My Bessa R Kit Came this morning, so IM OUTTA HERE.......tips?

[Nostalgie]

Hey everyone
MY BESSA R WITH 35 SKOPAR AND BEAUTFUL CASE FROM GANDY CAME S0.....
Im off to FL as you read this, driving down from VA with a camping stop in SC. I waited all morning to leave because my Bessa R kit from Gandy was coming! Couldnt leave until I got it! So, some of you know, many dont, Im goinng to shoot the Rolex 24 hour Porsche race, Im a 23 year old BW street photographer mostly haha, well thats my love, but I packed all my heavy DSLR gear, the reason Im telling you? This is my first "out of the norm" shoot for me, I dont do sports, never even seen a car race, like Keith with his nude shoot coming up, Im feeling a little in over my head, so, any tips from any of you that have had to, or shot something like this for fun, Im eager to hear from you, Im fine as far as what gear to use, Im just wondering about position, angles, etc for cars, sincce theyre a new subject for me, especially ones going 210 MPH, haha, ok, Ill check back once Im in FL, thanks so much! Ill put what Im bringing below so you can know what Im working with if it helps for any creative ideas.
Thanks again
Bryan

Bring for the Race:
Nikon DSLR Bodies
Nikon 18-70mm DX
Nikon 70-210 AF Nikkor
Bunch of filters, ND2, ND4, Polarizers, etc.
Bessa R with 35 Skopar
Glll QL17
and a Medium Format Holga, because you never know what youll get!

 

[tedwhite]

I was hired by Cycle World mag to shoot a motorcycle race in California. However, when I arrived my 35mm stuff wouldn't work, so I went back to the car and got my Rolleiflex - not exactly one's first choice for high speed photography.

Choosing a particularly sharp corner, I watched the bikes go by in practice and focused the camera on the pavement where most of their tires were at the moment of passing. Then I popped up the "sportsfinder" and panned them as the bikes shot by. Worked fine. You might try that if you're real close.

Ted

 

[Warren T.]

Hi Bryan,

Congratulation on your Bessa kit! 🙂

I've done a number of auto races (for fun) with my slr gear. Some angles to use to minimize the apparent speed:

- Go to the end of a straightaway and shoot the oncoming cars with a long lens.
- Find a position at a curve to shoot the cars as they come around the apex.

You can try using your camera's AF to track the cars, but also try, as previously suggested, to pre-focus on a spot on the track where you expect to snap the shutter as the car comes by.

Try a few pan shots, use a slower shutter speed, and pan the camera as the car goes by to get some background blur. (this takes some practice, but it's worth it).

That's all I can think of for now. Have fun 🙂.

--Warren

 

[KoNickon]

With the Bessa, if you're shooting moving race cars, forget about trying to focus and use the hyperfocal method. How close do you think you'll be able to get? It may be that the Nikon gear and long lenses will be what you'll use almost exclusively, but if there's an opportunity to get near the pits or the workshops it'll be an excellent an unobtrusive camera. (You can get some good crowd shots with it too.)

One tip -- make sure to take the lens cap off!