zooooooom zooooooom

[bigtwinky]

I was shooting for one of the sponsors who wanted a handful of his boats, but was allowed to roam for the rest of the day. I picked up another contract while shooting in the pit, a driver wanted some shots his boat racing.

They got my pit access (and had to sign a waiver in case of accident or death lol) as well as VIP access which allowed me to get up to the water front in the VIP area, while regular admission was a good 10-20 feet back of the water's edge.

This is my first time shooting such fast moving things. Its also my second semi professional sport shoot (first being a pro soccer game). So its a mix of sport shooting and event shooting as I wanted to get some coverage in the pit and of the people. My flickr has a few more, some closer up of drivers.

Sorry for the watermark, they usually arent my thing unless its for public events like this.

Thoughts, comments...its all good and all welcome

Zipping along

Panning shot

One category consists of open cockpit races. The day before, a 70 year old driver was ejected from the boat. He went to the hospital and came back on Sunday for more racing

Driver returning to the docks

Last minute touchups

Dropping the boat in

Not everyone gets to finish

Fixing 'er up before she races

Watch your heads!

 

[rainking]

Great pictures! Panning shots never got boring.

 

[Derrel]

I love the panning shots and the way panning emphasizes how fast those boats are.

 

[--ares--]

Awesome shots, I always look forward to viewing your work.

 

[bigtwinky]

Thanks for the comments!

There was one accident the day of the finals. No casualties, but I was following a boat further back. the guy beside me was following the boat beside the one that flipped. Shooting at 9fps, he got 2-3 workable frames before the water and splash covered everything. So those great accident shots you see? Not only do you need to be ready and skillful, you need to be damn lucky

I panned for the first time about a month ago and have been trying to practice as much as I can. Takes a while to get into it. But trust me, there are many more throw away panning shots compared to keepers.

Contrary to what I was first doing, you dont need an ultra low shutter speed to pan. I was first doing it with 1/20. While it might work, it increases the chance of getting an off shot. I got some great shots at 1/40 and 1/80.

Shutter priority makes it easier.
Turn off your IS, or switch it to panning mode.
Keep your feet well planted
Only move your torso, not your feet, when you pan
You can do burst panning

 

[KKJUN]

Those panning shots are brilliant, panning seems to work excellent on water.