vdaino

Hello I will be going to my first NASCAR race this weekend and I have the Sam Club version of the Cannon EOS T3 Rebel with the two standard lenses that come with the camera.

I would like to know what settings I should use to get some good clear shots. I will be spending some of the race in the front row of the upper deck say 20 to 30 yards from the track and elevated. The rest of the time I will be pretty close to the track and shooting through the safety fence. I would ;like some clear shots and also some cool shots of maybe getting the front of the car clear and then the rest of it in a blur?

Any suggestions would be great.

Thanks, in advance - Vnnie

chapjohn Loc: Tigard, Oregon

Use fast settings...lol

Annie_Girl Loc: It's none of your business

I'm not into Nascar at all but I'm going to bet you are going to need to learn how to pan to get a nice crisp shot of a car. Either that are a really, really, really fast shutter speed and a smaller aperture (large DOF).

Samuraiz Loc: Central Florida

Practice near your closest Highway/parkway/turnpike and then remember that at NASCAR the effective speed will be three times faster.

vdaino

Thanks! I will try that and see what I get.

vdaino

Thanks

Joe F.N. Loc: Oshawa, Ontario

Hi Vinnie,

If you're not familiar with DSLR camera settings, this is not the time to learn. Do that after your Nascar race. On the dial of the T3 is a sports mode. It's next to the tulip symbol. Turn it to that and leave the rest alone. Most of your pictures will turn out OK. That should hold you until you wish to experiment.
Good luck.

Bruce with a Canon Loc: Islip

umm
VIDEO MODE?

Just kidding!

Say Cheese Loc: Eastern PA

You said you will be as far as 20 t0 30 yards away from the track. In NASCAR that can be close, almost too close. At 200 MPH the cars are in front of you for only a split second. Getting closer to the track will get you your head-on shots but even that is fast. You have to learn to pan as others have said. you have to know if you want to show speed or stop the cars in their tracks. Do you want the cars to blurr or the background to blurr
I like the suggestion of going to a very busy road or interstate and take pictures of passing cars, that is a good pratice area. You may also look for a local 1/4 mile track, that too is a great learning experience.
Do not, do not forget your ear plugs/protectors, if you do you might be sorry you ever went to the race.
Have fun at Kansas.

gfinnstrom

hello try these links i think the last one may be the best start

http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/tip/306/how-to-take-photos-of-fast-moving-sports-without-blurring-the-subject/

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-tips/action-adventure-photography/

http://www.photographymad.com/pages/view/motorsport-photography

gfinnstrom

here is a video with several others too from you tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZPLjtQO88k

nascar27 Loc: Kansas City, MO

Hi vdanio...just curious what track you will be at. My wife and I have been season ticket holders at the Kansas Speedway since it opened and we are down in row 15 across from pit stall #5. As far as settings I use shutter priority to freeze the action during the race and aperture priority when shooting before the race on pit road & infield shots. Here are a few shots using a Canon bridge camera. Enjoy the races! 8-)

Dave Lind Loc: Auckland New Zealand

Hi Vinnie
A good pan of a fast car takes practice - I will post 2 pics - one panned and one frozen - you decide which you like best - These cars were going past me at 200km/hr - The panned shot was at 1/100th f2.8 iso 200 and you have to concentrate on following the car keeping the camera level - the frozen shot was at 1/4000 f4 Stand with legs slightly apart and practice swivelling level along the top of the concrete barrier between races. And as someone said - WEAR EARPLUGS Another way to learn is either use the sport mode but for blurred background etc set your camera to Shutter priority (TV) of 200th/sec and the camera will set the aperture - as you get the hang of it start slowing down the shutter - Set focus point to either spot or centre weighted - Have fun - If you have to shoot through a fence then it is best to switch to manual focus and set focus where you think the cars will be - that way you wont get lots of lovely pics of fencing

4000


1/100th

Jer Loc: Mesa, Arizona

pan to show motion or slow shutter speed to show motion. also depends on the angle that you're shooting. try YouTube for helpful hints. experiment, you have a whole race to shoot pictures, slow try different settings. check to see if the racetrack will allow a tripod or mono pod, I'm not sure I like that suggestion from the link. slow shutter speed and panning show real motion. wheels that are frozen don't show motion. it all depends where you're at and the angle or altitude your shooting from.

charles brown Loc: Tennesse

You have been given very good advice. Quite frankly a Nascar race is a hard place to learn how to use your camera. When you are close to the track you may not have a very good view of the cars as they go by in front of you. Take as many pictures as possible when you are on the upper deck as this will afford you with the best opportunity to get good shots. Most likely your best shots will be of the cars at some distance from where you sit. Therefore, most likely you are going to use your telephoto lens most, if not, all the time. The advice to practice as much as you can, using cars on a highway, is very important. Also pray for a sunny day inasmuch as the lenses you have will need all the help they can get. Have been to a lot of races in my day, my favorite track is Talladega followed by Charlotte. Bristol use to be a great track until they "improved" it. Am not a big fan of all the cookie cutter tracks now in use. Enjoy yourself, it is a fantastic experience. Bit of advice, get the radio headsets sold at the track. Will help with the noise and help you to fully understand what is happening. Can get confusing at times. Enjoy and let us know how it went when you get back.