Remote Control 2 - Summernats
Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 6:25 pmI'm baaaack with some more remote control shenannigans. The Summernats in Canberra in January is an awesome event and has everything from ear shattering burnouts to great looking cars and a load of different events. Some of these have been photographed the same way for over 20 years. I thought I'd try and put a camera where a photographer couldn't go.
I was again using my trusty 10-22mm Canon lens on a variety of 30,40 and 50D Canon bodies with a Canon LC-5 wireless controller.
Dyno Cell.
The Dynocell is a dangerous place to be as an engine can explode at any moment. I was not happy shooting through a wire cage so I set my rig up on a tripod next to the rear tyre. With exposures of down to a 1/5th of a second the rear wheel looks great
Go to Whoa.
This is a very special discipline that sees a car accelerate away from a startline to try and stop on between two lines at the finish - the shortest time wins the trophy. Most drivers do it in nine to ten seconds. A very good time is under eight seconds with one recoring a six second time. Again the old 70-200 lens on a front three quarter angle has been the normal fare - I set my camera up on the ground right on the finish line and with the line leading towards the car and got something different.
Jets
Two jet cars made runs down the go-whoa strip but they are a) extremely toasty and b) blow every grain of sand in one's eyes. I left the camera in the same place for this exhibition run (you can see a second flame below that of the van)
Trying to get something different is always a challenge and one thing I really wanted to do was obtain a photo of a person grabbing a flag in the grass events (they have to grab six flags in the shortest time over a course of witches hats). Using a Camzilla rubber cup unit I mounted the camera on the front guard with me able to get the windscreen and person grabbing the flag in the one shot - the only thing was the dust was so bad that I couldn't get one decent frame - oh well there is always next year.
I was again using my trusty 10-22mm Canon lens on a variety of 30,40 and 50D Canon bodies with a Canon LC-5 wireless controller.
Dyno Cell.
The Dynocell is a dangerous place to be as an engine can explode at any moment. I was not happy shooting through a wire cage so I set my rig up on a tripod next to the rear tyre. With exposures of down to a 1/5th of a second the rear wheel looks great
Go to Whoa.
This is a very special discipline that sees a car accelerate away from a startline to try and stop on between two lines at the finish - the shortest time wins the trophy. Most drivers do it in nine to ten seconds. A very good time is under eight seconds with one recoring a six second time. Again the old 70-200 lens on a front three quarter angle has been the normal fare - I set my camera up on the ground right on the finish line and with the line leading towards the car and got something different.
Jets
Two jet cars made runs down the go-whoa strip but they are a) extremely toasty and b) blow every grain of sand in one's eyes. I left the camera in the same place for this exhibition run (you can see a second flame below that of the van)
Trying to get something different is always a challenge and one thing I really wanted to do was obtain a photo of a person grabbing a flag in the grass events (they have to grab six flags in the shortest time over a course of witches hats). Using a Camzilla rubber cup unit I mounted the camera on the front guard with me able to get the windscreen and person grabbing the flag in the one shot - the only thing was the dust was so bad that I couldn't get one decent frame - oh well there is always next year.
