There is an old racer’s expression: “If you want to get a big chunk of iron moving very fast, there’s no substitute for cubic inches.” If you want to capture these fast-moving chunks of iron (i.e., cars in drag races) with your camera, there’s no substitute for millimeters. Your best images of racing action will most likely be captured using zoom lenses with a maximum focal length of 200- to 300mm. But there’s more to it than that.
Photographing any sport requires a rudimentary knowledge of what’s going on and in what sequence. Sure, you can photograph drag racing without knowing the difference between a “Christmas tree” (a countdown device that’s located where the cars line up) and a maple tree, but you’ll get better pictures if you do some research about the sport before trying to photograph it.
All of the photographs shown here were originally captured as JPEG files with a digital SLR and interchangeable zoom lenses, and are shown full-frame, with no digital manipulation (other than the digital equivalent of burning and dodging, standard traditional darkroom techniques).
And they’re off!The essence of drag racing is head-to-head competition between two cars going full tilt down a quarter-mile of smooth track. That dark, boxy object on the pole in front of the cars is the “Christmas tree” whose colored lights count down to begin the race. I was close enough to catch the action with a wide-angle lens. My DSLR’s burst mode setting let me shoot at up to five frames per second, an essential for photographing drag racing. This was the third in a sequence of seven images.
Tech data: Camera: Canon EOS 20D; Lens:Tamron AF 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 XR DI II LD Aspherical lensat 18mm. Exposure: Program mode, 1/400 sec at f/11. ISO: 400. -1/3 stop exposure compensation. Compensation was set after consulting histogram for previous exposure.©2005 Joe Farace
Higher angle:You can make great pictures from the stands, and the elevated position adds a nice overhead perspective to the photographs, especially during burnouts like this. The big challenge with any image made at a drag strip is the busy, distracting backgrounds, so eliminating or minimizing the clutter by shooting from a high angle is an advantage. For images like this one, I always shoot in continuous mode, changing both focal length and camera position for each shot as the car moves away from the water pit.
Tech data: Camera:Canon EOS 1D Mark IIwithEF 75-300mm f/4-5.6IS lens set at 300mm. Exposure: Aperture Priority, 1/250 sec at f/11. ISO: 100. -1/3 stop exposure compensation.©2005 Joe Farace
Clean-up is a drag:Dragsters like Bill Lagoni’s represent the essence of the sport. Here Bill does a burnout in the water pit to clean his soft racing slicks of any debris he may have picked up when driving to the staging area. This is a great place to make drag racing photographs because, in addition to the practical aspects of cleaning their tires, I think the drivers like to put on a little show.
Tech data: Camera:Canon EOS 1D Mark IIwithEF 75-300mm f/4-5.6IS zoom lens, at 75mm. Exposure: 1/250 sec at f/11.ISO 200. -1/3 stop exposure compensation.©2005 Joe Farace
Hit the pit:The pit area of a drag race is the biggest car show you’ll ever attend, and most of the cars are works of art. This yellow and blue hot rod beneath a yellow canopy is a perfect example.
Tech data: Camera:Canon EOS 20D; Lens:Tamron AF 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 XR DI II LD Aspherical lensat 18mm. This nice wide-angle perspective is usually not possible with zoom lenses that also have a 300mm (35mm equivalent) maximum focal length, Exposure: 1/400 sec at f/13, ISO 400, in Program mode. -1/3 stop exposure compensation punched up the colors.©2005 Joe Farace
NON-PHOTO TIPS
Some of these suggestions may seem obvious, but if you follow them I’ll guarantee it will result in your capturing better images because there won’t be any non-photographic distractions.
1. Park your vehicle in the designated parking area. The last thing you need to hear when you are getting ready to photograph a championship event is the race announcer calling “will the owner of the orange Gremlin, please move your car or be towed.”
2. Remain behind safety barriers at all times. Safety barriers are not set up everywhere, so use your judgment when choosing an area to photograph the races.
3. Bring earplugs: drag racing’s LOUD! Bring earplugs (as well as a hat and sunscreen). Most tracks’ concession stands sell earplugs; make sure to keep several pair in your camera bag. They’re easy to lose, inexpensive to replace.
4. Give them space: Tickets to many drag race facilities include a pit pass allowing you to get close to the drivers and their cars. Please respect the team’s space, time, and equipment. This may be fun for you, but it’s often their profession, so treat the driver and his crew accordingly. While in the pits please be alert because there will be many scooters, 4-wheelers, motorcycles, or golf carts transporting people around. Be on the lookout for cars getting ready to enter the staging area. Racecars don’t have horns like the family jalopy, but you should be able to hear them coming??ven with earplugs.
5. Finally, as with most professional sport facilities, you are allowed to take video or still pictures of the vehicles for personal use only. They may not be sold or marketed without a licensing arrangement from the speedway and/or theNational Hot Rod Association.
Thanks to Jeff Sipes ofBandimere Speedwayfor his courtesy and hospitality in allowing me to make the photographs at “Thunder on the Mountain presented by Grease Monkey” races shown in this story. If you live anywhere near the Denver area, Bandimere Speedway is the place to see drag racing at its best and most professional.
Joe Farace?? newest book, “The Advanced Digital Photographers Workshop” co-authored with Rick Sammon and others, is available from www.joefarace.com. Please visit his newly updated website atwww.joefaraceshootscars.com.
© Adorama Camera, Inc.
