Photographing Night Grand Prix

10 Tips on Photographing the Singapore Grand Prix

Tip #1 – Bring the Right Gear
Firstly, you need a body with fast fps (frames per second) and a fast Autofocus system. Number of AF points is not that crucial, the old-fashion optical viewfinder is helpful as the electronic version lags (don't use the live view if can be avoided). You will take around 1000 to 3000 shots per day, so bring more memory cards. Tripod is not allowed in certain areas, monopod is fine. I personally don't use a monopod as it's quite restrictive. I like the feeling of free-flowing with greater agility. Will discuss about lenses later.


Tip #2 – That Fence Sux! Live with it!
There's no denying, the fence is our greatest nightmare! The professionals (official photos) will not be bothered by the fence as they are have tiny fence-less enclosures and they can stick their lens micros away from the fence. Poor paying spectators like us will be forced to stand 1 to 2 metres away from the fence. That's the really sucky part. Having a metal fence right in between you and your subject makes the entire shooting so much more challenging. But there are ways to make it work... read on.

Tip #3 – Location is Key

Look at the location map (provided at the entrance), look for Turns. Turns are spots where the F1 drivers slow down their speed demons in order to make one or more turns. That's where you can get a variety of shots such as head-on (often smaller), semi-side (when they start to turn), full side (often too near you, great for panning) and even the back (usually nothing much). Try to avoid a location where the cars will zoom pass you in full speed. It's exhilarating to watch but it's a pain to shoot. Only attempt when you have already gotten a lot of successful "Turn Shots".

Tip #4 – Bokeh that Damn Fence

Now, don't be lazy. Find your spot early and camp there for an hour or so before the race. Good spots are scarce and the "old birds" know exactly where to "flock" to. The trick in getting clean shots (without capturing the fence) is to go get yourself a $10,000 lens! Haha! Just kidding. Try to understand the concept of bokeh... so the nearer the fence is to you, the more likely you will make it disappear. Now apply that concept when you choose your location. And also, shoot wide open. Don't bother too much about sharpness (I know some telephotos can be soft wide open). But sharpness can be fixed in post-processing. I rather fix the sharpness than to attempt in removing the fence using photoshop!

Tip #5 – Look for Big Squares

What's a Big Square? The horizontal and vertical lines of the fence forms squares and basically you and your camera can only look through what's beyond these squares. Now, the closer you get to the fence, the larger the squares will appear to you, correct? The larger the squares, the easier it is for your camera's autofocus to work properly. Also, bear in mind that the squares will look like rectangles when you shoot at an angle/diagonally. That's very bad for your AF and the fence will be further away from you once you shoot diagonally (read Tip #4).

Tip #6 – We Paid Good Money for Hi-tech Lenses... Use it!

Push your fast lenses to the limit. This is one sports that will push all your gears to the max, including your memory cards. Understand every single button and switch on your hi-tech telephoto lens beforehand. Trust me, they will be used. I find myself switching between freezing and panning regularly, and I always switch the IS mode between 1 and 2 to fully make use of what I have paid for!

Some of the more frequently used buttons (Only in Canon terms)

IS – Image Stabilizer – ON 99% of the time

Stabilizer Mode – 1 (for freezing shot) and 2 (for panning shot)

Focus Limiter – Read Tip #7

Tip #7 – Limit Your Focal Length

Many of Canon L lenses have Focal Distance Limiter. In a nutshell, you are telling your camera how you want it to autofocus efficiently without wasting time. Let's create a simple example:

Example:

Your lens have a switch that says "1-2m" and 2m-infinity". Now, which of the two modes will give you an advantage while dealing with the fence which is around 1m away from you? Ok, I'll elaborate... "1-2m" will enable your lens to focus any object which is between 1-2m from you. Do you want that? NO. That's the fence right in front of you! If you choose the "2m-infinity" option, the camera will totally ignore the fence and focus on what's beyond it. That's exactly what you want.

By limiting the Focal Distance, your autofocus time will be shorten considerably (it can be as drastic as 50% faster) as the lens does not have to focus the entire full range every time you pre-press the shutter button. Those shooting macro (using AF) will very well understand this concept.

Tip #8 – Panning

Actually, shooting race cars can be very boring after a while. We often spend considerable time "camping" for a favorable spot, and leaving the spot in the middle of the race is not really an option. Panning will keep us busy once we have gotten 300 perfectly frozen shots. Again, panning at "Turns" are much easier as the drivers slow down and we often get more interesting shots too as there are more room for maneuvering. Start with 1/250, once you have gotten some pin-sharp panning shots at this speed, try 1/125. Again, check your LCD, if you are happy with the result, try 1/80, 1/60, even 1/50. Anything slower than 1/50 is considered "artistic". And remember to switch your IS mode to 2.

Tip #9 – Camera Settings

We all have different ways of shooting and we have different lenses, so it's not really practical for me to share a particular setting and preach on it. What I find very useful is to set my ISO to Auto. I then go into the menu and restrict the ISO range to a maximum of 3200. I use Manual mode almost 90% of the time, controlling both Aperture and Speed while the camera will help me to meter/expose using Auto ISO. I find Evaluative Metering works very well here. AWB (Auto White Balance) works well too. And yes, don't forget to switch your AF to AI SERVO (constant tracking). ONE SHOT will be disastrous here.

Tip #10 – Be Safe, Spend Some Money and Travel Light

Ear plugs is a must! You can get them near the entrance gates (after you have entered). If it rains or the tarmac is wet, be careful of where you stand. Try to avoid the stretch of concrete barrier/fence where you know a skidding car will probably crash into. Flying debris may get through the fence. Drinks inside the village is pretty decently priced. A bottle of coke for $3, if you walk along Esplanade Bay, you can find some uncles selling can drinks and mineral water at $1.50. The F1 team T-shirts are nice, it's a nice feeling to wear one during the race and they are often made from highly superior material. And yes, travel light. It took me 45 minutes of non-stop walking to get to the car park yesterday.

Have fun and see you at the pit!