CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

The Fujinon XF10-24mm f4R OIS ultra wide zoom lens is a favourite of mine when working at the circuit.   A wide angle zoom might not be the first lens you think one when you mention sports photography but this lens is superb for working the pitlane or on the grid.  I have also used this trackside when I can get close enough or I want to show the environment surrounding the competitors on track.  This weekend in Imola I used the 10-24mm fitted to the Fujifilm X-Pro2 on the grid for the Michelin GT3 Le Mans Cup on Saturday evening and also during the pitwalk for the European Le Mans Series on Sunday morning. The ability to zoom wide at 15mm equivalent and also change quickly to a perfect 'street' focal length of 20-24mm (30-36mm equivalent) is a real boon when working in a fast moving environment. The only downside for me is the maximum f4 constant aperture.  I would prefer to have an f2.8 aperture so when I am working close to my subjects I can i...

This weekend I am in Italy for the second round of the European Le Mans Series at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola.   I had to go out to remove a spectator from a trackside position. S o I took along my Fujifilm X-Pro2 and XF50-140mm f2.8 to capture some of the cars hopping over the kerbs during the first Free Practice session at the Variante Alta before heading back to the media centre to write the session report. The camera was set to AF-C, Zone Focusing and CH mode on the drive. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE SUPPORT THIS BLOG BY VISITING THE ADVERTISERS ON THIS PAGE By clicking on the adverts you are helping support this blog - thank you. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALL IMAGES ARE THE PROPERTY OF MACLEAN PHOTOGRAPHIC A...

After the 4 Hours of Imola we held the traditional post race press conference in the media centre for the winning drivers to face the press and talk about the trials and tribulations of the race. There are two press conferences.  The first is for the first three driver crews overall and then the second is for the winning crew from the LMGTE, GTC and LMP3 classes.   I use the Fujifilm X-T1 to video these conferences so that they can be streamed on the ELMS Daily Motion channel.  The reason is so any media that cannot be present at the press conference can see and hear the drivers and use the quotes that they have made.  The bonus is that these press conferences can also be viewed by race fans who are also interested in hearing what the drivers said after the race.  Here is the LMP2 press conference video  4 Hours of Imola - Race Press Conference by ELMS The Class Winners press conference can be viewed HERE I also used the Fujifilm X-Pro1 w...

Today is race day at the  Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di   Imola and after rain yesterday is was with to the relief of the whole paddock that the weather has turned 'Italian' this morning with unbroken sunshine and high temperatures on the forecast today. I walked from the hotel to the track and stopped off to take some sunny pictures for the official ELMS website.  The first was of the sun reflecting off the trucks lined up in the paddock before I headed into the pitlane where the Murphy Prototypes team were practising their pitstops ahead of this afternoon's race. All the images were taken on a Fujifilm X-T1 with a Fujinon 10-24mm f4 fitted with a Lee 0.6 soft ND Grad filter. CLICK HERE for more information on the European Le Mans Series.  The race starts at 14h00 (European Time) and will be streamed live on the website. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...

The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di   Imola will be remembered for the tragic incidents surrounding the San Marino Grand Prix on the 29 April to 1 May 1994 when two drivers lost their lives and changed motorsport.  On Saturday 30 April Austrian Roland Ratzenberger was killed and the following day three times world champion Ayrton Senna lost his life when his Williams went straight on at the first corner and hit the wall. Twenty one years later people still travel to Imola to pay their respects and remember what happened in 1994.  On the outside of Tamburello, which was reprofiled as a chicane after the accident, people have left tokens of respect at the spot where Senna’s car impacted the wall.  Most have faded and are worn but they serve as a memorial to one of the sport’s greatest drivers. This is the third year I have made the trip down to the first corner just to pay my respects to Ayrton Senna and also remember Roland Ratzenberge...

The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari di   Imola is one of the most photogenic race circuits in the world.  While it no longer hosts a round of the Formula 1 World Championship Imola will always be considered one of the best tracks in Europe.  For the past three years we have visited Imola for a round of the European Le Mans Series and in 2015 we have 30 car taking part in this Sunday’s 4-hour race.  Yesterday was the set up day for the two day event and I went around the track and the pitlane to gather some ambience images for the ELMS website and Facebook pages.   Using the X-T1 and either the XF10-24mm wide angle zoom or the 56mm f1.2 short telephoto I captured some images around the track and in the paddock / pitlane. For more information on the ELMS CLICK HERE Here are some of the images I took on Thursday 14 May. ...