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Boy these cars kick up a lot of dirt!. I got some grinding feeling in the lens telefocus mechanism at one point. The guy next to me suferred minor shrapnel wounds from flying rocks. First time I've got down and dirty with a camera at our local derby. So I'm very new at trying to capture car action shots. Started with horses, next step cars. Hoping for some tips.

Shakey, this looks like a good start. Yes the dirt is a pain in the bum i can tell you and i have many a time taken a picture and then put camera under my vest till the dust settles but always still gets lots of dust.

The pic is fine by looking at it not too much shutter speed so the wheels have motion blur but this is where you need to try and get a better spot as sometimes it's all to easy to shoot into the sun and causes a shadow on 1 side there fore you need to use a flash for fill. Sound silly, but it isn't we cant always be in that perfect spot on some tracks so if you happen to be on the wrong side try using flash. When i did the state rally here i didnt have my SB800 flash and well if i had it i would have used it as i was stuck in a pine break and was getting rather dark but you will soon learn the more you do and try different things.
here is a couple i took then.



Anyhow practice, practice and more practice.
Cheers
you are off to a good start

BBJ wrote:The pic is fine by looking at it not too much shutter speed so the wheels have motion blur but this is where you need to try and get a better spot as sometimes it's all to easy to shoot into the sun and causes a shadow on 1 side there fore you need to use a flash for fill.

Wow...that second photo of yours is just amazing. Congrats. I took my photo at 1/500. The motion blur on the wheels is photoshopped (I've just got PS CS2 and I needed to play with it ). In the off camera shot the wheels are static. The sun is at about 2 oclock ( see the tree shadows in the backgound). Would fill flash have helped here? If so I can kick myself as the SB800 was sitting in my bag.

shakey

Maybe not so much in this shot Shakey, but it can be very handy if you are on the wrong side, i know a canon photog who does all rally stuff and he uses his flash all the time,but well i think you would only need it if you are on the dull side, when i am at the local rally track we have here i have free run so i will move around to get in the right spot so it is something you need to try.
This is not what i shoot mainly :


so like i said dont be afraid to try different things and see what works for you. I do this from time to time and well sometimes it works and is good as like my shutter speeds as i shoot fast moving things at slower speeds, i take the good with the bad and practice to i get it right.
Cheers

Nice attempt shakey, better than what I could do, cropping it might be a bit better but besides that looks the goods

Catcha wrote:Nice attempt shakey, better than what I could do, cropping it might be a bit better but besides that looks the goods

Yep..did think about the crop but I wanted to have the gallery in the shot. I suppose I could have cloned them into the background next to / behind the car and then cropped the side.

In any case one more (and final) photo from this event. Shadows are harsh.

The cars won't be back for another year so my practice is limited



shakey

thats a pretty good shot as well