# Formula One from Silverstone



## Graphix501 (Jul 7, 2014)

Hi all,

First new thread I've started here so be gentle. Headed to the British GP at Silverstone last weekend for the F1, photos mainly taken on Friday due to fewer spectators.

All shot through the fence from general access areas, no accreditation using 5D iii and 400mm f5.6 often with 1.4x.

Any C&C more than welcome  thanks in advance

*1. The Peoples Champion*


Lewis Hamilton by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr

*2. Prancing Hippocroccapig*


Fernando Alonso by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr

*3. On the up and up*


Valtteri Bottas by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr

*4. Flying High*


RAF Red Arrows by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr

*5. Still got it*


Sebastian Vettel by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr

*6. Crashtor Bashdonaldo*


Pastor Maldonado by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr

*7. Marmite Curry*


Sergio Perez by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr

*8. Not the chosen one this time*


Nico Rosberg by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr


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## Skulker (Jul 7, 2014)

Good set, particularly as you only had access to public areas.

I don't know if you've noticed that your horizons are sometimes a bit off the horizontal. ;D


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## Valvebounce (Jul 8, 2014)

Hi Graphix. 
Nice set of pics, particularly like some of your fictional names too.

Cheers Graham.


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## Click (Jul 8, 2014)

Beautiful series. 8) Well done Graphix501.


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## V8Beast (Jul 8, 2014)

Great shots. As thrilling as the Alonso vs. Vettel battle was on TV, I can only imagine how exciting it was in person. What an incredible atmosphere for an F1 race. I hope to attend an F1 race in Silverstone someday. 

I have a proposal for any Brits out there. I'll let you stay at my house in Austin for the USGP and shuttle you back and forth to the track if you do the same for me in England for the 2015 British GP ;D


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## cid (Jul 8, 2014)

really very nice series of shots ... [here should be hand clapping smilie, but I couldn't find one]
only one thing bugged my eye, shot No.7 is bit blurred for my taste, but maybe you wanted it to be so


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## Menace (Jul 8, 2014)

Lovely shots - well done.


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## IMG_0001 (Jul 8, 2014)

Well done, those are lovely shots. I particularly like #7. May be not the sharpest, but very dynamic.


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## miken (Jul 8, 2014)

Some quality stuff there Graffix, very impressive.

Guittierez nudges Maldonado aside. Doesn't do him much good in the wider scheme of things, but great to watch.




British GP 2014 - Vale by mike nesbitt, on Flickr


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## Click (Jul 8, 2014)

miken said:


> Some quality stuff there Graffix, very impressive.
> 
> Guittierez nudges Maldonado aside. Doesn't do him much good in the wider scheme of things, but great to watch.



Very nice first picture. Welcome to CR


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## Roo (Jul 8, 2014)

Great stuff Graffix!! The Alonso Vs Vettel battle was pure spectacle but add in their radio transmissions and it became the war of the whingers at 300kmh ;D 

Good catch Miken!


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## TheJock (Jul 9, 2014)

“Crashtor bashdonaldo” LOL, that gave me a giggle, fantastic photos mate, did you get any of the classic and vintage cars parade?? There was a whole host of famous people driving all sorts of vehicles, I would love to see images from that parade!
And V8 Beast, that’s the deal of the decade, if you wanna do the same for the Abu Dhabi GP let me know


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## V8Beast (Jul 9, 2014)

TheJock said:


> And V8 Beast, that’s the deal of the decade, if you wanna do the same for the Abu Dhabi GP let me know



If I get rich some day I might have to take you up on that offer. Flights from Austin to Abu Dhabi are $2,000 - $2,500 right now. Ouch!


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## TitsnChicks (Jul 19, 2014)

I registered just to reply to this post.

I was at the F1 and am currently looking at buying a 7D MkII If it's announced in sept (70D if not) particularly for motor sports.

I was also stood at club/vale on the grass and wondered what lenses would get me close?

Would you be so kind as to share your camera settings for each shot, the lenses used, and what you believe would be the best lenses for capturing cars and other motor sports.

