Newbie looking for help!!

Taryn06 · Mar 30, 2017

Hello!
I'm looking to shoot some muscle cars doing burn outs and was wondering what the best settings would be? I want to capture them as best I can and I'm not very experienced! I have a Nikon d72oo with the kit lens and also a 35mm lens that I use the most.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
My end goal is to use the photo for a gender announcement

Derrel · Mar 30, 2017

Get near the cars, but stay safe! Shoot in Programmed Auto mode, and use the thumb wheel to go from wide-open lens at fast shutter speeds, like 1/1250 at f/2, down to maybe f/2.8 at 1/650 and down to f/4 or so at 1/320 or thereabouts. Slow-ish speeds in the 1/250 to 1/125 second at f/5.6 general zone will show the wheels spinning, and the smoke, but the car itself ought to be more or less still, during the burnout.

Once the car gets moving forward, then you might want to pan with it (track the camera with it).

Use the rear LCD to check the shots for quality, the right settings,etc..

There's no fixed rule that says how much motion you need to stop, or to allow...sometimes a shot at 1/1250 or 1/1500 looks TOO still, too static...and 1/60 second looks quite blurry, yet "cool"...

What settings depend on what,exactly you want to show! It's a D7200, so use whatever ISO you want to, up to 1,600 in daylight.

SCraig · Mar 30, 2017

As Derrel comments, you have to find what works best for you. I shoot a lot of drag races and will change settings constantly depending on the car's direction of movement in relation to me, and what I want to show. If the car is passing in front of me I'll shoot at about 1/125 second and pan with it. If it's coming straight at me I shoot a lot faster. Burnouts from the side are normally around 1/125 second to get motion blur in the tires and a smooth texture in the smoke.

If you shoot relatively slow and pan with the car as it passes you will still normally get some out of focus areas. Drag cars, or muscle cars just doing burnouts, aren't stable platforms. They are bouncing around, the back of the car is going down while the front is coming up, and you can't compensate for all those movements other than by using a fast shutter speed. Farther down the track they become more stable but the truly fast ones (Top Fuel or Fuel Funny Car think 300+ mph at the end of the run) are tough to keep up with. As was said, you'll just have to try things until you find what you're looking for.

Taryn06 · Mar 30, 2017

Thank you both. I really appreciate the advice! I will keep practicing! I got a couple shots I'm not mad at but I know could be a lot better. Here is one of them.

DGMPhotography · Mar 30, 2017

Taryn06 said:
Thank you both. I really appreciate the advice! I will keep practicing! I got a couple shots I'm not mad at but I know could be a lot better. Here is one of them.

That shot has charm! Reminds me of a still from an old western or action flick.

You've got a bit of ghosting (the rainbow colors) so you may want to experiment with your angles. Your car is also a bit out of focus. Make sure you're shooting on single-point focus mode!

Taryn06 · Mar 30, 2017

Thank you! Appreciate it!

qmr55 · Mar 30, 2017

Nice car!

KmH · Mar 30, 2017

Got a 'protection' filter on the lens?
If you do, take it off and toss it in the trash.
Clear or UV filters used for 'protection' usually hurt focus sharpness & can cause the rainbow lens flare in your photo.

It is hard to damage the front element of a lens, and the best first line of defense is situational awareness. A lens hood is the next best way to protect the front lens element.
Protection filters cause many more problems than they solve.

Taryn06 · Mar 30, 2017

KmH said:
Got a 'protection' filter on the lens?
If you do, take it off and toss it in the trash.
Clear or UV filters used for 'protection' usually hurt focus sharpness & can cause the rainbow lens flare in your photo.

It is hard to damage the front element of a lens, and the best first line of defense is situational awareness. A lens hood is the next best way to protect the front lens element.
Inexpensive protection filters cause many more problems than they solve.

I do! When I bought my lens they talked me into it! Thank you very much. I will take it off!