Nice shots DF! The oof pole doesn't help tho It's been a very long time since I've been there, I should really make it back. I don't think I'd be able to get away with climbing through the fence and shooting right next to the track like I did 50 years ago (and don't think I'm stupid enough to try again).
Did you find the 400 a good reach for your shots?
FishheadLens wrote:
Wow how do you pan so accurately? Do you need a tripod with a fluid head or is it trial and error?
Not sure if this question was for me or others, but I can answer for me...
All handheld panning, I can't imagine being able to pan fast enough on a tripod.
Plant feet so that you'll be square on at the point most likely to be the best shot, start tracking the movement early and follow through. Try to pivot from the hips, ie start with your body twisted and unwind it towards the shot - many people seem to get that backwards, they start facing the approach and twist their body into an awkward tense position by the time they take a shot.
Shooting bursts helps get more keepers especially if you are pushing the shutter speed slower for more motion blur.
I usually start around 1/160 as a baseline and adjust shutter speed up or down from there to suit as it varies with lens length, car speed and angle, whether bumps are adding vertical movement as well, etc.
For example you can use a much slower shutter speed square to the movement on a smooth surface than say a 3/4 angle with a car pitching forward under brakes as it turns into a bumpy corner.
It's been a very long time since I've been there, I should really make it back. I don't think I'd be able to get away with climbing through the fence and shooting right next to the track like I did 50 years ago (and don't think I'm stupid enough to try again).