I was thinking the 100-400 II (if announced) if not the current version is easy to get hold of. Will this have enough reach? Is it fast enough? Will it fill the frame at 400mm from the grandstand opposite the international pit straight for example.

If stood at the top of club/vale where you come in (not down by the fence) what lenses will allow me to fill the frame with a car at such a distance? 

I'd be really interested in your opinion as this is exactly why I am buying/upgrading my equipment.

Absolutely Any info you can provide and share will be extremely appreciated and warmly welcomed, as I am buying all my equipment based on this exact scenario! And who better to give advice, than the guy who took these wonderful shots.

Edit:
My username references birds that fly, I used to photo a lot of birds and found it amusing, but have just realised it may come across wrong, dam my sense of humour!


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## Graphix501 (Jul 19, 2014)

TitsnChicks said:


> I registered just to reply to this post.
> 
> I was also stood at club/vale on the grass and wondered what lenses would get me close?
> 
> Would you be so kind as to share your camera settings for each shot, the lenses used, and what you believe would be the best lenses for capturing cars and other motor sports.



Hi, happy to suggest a few things....

*I was at the F1 and am currently looking at buying a 7D MkII If it's announced in sept (70D if not) particularly for motor sports.*
While its just speculative at the moment I'd wager this body would be ideal for motorsport. Many people use the current model (7D) for just that purpose. However, I too used to own one and found its ISO performance & overall image quality bordered on horrific and had numerous problems with inaccurate focusing even after multiple visits to service centers. While a crop body does offer you extended reach, the huge jump in IQ from FF far outweighed that advantage in my personal experience. I'd make sure the new 7D is a significant improvement over its predecessor in terms of both IQ and noise management before jumping at what is sure to be a very high price point. I used to use a 40D prior to my current gear and it was perfect so I dont see why the 70D shouldn't function well... just don't expect the same level of quality as the top flight stuff

*I was also stood at club/vale on the grass and wondered what lenses would get me close?
Would you be so kind as to share your camera settings for each shot, the lenses used, and what you believe would be the best lenses for capturing cars and other motor sports.*

If you shoot from stands you will get some very dull angles, these were taken with the 400mm f5.6 and 1.4x teleconverter on a 5d iii at entry to Luffield and exit of club corner (through the fence). This gave the effective focal length of 560mm.... the grassy bank in front of the Vale stand is somewhere I've never tried to shoot as its generally too difficult to pick the cars up early enough to track them reliably, if you wanted to anyway you'd need to get right up to the fence and I'd imagine 300mm would probably be too much

*I was thinking the 100-400 II (if announced) if not the current version is easy to get hold of. Will this have enough reach? Is it fast enough? Will it fill the frame at 400mm from the grandstand opposite the international pit straight for example.*

400mm will give you an effective focal length of 640mm on a crop body (assuming the 7D ii follows suit), this will likely be over kill from the international straight but as its a zoom lens it will be more than capable from this spot. As for filling the frame elsewhere that is very much dependent on where you stand but its probably fine for 75% of angles. The old version of the 100-400 is popular among motorsport shooters, just bear in mind prime lenses always provide better image quality (not by much, but be aware). As for is it fast enough...yes and no, its all dependent on what you want to do....my images were all limited to f8 due to the TC and you can judge if they are acceptable to you. Obviously the faster your lens the more flexible it is, but both the 100-400 and 400 f5.6 are about £1000 (with the new version expected to be significantly more) if you can burn 4 times that for the f4 (or 8x for the 2.8) then fair enough but you might as well consider 500s and 600s if you have that sort of cash.... Sigma lenses have been good to me in the past with the 100-300 f4, also fancied the 500 f4.5, their pro lenses are good performers and significantly cheaper than canon equivalents

*If stood at the top of club/vale where you come in (not down by the fence) what lenses will allow me to fill the frame with a car at such a distance? *
If you are talking about the low fence between the disabled grandstand and the covered club grandstand at the top of the bank a crop body and the 400 will be fine for near and mid chicane, to fill it with them turning into the chicane you would probably need a 500 or 600. If you are talking about the top of the grassy area next to vale stand, no amount of focal length will give you a really decent angle there, you will be wasting your money if you want to shoot from there, there are significantly better places to shoot from that wont have metal posts and lines encroaching into them 

