Tips on photographing motorcycle races
Photographer: Quinn Rooney
Photographing a motorcycle race isn’t easy and requires a special expertise. Split-second moments and various technical photographing conditions become hindering factors for the photographers. Here are 9 tips to better photograph a motorcycle race event. These tips can also be applied to other sports events that involve high speeds. I hope they’ll be useful:
1. Camera mode
To simplify use when shooting, set the camera to the Aperture Priority mode (AV on Canons and A on Nikons). Set it at the widest aperture (indicated by the smallest number), with a medium ISO setting (such as ISO 400). This is to ensure a fast enough shutter speed to capture the racers’ movement, minimalizing blurs.
2. Servo focus
Usually, there are several auto mode focus options on a DSLR camera. On Canons, for example, there are 3 auto focus modes consisting of AI Shot, One Shot, and AI servo. If you are photographing objects in constant movement, motorcycle racers in this case, it’s highly advisable that you use the AI-Servo mode (AF-C on Nikons). The AI-Servo/AF-C is an auto focus mode where the DSLR will constantly track the movement of the object as long as the shutter button is pressed halfway. Read the rest of this entry » .
