TopGear: Up close and personal at Rally Spain

[Chris Dodkin]

Our friends at TopGear (UK) sent over a photographer to the WRC in Spain, to learn the craft of rally photography - which as members like Alastair will attest, is no easy task!

A good (funny) write up and image set here: Up close and personal at Rally Spain - BBC Top Gear

Be warned, if you want a shot of Sebastien Loeb's DS3 kicking up a concoction of rocks and dust be prepared to be covered in the stuff. It was only after receiving countless dead-legs and cut shins that I took note of the pros' technique: nail the shot, turn your back, and curl up into a tight ball of safety.

 

[Dave Moss]

Brilliant shot the dust behind conveys the speed

 

[Alastair Cummins]

Check out the shot of the tog on his side, no way of moving if it all goes **** up!! I know how he feels about being hit by rocks though, I tend to take a shot then spin around the opposite way to the car and that usually stops me getting any rocks to the face, though I have been hit by some pretty meaty rocks in the knee and chest before!

Its interesting how you say the dust conveys the speed Dave as the "experts" on some of the car forums I use seem to think that the only thing that can do is panning with a slow shutter speed!

 

[Dave Moss]

Perhaps with F1 and road cars you need the technique of panning with slower shutter speeds to convey speed but with rally cars its possible with the other elements of the photo's I suppose its a bit like when I was photographing aircraft at Duxford you had to use a slow shutter speed for prop aircraft of it was very easy to stop the prop (my favorite film for that was iso 25) although jet aircraft it made no difference what film you used as you have no visible moving parts except for the fact burning the sky was very easy!

 

[Alastair Cummins]

Yea true, I guess its all part of the skill working out whats best for the situation and location.

Saying about the tog taking pictures on his side, how lucky were these guys?!

[video=youtube;Hg3_Vmm8lc0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg3_Vmm8lc0&list=FLZZcCEjzfze2r3Wxmc9b1Uw&feature=mh_lolz[/video]

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Bonkers!

 

[Hamish Gill]

I bet the "foto" of the flying car was amazing !