SCCA at NHMS

[Matt Romanowski]

I think I found a couple new spots that work pretty well at this track. Please take a look and c&c, it's always appreciated.

One of the races was a 3 hour enduro. It was fun getting to shoot pit stops and be able to get more than a 25 minute look at the cars. I also grabbed a bunch of shots at the end of enduro as drivers were getting out of their cars.

1.
http://mattromanowski.smugmug.com/photos/636832503_SHR3S-M.jpg

2.
http://mattromanowski.smugmug.com/photos/636832504_DkiSi-M.jpg

3.
http://mattromanowski.smugmug.com/photos/636832533_njds6-M.jpg

4.
http://mattromanowski.smugmug.com/photos/636832575_Dsxfe-M.jpg

5.
http://mattromanowski.smugmug.com/photos/636832581_QcFBp-M.jpg

6.
http://mattromanowski.smugmug.com/photos/636832451_wDw4K-M.jpg

7.
http://mattromanowski.smugmug.com/photos/636832460_44aQT-M.jpg

8.
http://mattromanowski.smugmug.com/photos/636832490_Tzetv-M.jpg

[Chris Kelly]

I may be a tad biased (ahem), but I really like the 944 shot.

[Matt Romanowski]

Thanks Chris. I find it really hard to not just take photos of Porsches all day!

[Jeff Kapic]

Nice set Matt. For me, #7 is too tight around the car though.

Jeff

[Matt Romanowski]

Thanks for the comments Jeff. I'm always on the fence on how tigtht to make a photo like #7. It seems if you leave it too loose, the car becomes tiny. I seem to err on the too tight side.

[Jeff Kapic]

I struggle with portrait oriented shots too. I wonder how this would look if shot in landscape mode and mabye a slower shutter. Still including the trees at the top and the car at the bottom left. I don't imagine you can get any closer for this shot. But if you could, a wider angle lens will help bring the car closer (in portrait mode).


Jeff

[John Thawley]

I think, other than it's simply too tight, it's hard to discuss "what should have been."

How loose or how tight is a question of more about what's happening. If it's a location shot, where's the location. If it's a car shot, what's the car doing that I want to capture?

Put the camera down.

What are you looking at? What is going on? What do you want the viewer to see and/or experience? What are you seeing and experiencing?

If there's nothing special going on... it's time to move on.

Without seeing what is to the right of left of this car, I would have shot it in landscape... probably at this focal length or looser... and I would have panned the living bejesus out of it. As slow as I could manage.... unless there was some background feature I wanted to retain.

The point is, stop and reflect on your own sensations. Again, what do you see? What's grabbing your attention?

Think about how a little kid comes running up to you, bursts into the conversation... sounds totally exasperated and out of breath... and proceeds to tell you a story about NOTHING. It's funny when they do it. The learn the emotion from us but they don't quite grasp the concept of subject matter and a sliding scale of importance.

Same thing. You wouldn't come running over and excitedly give me this wide-eyed "oh my God, John.... you gotta see this... there is this race car on the track... it's a Miata and...and... it's going by at like 90mph!!!!"

So, that's your objective. Find something remarkable and take a picture of it in a remarkable way. All kidding aside, a race car barreling through the countryside at a 150mph is pretty remarkable.... but you still need to tell the story in an interesting way and translate what's remarkable to the viewer.

Every car shot in this series is simply about the car. Sure, they're on some race track. But you need to start building a story. Find a unique spot on the track.... not just different from where you've shot... a unique point of view. The little formula car looks all out of shape and kind of getting evil in the rain, but it might as well be in a parking lot doing a solo run. You've got a cement wall and a bit of a curb... but that's it. Find a story... tell a story. Yep, a formula car racing in the rain on some race track. Got it. Nice shot. Remarkable? Not really.

Not being harsh.... just trying to help you move these to the next level. So many of our conversations here become technical... we're all wrapped up in depth-of-field, shutter speeds, 500mm and so on. Most of us can do that. We can all get a technically good exposure. Find the story. Tell the story. Then concentrate on telling it better and better. After that, you'll be good enough to create a story where one may not really exist. :)

Make sense?

JT

[Chris Kelly]

... Make sense?

JT

[Gives own self a quick kick in the butt.]

I think we all need to read stuff like this every now and again.

[Jeff Kapic]

[Gives own self a quick kick in the butt.]

