Recent DirtKart Meet

[AceCo55]

Local dirt karting club had another race meeting on the weekend.
Sample of photos from it. Tried a couple of new angles.

#1: A 15yr old girl in one of the Junior classes


#2:


#3: This guy is new to this class (hence the red line through the number). This means he must start at the "rear of the field" for 4 race meetings.


#4: This girl has just started racing (again she has to start "rear of field" also)


#5:


#6: Bit of a young gun - absolutely going for it!


#7: Same driver - I was panning when he pulled this one


#8: Lost it on this corner and ended up ploughing through the dirt furrow that marks the edge of the track!

 

[ZapoTeX]

Amazing set! Congratulations!

I like that you got yourself very low on the ground for better perspective (I hope you had a UV filter or protector with all the dirt spraying around!)

#1 is impressive because of the front right wheel. It looks like it's going to break any second!

#3, #4 and #7: I love your panning style. You go for absolute sharpness of the moving subject, which is the way I like it. Most panning shots I see here go for dramatic motion blur of the background and barely acceptable sharpness of the moving subject. I very much prefer your style.

#8: awesome timing!

#5: awesome timing here too, I feel bad for your lens! You were in the middle of the spray

Congratulations, for sure you know a lot about both karting and photography. Impressive job

 

[AceCo55]

Thank you Zapotex for taking the time to comment - I very much appreciate it. And thanks for your kind opinions.
I really like the whole atmosphere at dirt karting meets. Everyone is really friendly (but competitive on the track) and I love the dirt flying and the power sliding through the corners (Even on the straight as the drivers approach a corner, they throw their karts sideways so that they are pointing out of the corner)

Yes, try to get low (and boy do my knees feel it the next day!) ... yes, UV filter on ... yes, some dirt ... no camera or photographer damage!!

I definitely strive for at least some part of the kart being sharp when I pan - if not, its in the trash. Each heat goes for 6 laps. I have been trying to get my panning shots in the last couple of laps. So in a race meet, I probably have a go at over a 100 pans. Starting with 1/160 and going down to 1/80. Hopefully getting better.

 

[ZapoTeX]

Thanks for the explanation! I'm not aware of any dirt karting association in Italy, but I'd love to see one. Thanks for sharing the photos!

 

[fokker]

These are excellent. Your panning shots are sharp and offer enough blur to the background and wheels to show a real sense of motion. At the same time you have captured some great moments with an appropriately high shutter speed (#1, #5) to stop the motion at a peak. No real criticisms here.

 

[KmH]

Pretty good shots. Try to get fewer backs of the head shots and leaving a bit more room in the frame in front of the direction of motion to strengthen the sense of movement and speed.

Dirt is hard on racing vehicles, be they karts or cars.

Me:

 

[Joel_W]

Your pictures sure brought back some great memories for this old timer. I use to race enduro karts back in the 70's, and actually won the NE reagional championship for Enduro Lite 6.1 ci in my final year, winning 12 out of 13 races. Marriage and home put an end to Karting in 1974. There is still a sprint Kart club active here, and I think I'll just take in a few races, and see what I can do with my camera.

 

[AceCo55]

fokker, KmH, Joel_W: Thank you all for taking the time to comment ... really appreciate it.

KmH: re back of heads. Definitely and over-representation in this set. I would say this shot comprises less than 5% of my shots from a meet. I certainly agree that I could have left more room. Sometimes I just like to concentrate on the wheel spin, so your suggestion to take in the wider context is a timely reminder for me.

Joel_W: glad it brought back good memories. Not sure if there would be a class for you after a 40 year break. We have a racing class called "Stateman" for the older (more experienced?) drivers. They have a ball - definitely competitive on the track but all good mates off the track. I am continually reminded of their good sportmanship as they help each other out with spares (including loan a whole engine), tools and repairs ... just so they can get them ready to race against them!!!

Once again, thankyou all for your comments and advice.