Circuit knowledge is 10x more useful than a giant lens.... and shooting through the fence (like i did with all mine in the original post) is generally better than trying to force a shot

If you have the opportunity zoom with your feet, wielding a telescope isn't really practical if you dont have to. Focusing is difficult enough at reasonable focal lengths but if you are pushing it you will introduce other problems like haze, shutter speeds to counteract user movement blah blah... for the sake of argument id recommend you ask Miken what he used as he seems to have shot from about there, but if you want side on shots there are better places to do it

*I'd be really interested in your opinion as this is exactly why I am buying/upgrading my equipment.*
It depends what your end goals are... if you want to keep it as a hobby, you either have to be really passionate or completely mad to spend the sort of money we are talking about (and I say that as a completely mad person ). If you intend to be a professional then be prepared to check your delusions at the door... there are hundreds of thousands of people with the same plan and about 10 spots in nearly every series of motorsport.. of those hundreds of thousands of hobbyists, maybe 10% have any real ability, closing further to 1% who actually end up getting accredited access.

Longer is not necessarily better, some of my favorite images of F1 are taken with less than 200mm lenses from the speccy side with consumer gear. While throwing money at it will help images a little, there's much bigger benefits to be had from learning how to take a good photograph (not saying that you don't)... if you cant take a good photograph with your current gear, new gear wont make much of a difference. I'd seriously consider if an upgrade is actually worth it or if you'd be better served by practising (devils advocate, I have no idea what your shots are like... just bear it in mind).

For example (from my history archive, not implying these are good.. just an example of shots with significantly cheaper gear):

*Canon Bridge Camera (<£200) (very new to photography at this point)*


rosberg 1 by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr
*/\ From pit at test \/ from speccy areas at luffield*


massa2 by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr

*Canon 40D + sigma 100-300 f4 (Combined total <£600) - all speccy areas (photographing for 4 years)*


Sebastian Vettle by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr


8 by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr


Button by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr

*Canon 5D iii 400mm f5.6 and 70-200 f2.8 (>£5000) now into my 8th year since picking up a camera (and focusing on motorsport)*


Daniil Kvyat by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr


Fernando Alonso by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr


Nico Rosberg by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr

*Absolutely Any info you can provide and share will be extremely appreciated and warmly welcomed, as I am buying all my equipment based on this exact scenario! And who better to give advice, than the guy who took these wonderful shots.*

Thanks very much 

Edit:
*My username references birds that fly, I used to photo a lot of birds and found it amusing, but have just realised it may come across wrong, dam my sense of humour!*

Disappointing


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## Click (Jul 19, 2014)

Beautiful series Graphix501. 8)


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## TitsnChicks (Jul 19, 2014)

Graphix501 said:


> TitsnChicks said:
> 
> 
> > I registered just to reply to this post.
> ...



I think that's the best response from any post I've ever seen online!
Thanks for that.

For me, I'm not looking to go pro, what I am looking to do is remove my self from the limitations from my current equipment. Mediocre image quality, focus, lenses, etc. it's just a bit long in the tooth and has actually discouraged me from going out with the camera as much as I find my equipment limiting.

I'm not bad, I have a great eye for photography and enjoy creating scenes as well as taking shots. It's something that i really enjoy. So I have a budget of around £3000 and was looking for a camera and a lenses that will allow me to bird, Motorsport and still create creative scenes while I rebuild my collection.

The 70d would be a good fit as it's so cheap at the moment under £600 and the 100-400 is under £1000 so it's not a bad venture. But I like the idea of grabbing something new, something faster, something that I can learn again from scratch with new features Etc (7dmkii - if it exists) so I'm going to hold out until sept.

I never considered the 5d3 as I thought it would be poor for shooting Motorsport but it seems your images have proven me wrong there  so I may consider a 5d2 maybe as I think the 3 is out of my price range with a decent lens?

