PAN OF ACTION
Photography week|October 20, 2022
Mike Harris goes trackside to prove that you can shoot great motorsports images with entry-level kit
Mike Harris
PAN OF ACTION

1 HOUR

On one level, motorsports photography is extremely accessible: you simply buy a spectator ticket, find yourself a decent vantage point with a low fence, and fire away. However, the long lenses and beefy cameras that many pro and enthusiast motorsports photographers swear by cost a pretty penny. So what if you're working on a tight budget, or you want to find out if motorsports photography is your thing before investing in top-tier kit?

To prove that you can get great motorsports photos without spending a fortune, we took an entry-level DSLR, the now-discontinued Nikon D3400, and a Nikon AF-S DX 55-200mm f/45.6G ED VR II lens to Thruxton Race Circuit in Hampshire, UK. Note that on any camera with a APS-C senor, the crop factor will give you extra telephoto reach, which is invaluable when you're shooting distant subjects, which will often be the case with motorsports. On our D3400, the 55-200mm lens is equivalent to 82.5-300mm, thanks to Nikon's 1.5x crop factor for DX sensors.

To get great motorsports images you'll need to master the technique of panning, which involves rotating your body to track a moving subject as you press the shutter button. Performed correctly, and with a suitably slow shutter speed, this will surround the sharp subject with streaks of motion blur. The slower the shutter speed, the more intense this will be, but the harder it is to keep the subject sharp.

HOW TO SHOOT MOTORSPORTS WITH ENTRY-LEVEL KIT

This story is from the October 20, 2022 edition of Photography week.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the October 20, 2022 edition of Photography week.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM PHOTOGRAPHY WEEKView All
CANON RF 200-800MM F6.3-9 IS USM
Photography week

CANON RF 200-800MM F6.3-9 IS USM

Super-telephoto lens, almost-super performance

time-read
4 mins  |
March 14, 2024
HOW TO... ADD CHARM TO DIGITAL SHOTS
Photography week

HOW TO... ADD CHARM TO DIGITAL SHOTS

James Paterson evokes the visual charm of old film prints using our free textures pack for Affinity Photo

time-read
1 min  |
March 14, 2024
HIT AND MIST
Photography week

HIT AND MIST

Haven’t got the foggiest idea how to shoot misty landscapes? Stu Meech shows you how...

time-read
2 mins  |
March 14, 2024
DEEP DIVES: STUNNING IMAGES FROM THE UNDERWATER WORLD
Photography week

DEEP DIVES: STUNNING IMAGES FROM THE UNDERWATER WORLD

Contest highlights the beauty and the fragility of our oceans, lakes and rivers

time-read
1 min  |
March 14, 2024
IN-SPIRE-ING ARCHITECTURE
Photography week

IN-SPIRE-ING ARCHITECTURE

Pro David Clapp shows a keen photographer how to capture spectacular images of one of the UK's most famous cathedrals

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 14, 2024
SHURE ANNOUNCES 'WORLD'S SMALLEST' WIRELESS LAV MICS
Photography week

SHURE ANNOUNCES 'WORLD'S SMALLEST' WIRELESS LAV MICS

New MoveMic system offers 'broadcast quality' audio for content creators

time-read
1 min  |
March 14, 2024
AMAZING IMAGES CELEBRATE ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BOTANICAL
Photography week

AMAZING IMAGES CELEBRATE ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BOTANICAL

International Garden Photographer of the Year reveals stunning winners

time-read
1 min  |
March 07, 2024
HASSELBLAD  907X & CFV 100C
Photography week

HASSELBLAD 907X & CFV 100C

A camera system that's not just beautiful but versatile, too

time-read
4 mins  |
March 07, 2024
BALANCE YOUR WHITES
Photography week

BALANCE YOUR WHITES

James Paterson shows you how to apply colour shifts and fix casts in Camera Raw and Lightroom

time-read
1 min  |
March 07, 2024
SHOOT SUPER-SHARP CLOSE-UPS
Photography week

SHOOT SUPER-SHARP CLOSE-UPS

Can't get everything in focus? Adam Waring shows you how to focus-stack images for incredible front-to-back sharpness

time-read
2 mins  |
March 07, 2024