Cadwell Park - Venom
I started my first practice session of Short Exposure photography at Cadwell Park racing circuit. This track is used most of the year for many types of events, including cars & bikes, but amongst the biker community, it is probably most famous as being one of the British Superbike Tracks. When the track is not being used for a Race Meeting, they organise Track Days, which allows racers to get some practice, and novices to hone their motorbike handling skills. The advantage of a Track Day from a spectators or Photographers point of view is... Entry Is FREE, which means we can spend the day there, enjoying the sport, practicing our Short Exposures & getting some Fresh Air.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mk iii ~ f4 ~ 1/1000 sec ~ ISO 800 ~ 40mm
Cadwell Park - Ducati
This shot, from the bottom of The Mountain, is a great location for photographing fast moving vehicles. After walking around most of the track, I got my best results from here. The bikes slow down slightly as they ride into the bend and prepare to accelerate up The Mountain, which is always a Spectacular sight. The angle of the bike from this location also gives great composition. Notice the settings below, the Apature is fairly wide to let in as much light as possible, the shutter speed of around 1/1000th reduces blurring of the movement, and the ISO of 400-800 gives the sensor more sensitivity to capture more detail. Although there is still a small amount of burring to the riders head as he moved it to lean into the corner, the bike is still in focus.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 mk iii ~ f5.6 ~ 1/1000 sec ~ ISO 400 ~ 75mm
Cadwell Park Track Day
This shot, from the bend at the bottom of The Mountain, is a good example of how the angle of the shot can make a difference. As the vehicle approaches from the front, it is not seen to be moving as fast to the camera sensor, therefore, there is usually less chance of a blurry picture. If the fast moving vehicle were to be travelling past from right to left, it would be more difficult to get a properly focused shot, which is where Panning comes into it's own. However, to Pan the camera at the exact speed as the subject can take some practice - Perhaps on the next Track Day! However, I'm pleased to have been able to capture the rider's face in this shot.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 mk iii ~ f6.3 ~ 1/1000 sec ~ ISO 400 ~ 164mm
Cadwell Park Practice Session
I usually study the detail of a photograph when I return home & look at it on a big Monitor Screen, I find that the small screen on the back of a camera just doesn't give me enough detail. I was quite impressed when I saw this on a big screen, the wheel spokes are still fairly in focus. In fact, the only things slightly out are the chain & the tyre Tread, both of which are travelling at a different speed to the bike & rider due to the way they are revolving around the wheel. This capture was also taken at the bottom of The Mountain. As with all the photos in this session, a Shutter Speed of 1/1000th second & ISO of 400 - 800 seem to be perfect for vehicles moving at these speeds.
Olympus OM-D E-M5 mk iii ~ f6.3 ~ 1/1000 sec ~ ISO 400 ~ 75mm