I think we all need to read stuff like this every now and again.


+1
Well put John. Thanks!

Jeff

[Matt Romanowski]

John - First, thanks for the honest feedback. It was not harsh at all. If I wanted the "great shot" feedback, I could post pictures lots of places and get that. I want real feedback with ways to improve.

Good analogy on the kid story. Looking at these, they are good shots (if I can toot my own horn) but don't tell much. They could be almost anywhere and don't show much story. They certainly don't show any aspect of the track location.

I'm thinking about what you said and the track. Maybe one of my issues is that I'm there a lot driving and photographing. I'm pretty bored with that track. Not making excuses, just thinking about why I shoot like I do there. I'll have to spend sometime looking around and see what spots or areas catch my eye as different or special.

I'll be back there in 2 weeks and I will have to pay more attention to things that are unique about the track. Things that tell a story about it.

Thanks for the critique. The feedback I've received on this sight has really helped me improve my shooting. This is certainly the best automotive photography forum I've ever seen.

Edit: I just went through all of my shots. Looking at them and asking myself why did I take this shot from this spot, the answer in almost all of them was "clean background." I have to get out of that mode and into story telling mode.

[John Thawley]

Edit: I just went through all of my shots. Looking at them and asking myself why did I take this shot from this spot, the answer in almost all of them was "clean background." I have to get out of that mode and into story telling mode.
I typically strive for a clean background.... but that is becoming more and more difficult. So, the next option is how can I minimize the impact of the background or even clean the background?

One way is to use the car to block unsightly obstacles. Your position and timing of the shot can be used to put the car between you and the offending object(s). And, there's nothing like a slow shutter to blur the background out. Also, maximize the effects of a shallow depth-of-field and the compression of a long lens... keeping the background soft and out of focus.

Regarding how you look at the track... try a few other things. Go into the spectator areas. Go behind the spectators. Go up and far away. And.... consider shooting the race track. In other words, it's a race track... shoot it. Let it be the story.

Next time you watch a race on TV, watch the cameras very carefully. If you've never shot video, there's something going on that a lot of people aren't noticeably aware of. Watch what the camera man does. For the most part, the camera man really doesn't follow the car.... the camera stays still and the footage unfolds in the frame. In other words, the motion is within the frame.... the frame isn't creating the motion... the subject is. The editor in the truck will flip through the cameras around the track.... as a car comes into frame, the camera man just let's it happen... and he waits.... and then he might follow as the car ultimately goes out of frame. But for the most part, in a motion picture, the motion is IN the picture.... it's not about the picture moving. So, they are really not doing that much different than what we do. They frame the shot... and they let it happen. ;)

Good luck.

JT

[Bill Jurasz]

Edit: I just went through all of my shots. Looking at them and asking myself why did I take this shot from this spot, the answer in almost all of them was "clean background." I have to get out of that mode and into story telling mode.
These aren't clean backgrounds, but they certainly tell a story. This kart track is now defunct, but it used to be in an unused parking lot of Austin's airport. Its very strange to see a world-class kart track at a place like that and I would try to take advantage of the backgrounds that were unique.
http://mercphoto.smugmug.com/photos/30848702_h6egk-M-7.jpg

http://mercphoto.smugmug.com/photos/38683867_nwhvC-M-1.jpg

In November I'm photographing a track day at a relatively new track outside of San Marcos. Its in the middle of some farm country but there are some homes that can be seen from the track. I'm going to try to find a way to incorporate that in a pleasing manner as part of the environment of the shot.

[Matt Romanowski]

Next time you watch a race on TV, watch the cameras very carefully. If you've never shot video, there's something going on that a lot of people aren't noticeably aware of. Watch what the camera man does. For the most part, the camera man really doesn't follow the car.... the camera stays still and the footage unfolds in the frame. In other words, the motion is within the frame.... the frame isn't creating the motion... the subject is. The editor in the truck will flip through the cameras around the track.... as a car comes into frame, the camera man just let's it happen... and he waits.... and then he might follow as the car ultimately goes out of frame. But for the most part, in a motion picture, the motion is IN the picture.... it's not about the picture moving. So, they are really not doing that much different than what we do. They frame the shot... and they let it happen. ;)

Good luck.

JT

That is an interesting way to think about shots. I've been thnking about this and you are right. Most race coverage doens't have a camera panning all over the place. I'll have to keep this in mind next week.