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I spent some time at the local race track watching Championship Cup Series (CCS) races today. I wanted to practice panning and see if I could do better than the track photographers I used to buy from when I was riding instead of spectating.
In the lead by Mark, on Flickr
Heat waves by Mark, on Flickr
Red means stop by Mark, on Flickr
Nice series, but I especially liked #926 as the bike has space to move into.
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Love the photos. What lens? So, do you think an ex-rider can take better photos than a non rider? Or is the individual photog's innate skills? My vice was skydiving ( a LONG time ago) and I shot a lot of pix but I wonder if some shots would not be understood except by another jumper.
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Love the photos. What lens? So, do you think an ex-rider can take better photos than a non rider? Or is the individual photog's innate skills? My vice was skydiving ( a LONG time ago) and I shot a lot of pix but I wonder if some shots would not be understood except by another jumper.
All of these were taken with my Tamron 150-600mm lens. Most were at 600. I'd have to check to be certain, but there's little to no cropping on these except for "Heat Waves" and "Last lap". (BTW - that guy did crash on the last lap of that race. Tough break.)
When I was riding track days I was always disappointed by what was available to purchase from the track photographer. I wasn't into photography at all, didn't own a camera, and had no idea what an "exposure triangle" was. The photos I purchased may have been technically perfect and artistically composed but I wouldn't have known that. All I knew was they didn't quite show what I wanted to see. It didn't matter to me if I was recognizable. I always wore a dark smoked face shield, so there was no way they could have captured my face. But I know what was on my number plate and I know what my bike looked like. I wanted either knee down at maximum lean angle, or tucked in and accelerating out of a turn with the front wheel lifting just a little. In that priority order. I would have purchased the largest prints available. I wanted a conversation starter for my office wall that would prompt people to ask questions. I've been wanting to get out to the track ever since I caught the photography bug and this weekend was my first opportunity. As a rider, I'm very happy with what I came home with. I still have a few hundred shots to go through, but the ones here and on my Flickr photostream stood out to me for one reason or another.
I don't own a monopod and now see that I'll need one if I'm going to do this again. I'd love to get connected to a track photographer and work for/with them, mainly for the access. Spectators are restricted to outside the fence only. Track photographers can get much closer and don't have nearly as many obstacles. I think I have a better sense of where to position myself to get the kind of photos that riders would want than a photographer who has probably never been on a bike. I haven't looked online to see if any have been posted by the official photographer, but I did see a booth set up where riders could buy prints right there at the track. I think mine were better and I'd be the last person to claim any "innate skills"... 
I will caveat that, however, by emphasizing that I don't do this for money. The people who do must know what sells and they provide that product. At least, that seems a safe assumption. If I could somehow get some of mine in front of a few riders I'd love to hear their opinions, because my idea of a good motorcycle-on-the-track photo may not be the same as everyone else's. But most riders spend their time in the garage, not in front of a computer looking at photos on Flickr, so I'd have to take a different approach if I wanted track photos to be something more than just another series in my personal archive. As for your skydiving photos, if you were doing that for money, and your market was other skydivers, you would offer a perspective that a photographer who has never jumped simply couldn't.
My $0.02...
Active Member
Very interesting and informative. Yes, access is very important but you did just fine.
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One more for fun. Every bike has to have a "belly pan" to catch any fluids that might leak onto the track. They say "necessity is the mother of invention", but somehow I don't see this catching on...
Shoestring budget... by Mark, on Flickr
Focus isn't quite perfect on this one, but I have never seen a foil roasting pan zip-tied into place before. Cracked body panels patched with tape and headlights removed instead of a full racing body set seem to indicate that this guy just really wants to race. Found enough budget for a GoPro, though...
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