Coming Soon - le Mans 24h

[SmartWombat]

Sadly I won't be there this year, spent too much time (and money) in the US on holiday, what with the Indy Lights and PMA.
So to whet your appetite for this year's race - a few from last year.

I've left the fence in, to show you that even if it's not ideal you can crop later from some positions and end up with a decent shot.
Just take your virtual scissors and cut out the fence.

The last photo of the #9 Peugeot is to show the dangers of trying to fill the frame from this spot, even a slow shutter speed won't blur out the fence while panning.

[SmartWombat]

Up on the bank by Tetre Rouge, one of my favourite spots.

Using the big lorry-sized screen as a variable colour backlight.
Either to light the spray, or to silhouette the car.

The only problem from up here is the angles of the fence below on the corner.
Get high enough to avoid it, and you need a longer lens (500mm not 300mm).
Stay closer to ger mote car in the frame, and you get posts in the bottom of the picture.

[SmartWombat]

From the same spot, looking back.
As the day lightens and the spray reduces, the magic is gone.

[SmartWombat]

There's a great spot near the Dunlop grandstand, where you can get close to the fence, blur it out, and get pictures almost as good as being in the grandstand.
These shots from the grandstand though have the problem of the fence getting in the way at the bottom of the image.
Almost worth not being in the grandstand, because it's farther away from the track, and you have to get higher to see over the fence and thus even further away.

Except if it rains and you're not under the grandstand's cover, you're getting wet !

[SmartWombat]

Towards the end of the race, you have to be careful in spotting the cars, best to use the driver's helmet (if you can see it) for identification otherwise you may shoot the same car many times.

Sometimes getting the car going away (more common printed in French magazines it seems) breaks the monotony.

In the case of the Audis, it was the Frenchaman's eye view from the pursuing Peugeots
After 24 hours you can see how close the cars were on the final laps.


And yes, I know my sensor needs cleaning