Tutorial: Photographing moving vehicles

some of my faves. these were 1/40 - 1/60.

don't know this guy but he saw my rig hangin out the window so he thought it would be awesome if he pointed like a badass, HAHA !!!!

This is how I do rolling shots


dimsum32 by leemiks, on Flickr



Recipe: a UWA lens, Tv mode, Ai Servo focus, shutter 1/(speed in mph) on highway i mostly just use 1/50.. If it's very sunny out I'll also put on a polarizer... Pace the car next to you as closely as possible and snap away!

some of my rollers through the years:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/leemik/sets/72157624572879517/with/5723744923/

oh and I see even here that it's pretty common to confuse rolling shots with panning shots and rig shots..

rolling shots are shots are where the vehicle subject is pacing the camera
panning shots are where you are standing and following the movement (like Vudoo4u2's shots)
rig shots are where the camera is attached to the moving vehicle and it is photographed.
photoshopped moving shots are fakes =) just make sure there's a driver in teh car so it looks semi real

all of my rolling shots are taken with a knee on the steering wheel and BOTH hands on the camera (when i shoot from my driver window because i'm typically shooting at 1/40th or 1/60th).

on very rare occasions i try to "muscle up" and hold the D700 with the 24-70 strapped on it with ONE FREAKIN HAND and just point it out the passenger window.

......that works @ 60% of the time......

Cliff3 wrote

FWIW, sticking stuff on the outside of your car will get the attention of the police. One of our guys heading down to Bimmerfest last spring had his camera stuck on the side of his car with a suction cup mount. The CHP pulled him over and told him to remove it.

Why? How is that illegal, I wonder?

seems no one has posted in this thread for some time, but i shoot motorsports and love shooting cars moving! so i figured id liven it up w some of my work, would be happy to answer any questions!

Lovely shots, all of them!

Autotech wrote

....

this guy leaves these incredible shots and no guidance?

i'm looking into getting some neutral density filters so i can do panning shots at track days. i like setting the camera up and giving it to a friend and having them shoot me as i go by. in the past i had been knowingly over exposing the shots and then darkening them up with lightroom but decided this would help me out some getting the shot right the first time.

Great thread- very helpful...

evanescent03 wrote

this guy leaves these incredible shots and no guidance?

i'm looking into getting some neutral density filters so i can do panning shots at track days. i like setting the camera up and giving it to a friend and having them shoot me as i go by. in the past i had been knowingly over exposing the shots and then darkening them up with lightroom but decided this would help me out some getting the shot right the first time.

You don't need an ND filter to pan the shots. Put the camera in shutter priority. Start out with 1/focal length and then slow the shutter more even more. Use a telephoto lens of 200mm or longer. The Longer the focal length the easier to pace the car and the more effect. I mostly use a 300mm lens and shoot 1/200-1/80th of a second shutter. Servo focus and continuous high.

Here is one at 1/80th
Open wheel car by -mik3ymomo-

1/100th
DSC_5962 by -mik3ymomo-

1/200th
Bryce Prince #72 by -mik3ymomo-