Tag Archives: auto

Laguna Seca

wpid9934-AU0E6726.jpgWhen we lived in Chicago, I enjoyed taking trips to the various motor racing venues nearby. The move west has not taken away the options. There are two race tracks within easy reach. Sonoma Raceway is less than an hour from us and just over an hour and a half in the opposite direction is Laguna Seca. They were hosting a big race weekend and we decided to take in the final day.

wpid9920-AU0E6430.jpgThe main race was a combination of two classes from previous years. American Le Mans and GT cars were in a new format this year and this was to be the prime event of a weekend of racing. There were also other support races taking part. We arrived mid-morning and the racing was already underway. A lower class race involving prototype and GT cars was in full swing and we settled down to watch some of the action.

wpid9916-AU0E6275.jpgI had not gone primarily to take pictures but I had taken along some gear. Shooting at race tracks is a mixed business. The best spots are usually in areas that are restricted and only accredited media are allowed in there. However, you can find good angles but just need longer lenses to get the shots. Sun on race tracks does tend to lead to heat haze so there is a limit on what you can get.

wpid9909-AU0E6102.jpgAdd to this that the areas that get you closest to the track are well protected and you have fence to shoot through. There is nothing you can do about this. However, I did figure that going with as low a shutter speed as possible in these cases would tend to blur out a lot of the fencing and reduce its impact. However, a fence post will still be conspicuous in the shot and you have a low keeper rate given the shutter speeds and the pace with which they are passing you.

wpid9885-AU0E5485.jpgThe thing with shooting motor sports is to try and emphasize the speed. There are some angles that look dynamic anyway but a lot of time, if the car is frozen, there is no impact to the shot. At least the wheels have to be blurred and preferably the background. It is always a compromise but it does make for some good challenges.

wpid9889-C59F6326.jpgThere were some interesting cars to be seen. Even as we walked to the stands, there was a lineup of a couple of dozen Ferraris. Quite a lot of money stored in that line. One of them was an Enzo. I have only seen those a couple of times. There was also a cool looking prototype car called the Deltawing. For some reason it did not start the race with the other cars so it spent the entire race working its way up through the field. It was certainly a curious looking beast.

wpid9932-AU0E6617.jpgThe most famous part of the track is the Corkscrew. This is a ridge followed by a tight left-hander that drops down the side of the hill and cuts back right. It is a tricky turn and I imagine is quite something to do at speed. The layout of the hillside makes it a great place to watch the cars come by and we weren’t alone in stopping off there. A class of Lamborghinis was racing while there and they provided a lot of entertainment as there seemed to be some closely matched groups hounding each other around the circuit.

wpid9907-C59F6399.jpgThe place is great for watching racing and, even during a busy event, you never felt too crowded. Even walking through the paddock was a relaxed thing to do. They did open the hot pits ahead of the final race and that did look pretty jammed but we chose to head elsewhere ahead of the main race. I will definitely go back and would recommend it to anyone interested in motor racing and maybe even those who had not through they were. Our entire group had a great day.

SCCA Fall Sprints

This little excursion is courtesy of my friend Joel Love of Speed and Sport Photography.  Joel called me up the other day to tell me that the SCCA regional fall run-offs were taking place.  The location was Blackhawk Farms Raceway in South Beloit IL, about and hour and a half from me (if the traffic is clear!).  He was heading up and wondered if I wanted to tag along.

This came right in the middle of the great spell of weather that had settled over our part of the Midwest so the chance to see some racing at a photo friendly circuit with good light and fall foliage seemed like a good combination.  I decided this was a trip to make.

Blackhawk Farms is not a huge circuit.  This has a couple of advantages.  First, it doesn’t take long to get from one part of it to another.  Second, lap times are relatively low so you don’t have to wait too long for a car to come back around again after you have first seen it.  Add to that the great visibility from multiple locations (ideal throughout the day as the sun comes around) and you have all of the basics for a good day out.

There were a variety of classes running throughout the day I went.  It was the day for practice and qualifying so there was less likely to be any frantic action – although a few people tried their hand at off-roading at various times!  Some cars ran in multiple classes so showed up several times.

The types that made up the majority of the runners were modified road cars of which the vast majority were Mazda Miatas, single seaters like Formula Ford and the larger single seaters that have a more Le Mans styling to them – I’m sure someone who knows their motor racing will cringe at my categorization.

Since they could run in multiple classes and there was practice plus qualifying, there were multiple chances to shoot given cars which also meant that you could get them at different parts of the circuit without having to change location during each session.  This made for a relaxed day of shooting.  Also, you can take your car to each spot so no lugging camera gear around all day!

The multiple opportunities allowed for some experimenting.  I tried wide open shooting to try and get separation from the background.  That was a bust.  Given the distance from the cars and the background, the depth of field was still enough to see what was behind.  In the mean time, the shutter speed was very high so frozen wheels looked very unnatural.

Slow shutter speeds were a lot more productive.  Getting some blur in the wheels made them look like they were actually moving.  Then it was a case of just how low could I go.  I tried all sorts of speeds throughout the day.  The results varied a lot.  Obviously, at the low speeds, the keeper rate fell dramatically.  However, you could get some great effects of speed.  The question then becomes one of taste.  We have become very focused on sharpness in imagery.  Some of the shots were not tack sharp but they gave a great feeling of motion.  Some while like that and others will not.  What do you think?  The small size of a shot on the monitor is, of course, not a great time to judge!

Lower speeds also limit your shooting angles.  When looking at the cars head on, you can get some nice shots as they turn in to a corner.  However, at lower speeds, the turn in can blur the car.  Head on is sharp but dull.  Turn in is more dynamic but blurred.  What to do?  Of course, you see less of the wheels so maybe a higher speed is acceptable in these cases.

At the end of the day, do I like the shots?  On the whole yes.  I guess that is all that matters.  Thanks must go to Joel for letting me know about this and for providing great company during the day.  We shall have to do this again in the spring.