Just out of curiosity, where do you think are good vantage points at silver stone? I was at the grassy hill in between club/vale and it looks like so e of your images were taken by the side of the track opposite the podium (where they open the gates for the invasion) is there any where else you would suggest is good to get such close up shots?

All indications point to the 100-400 being best for me, as it will allow me to to have more flexibility, and use my camera is more situation than just 1 prime. I can alums buy more lenses later, but if I can have 1 camera and 1 lens it seems like the 100-400 is the way forward as it allows me to cover more than just Motorsport (general walking around and landscapes to an extent.

Thanks again for the response, it was much appreciated, any other info you feel you can share is more welcome, tips, ideas, etc..

Eg.. 
Do you focus and wait for the subject to pass?
What is your most reliable or "go to" setting when shooting the f1 or panning etc.
What are the best vantage pint a that allow you to get interesting views of the cars (I love the gravel pit shot)
Anything you feel lime sharing is really welcome, as I think your shots are great, and if I can bring home a few shots like that from my weekend in 2015, we'll, I'd be an incredibly happy man.


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## TheJock (Jul 20, 2014)

I also shoot lots of motorsports (I live next door to the Dubai Autodrome) and also birds and I have the 70D, I currently have a Sigma 150-500mm but I’m selling it to fund a 100-400L, I will add a 1.4X TCIII later this year but I’m also in the frame of mind that this will be my ultimate combo. 
I also bought a 10-20 UWA and the 24-105L so I will be pretty much covered from 10mm out to 400mm. 
My images aren’t _bad _ with the big Sigma, but I’m looking for better IQ and I’ve pretty much set my heart on the 100-400L, I believe that I will see a significant improvement as the Canon’s focus will be faster than the Sigma, and capturing birds in flight is more a miss than a hit for me at the moment. 
Additionally keep your eyes peeled on big primes on the UK’s Ebay, I’ve seen the 400L f5.6 going for between 600 and 800 quid, now strap a 2xTCIII on one of those and you’ll never worry about reach again!! 
The easy way to determine if you need a long prime is to look at all your images from an outing, if you have the 100-400L and your shots are mostly at the 400mm end then the extra purchase is warranted. 
This is just my tuppence worth but have fun with your spending and best of luck with your photography


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## Roo (Jul 20, 2014)

TheJock said:


> The easy way to determine if you need a long prime is to look at all your images from an outing, if you have the 100-400L and your shots are mostly at the 400mm end then the extra purchase is warranted.
> This is just my tuppence worth but have fun with your spending and best of luck with your photography



Good advice and the information is easily obtainable though Lightroom metadata. At what point would you consider the prime outweighs the zoom? In my shooting I found I shoot 2/3 of my shots at the long end but the other 1/3 couldn't be done by zooming with my feet so I would be thinking it would be 90%+.


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## TheJock (Jul 20, 2014)

Hi Roo, looking at your signature gear list, I would say if you’re in two minds; buy it now!! I get to that conclusion because you have two camera bodies, so a shorter and longer prime should allow you to cover the whole field, it would be up to you how to set them up.
I would like to get to that point in the not too distant future as well, but it’s all baby steps at the moment as I’m one of the many who do this as an enthusiast, i.e. my images are not funding a whole load of nice L series gear, but we can dream…….and save up!! 8)


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## Graphix501 (Jul 20, 2014)

TitsnChicks said:


> I think that's the best response from any post I've ever seen online!
> Thanks for that.



No problem, if something's worth saying its worth saying properly hahaha

*For me, I'm not looking to go pro...I'm not bad, I have a great eye for photography... So I have a budget of around £3000 and was looking for a camera and a lenses that will allow me to bird, Motorsport and still create creative scenes while I rebuild my collection.*

That's a sensible approach... although for 3000 you will be (I imagine) hard pressed to get both the 7d ii and the 100-400ii for that.

