot it, I'm there to enjoy it, hang out with my dad and hopefully take some pictures here and there.