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One Click – Night Curve

Sep 062012

1/1000 , f4.5 , iso3200 Canon 5d MarkIII , Canon 300mm f2.8 L IS

Shot at Le Mans this year, about an hour before sunrise at the bottom of the Dunlop Curves. The thing to note about this image is that it was shot at iso 3200 which is pretty high. But even in this small size I’m sure you can see that this is a very clean image from the 5D MarkIII. This was shot in AI Servo focus mode, though with Canon’s latest cameras that is only half the story given the infinitely customizable options of the new AF system!

In terms of creating the shot I wanted to maintain the sweep of the inside of the corner right into the corner of the image. I think it helps to imagine the cars zooming out of the picture and on down the track. Given the human propensity to read images left to right it also gives a pleasant starting point and leads the eye right to the car. I also wanted another car in the background, this is a race after all, and other cars show that. I shot at this spot for a while trying to get this shout though as the car at the back needed to be in just the right spot, not partially covered by the car in the foreground.

Equipment used:

One Click – Audi + Le Mans + Nighttime

One Click 2 Responses »

Aug 022012

1/30 , f3.2 , iso 2000 Canon 1dMK4 + 300mm f2.8 L IS

Continuing the new One Click series with something completely different to the last one, but actually part of the same trip to Europe ( I love to mix things up!).Avid readers of the blog will know that there are several loves in my photography life and one of them is motorsports. Last year I wrote a detailed and popular post about shooting the Le Mans 24 Hours in France. This year I was back there again in June and whilst I don’t plan to do a specific post about it I will include some shots here and there. This one is of the winning car, Audi #1, defending champions driving Audi’s first hybrid race car at Le Mans. I spend a lot of time shooting very slow shutter speeds at these tracks in order to really show the speed of these incredible machines. Using fast shutters and stopping the cars still makes them look like they are parked on the track. This was shot at 1/30th of a second, which takes a bit or practice and some trial and error of course! I also look for colors around the track and often the painted markings at certain corners are necessary to take the shot from good to great.

Equipment Used:

Where Have I Been !? Petit Le Mans.

Trip Report 7 Responses »

Oct 102011

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of posting last week! I have been away shooting another big motorsports event. My post earlier in the year about my trip to France to shoot the Le Mans 24 Hours was very popular. Well this time I was shooting an event called the Petit Le Mans, a 10 hour race featuring the same cars.

You can view a slideshow of some of my images right here :

Petit Le Mans 2011 – Selects – Images by Dan Carr

All quiet on the western coast…for now

Featured 2 Responses »

Jun 252009

The blog has been pretty quiet lately.Â Having finished my final shoot of the winter for Whistler Blackcomb in May I took a bit of time off after a long winter.Â I went back to England to visit my family and also took some time to head to France to watch the Le Mans 24 hour motor race.Â After skiing, motor racing is my second passion.Â One day I would love to spend a bit more time shooting it.Â The trip to France was a holiday for me so i didn’t spend a lot of time shooting but I did pack my 5dMKII and a couple of lenses.Â I was actually fairly impressed with the AI- Servo focusing of the 5dMKII, i think that’s the first time I have tried using it.Â With the 300mm lens it was pretty accurate on the fast moving cars.Â In the end the race was won by the number 9 Peugeot 908 HDI.

For anyone who has even the vaguest interest in racing, a trip to Le Mans should be on your list of things to do.Â The track is steeped in the history of the worlds greatest sports car manufacturers and the atmosphere generated by the 250,000 strong crowd is something I have yet to find words to describe.Â It is not just about the racing, it is a pilgrimage.Â Even the drive to the hallowed La Sarthe location is a sight to behold as an endless stream of Ferraris, Porsches, Lamborghinis and other exotica pass you on the highway.

This week summer training camps kicked off here in Whistler and over the next few weeks I’ll be spending time shooting at both Camp Of Champions and Momentum ski camp if the rain here ever lets up.Â Then it’s off to New Zealand with a client for a pretty cool sounding trip…. stay tuned.