tips Archives - How to Photograph Cars

I’ve just come back from a great weekend taking pictures at the Monaco Historics Grand Prix.This is held every two years a couple of weeks before the modern GP and is one of the highlights of the classic racing season.

I’ve covered the event every year since it’s inception and each time I go I learn more about the circuit and find new places to shoot.So I thought I’d offer my best half a dozen places to photograph action at one of the most exciting race tracks in the world.

It is a confusing place to work however with access to the best track-side locations via a series of tunnels, secret stair-ways and lifts within the cliffs of the ancient principality .

I’ve numbered the turns on this lovely old map of the circuit so you can see where each image is taken.Most of these places are only accessible if you have a track-side tabard after signing on with the Automobile Club de Monaco.

This is one of the best paces to shoot the start St Devote, turn 1 accessed via a tunnel under the track and a guarded stairway.70-300mm f5.6 1/640th second

Crossing back under the track this great head on shot at Turn 7 is looking down the straight due south towards the sea, the harbour is immediately on the right. 300mm f4.5 1/800th second

Walking back down the pit lane and down the stairs to the second set of swimming pool curves this shot needs you to keep your nerve as the cars thunder past a few feet away.A high shutter speed is needed and a short pan. 70mm f5.6 1/000th second.

Turn 9 is in the background of this shot with photographers visible but there’s another good shot in this complex by turning around and photographing at the second corner turn 10. 70-300mm f5.6 1/500th second.

This is the first swimming pool complex.Again this is very fast with cars traveling at nearly 100mph coming towards you. 300mm f6.7 1/640th second.

There are lots of other locations to shoot a race from but if you have to go to one place then the Fairmont hairpin curves, formally known by all as Lowes , is a good place to head for.You can shoot about 4 action shots here with the cars usually bunched up and traveling a lot slower. 70-300mm f8 1/400th second

I had an interesting problem via email from a photographer about an issue he has with his new studio he built at the back of his home. It’s an small white infinity cove studio where the floor meets the walls and the walls meet the ceiling in a smooth curve and he finished putting it in last year ,but solving photographic problems is what How to Photograph Cars is all about.

I’ve discussed studio lighting with him before and had advised to bounce his lighting, in this case flash, off the walls and ceiling. He’s having contrast issues with a very flat images coming out of the camera as well as losing the top line along the roof of the car.

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This is a common problem in a studio with a low ceiling and can be solved by pointing the lights lower down the back wall or adding a line of double width black tape to the wall so that this reflects back into the roofline giving an edge .

The flatness of the image can easily be dealt with in post production by boosting the contrast in levels or curves and then whitening the background using the dodge tool set to highlights. Clone or use the healing tool to further clean up the turntable lines on the floor and, in a white cove, add about 10-15% increase in saturation to bring the colour back as it tends to get washed out.Hopefully it will help with solving photographic problems in the future.

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Tag: tips

Top 6 places to shoot action on the Monte Carlo F1 circuit

Solving contrast problems in an infinity cove