Ducati Sporting Club UK > Sport > Race > Bike Racing Pic Taking - Hints & Tips?

[Guido]

Originally Posted by Gbyte666

.............. The main intresting part for me was to get a clear shot of the rider with a blurred background. I have been trying for ages with out success. Now thanks to your guide I can see why.

Some of that Craig is down to your budget. To get the best sharp bike/fuzzy background shots you need an f2.8 lens. Most tracks have huge run-off so you're a fair way from the subject when you hit the shutter so that's why you see pro's at football, motorsports etc with what are commonly called "Bazookas", 400mm fixed length f2.8 lenses (like I have). To buy new they're in the £5000-£7000 range. You have to change you're mindset when using one cos you can't zoom in or out like you can with a small zoom. You have to be far more precise with your compositions.

Adding teleconverters extends the 'reach' of your lens but you lose f-stops (i.e. your f-numbers go up/higher) which as my guide states increases the depth of field which limits how much 'losing' of cluttered backgrounds you can do.

So for example, this shot of Haga, taken at the exit of Surtees at brands in '04 was with my £700 Nikkor AFS 300mm f4 lens



Yet this shot of Tommy Hill taken at the BSB Round 1 last year from exactly the same spot illustrates the benefits of a 400mm f2.8. You have far more 'reach' (the subject is closer in) and I've completely thrown out the cluttered background to the extent that you can't recognise what's there unlike the Haga shot. This puts far more emphasis and focus on the rider, pose, action which is where you want the viewer to be looking.





HTH

Gc