January 03, 2012

TWiT Photo 39: "King of Formula1 Photography" Darren Heath - Tips on panning, stabilizing a 600mm lens and capturing the fiery atmosphere of an F1 race.

1 hour 15 minutes

Find out what it takes to be the top F1 photographer in the world. Learn tips on panning, best shutter speed/firing mode, composition, capturing the fiery atmosphere of one the most most exclusive motor sports, stabilizing a massive 600mm lens, and managing the biggest nuisance of the sport: the security.

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Darren's Tips

Rule of Thirds. The rule of thirds is a compositional rule of thumb in visual arts such as photography, painting and design. The rule states that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts (as per my examples) by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections.

Don't just take a picture, make a picture. What I'm trying to get across is a sense that when one takes a photograph try to think of all the reasons one is taking it and how one would like the end viewer to see it and their reaction to it. All photographers are in essence trying to create interest and excitement for the person or people who will eventually view the image so don't just shoot, shoot and shoot again without really giving some thought to the picture you wish to achieve.

Using light effectively. 'The importance of light and having the patience to wait for it' is really something of a mantra for me. It goes hand-in-and with my two previous tips and when all three are combined a winning shot should be the result. Think about the position of the sun, the time of day, the track the sun will take across the sky, the subjects position relative to the light, lens, flare, shadows, back-lighting opportunities, aperture and shutter speed settings, etc, etc, all are key.

Hosts: Catherine Hall and Leo Laporte

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