im going to silverstone at the weekend and hoping to get some decent shots but haven't even tried before, do i use a slower shutter speed and pan or a faster shutter speed to freeze the action? if so any good base settings would be good im using a 70-300 f4 lense on a nikon d7000 if thats of any use/difference also where is a good place to get these pictures cheers
Always shoot in Shutter priority mode for motorsport shots (unless you are a pro). A good rule of thumb is set your shutter speed to your focal length +30%. So if you are shooting at 300mm, set your shutter speed to at least 1/400 sec. Always pan and set AF to AI servo or whatever the Nikon equivalent is. Try a few shots and if the background/wheels are not blurred enough, gradually slow the shutter speed. If the pics are consistently out of focus, gradually increase the shutter speed but not too high as it will make the pics dark. Good luck!
also I find around F8 works best. as said above try to get away with as slow a sutter speed as you can as bike pics always look better with some motion blur in the background or the wheels.
90% of good photography is standing in the right spot, mate. That you won't know until you recce the place. Tough on the day, I'm afraid. Panning or freeze frame will depend on what the action is at the spot you choose. Side on to the action, freezing it looks dull unless you're on the mountain, so pan the action. On a bend, work it so you shoot them head on an at maximum lean, highest shutter speed you can afford and try and keep low. If you're shooting anything with eyes, shoot at the level of the eyes wherever possible. However, don't be afraid to mix them up. If you're there all day, the last thing you want is 8000 of the same shot. Fine if you're hoping to sell one or two but monotonous if they're for your album. Don't just focus on the action either. The paddock, infield, even the crowd can be great padding for a project. Most of all though, don't watch the entire event through your viewfinder. I lost count of the events I missed over the years watching a light meter setting. That's why I never take a camera these days.