*The 70d would be a good fit as it's so cheap at the moment under £600 and the 100-400 is under £1000 so it's not a bad venture. But I like the idea of grabbing something new, something faster, something that I can learn again from scratch with new features Etc (7dmkii - if it exists) so I'm going to hold out until sept.*

The 70D will be an excellent choice and itself is the newest of the xxD range, depending on what you have now its very very capable camera. Agree wait till the 7 ii comes out and see if it offers anything significantly worth while for the £2000 (guestimate) price tag

*I never considered the 5d3 as I thought it would be poor for shooting Motorsport but it seems your images have proven me wrong there  so I may consider a 5d2 maybe as I think the 3 is out of my price range with a decent lens?*
The 5D iii has a very similar auto focus system to the 1DX so its very very good for it, the 5d ii has a questionable autofocus system that will not make it idea but people do use it with great success..

For example... https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157645333697993/

*Just out of curiosity, where do you think are good vantage points at silverstone? I was at the grassy hill in between club/vale and it looks like so e of your images were taken by the side of the track opposite the podium (where they open the gates for the invasion) is there any where else you would suggest is good to get such close up shots?*

Any F1 event is difficult because of the size of runoffs, crowds, and spectator restrictions. My favorite spots are different to others and it all depends what you want to achieve. 90% of the time you have to shoot through catch fencing which means you need over cast conditions to really get results... my best advice is go to Silverstone as much as you can throughout the year and really learn where you can and cant get shots, there are loads of great events and often small crowds. Personal favourite spots in track order Brooklands, luffield, copse, beckets, hanger straight, inside at vale, club farm and the loop (nearly every corner on the track).... the absolute worst place i've tried to shoot is in fact that grassy bank at Vale on the outside. You need to understand that spectators and photographers have different opinions of a good view.

*All indications point to the 100-400 being best for me, as it will allow me to to have more flexibility, and use my camera is more situation than just 1 prime. I can alums buy more lenses later, but if I can have 1 camera and 1 lens it seems like the 100-400 is the way forward as it allows me to cover more than just Motorsport (general walking around and landscapes to an extent.*

Yup a good stable choice, used by many

*Thanks again for the response, it was much appreciated, any other info you feel you can share is more welcome, tips, ideas, etc..

Eg.. 
Do you focus and wait for the subject to pass?
What is your most reliable or "go to" setting when shooting the f1 or panning etc.
What are the best vantage pint a that allow you to get interesting views of the cars (I love the gravel pit shot)
Anything you feel lime sharing is really welcome, as I think your shots are great, and if I can bring home a few shots like that from my weekend in 2015, we'll, I'd be an incredibly happy man. *

There is a wealth of advice about how to shoot motorsport, far too much for me to write here, at the risk of directing people away from this forum - if you google motorsport photography forum or motorsport photography tips you'll pick up all you need to to know (my preference is the folks at talkphotography.co.uk).... experimentation is the key to finding out what you like and how to do it.

But generally, always track the subject, always use AI servo, always use single point Selection, the faster the car the faster the shutter speed you can get away with. 1/320 is about optimal for head on F1 cars to get a balance between movement and sharpness.... panning you are looking sub 1/100 for the best results... its not an easy thing to master, and different conditions & styles require different settings


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## Graphix501 (Jul 20, 2014)

TheJock said:


> I believe that I will see a significant improvement as the Canon’s focus will be faster than the Sigma, and capturing birds in flight is more a miss than a hit for me at the moment.
> Additionally keep your eyes peeled on big primes on the UK’s Ebay, I’ve seen the 400L f5.6 going for between 600 and 800 quid, now strap a 2xTCIII on one of those and you’ll never worry about reach again!!



It depends on the lens to be honest my Sigma 100-300 f4 was faster and sharper than all the Canon 100-400s I tried and the optical stabilisation is largely useless for me.

You should probably also mention that the 400mm f5.6 with a 2x converter will 1. be like looking down a dark tunnel 2. have a max aperture of f11 3. be a strictly manual focus lens 4. hemorrhage the IQ (regardless of the spiel canon raves about with each upgrade).  just in case any amateurs decide to go that route


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## Chaitanya (Jul 20, 2014)

great photos. i would love to visit either silverstone or spa someday for photographing f1 racing. :'(


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