CAPTURE NEW HORIZONS

Fujifilm X-T4 + XF10-24mm f4 - 1/60 @ f20 ISO400 - Haida CPL + 0.9 ND soft grad One of the things I like doing when working at a race circuit is to go out for a walk in the evening to check out where the best spots are to shoot from and also confirm that the red zones (no go areas) are all marked for when the track goes live. It is also an opportunity to get some shots of the circuit from the drivers point of view, something you can't do when the cars are actually on track.   At the last event for the European Le Mans Series at the Circuit Paul Ricard I took part in the evening track walk and with the setting sun I was able to capture some interesting shots of the kerbs and the run off areas around the circuit.  Paul Ricard is famous for its red, white and blue stripes in the run off areas which have replaced gravel traps for slowing cars that have spun off the circuit. Fujifilm X-T4 + XF200mm f2 - 1/4000 @ f2 ISO160 I suppose it is my fine art or land...

Fujifilm X-T4 + XF200mm f2 - 1/40s @ f2 ISO250 The 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans takes place in less than three weeks (19/20 September) and one of the best parts of photographing a 24 hours race is the chance to shoot the track action in the dark.  Because the world's great motor sport event was postponed from its usual mid June date due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the September date, with its earlier sunset and later sunrise times, will provide more opportunities to shoot in the dark   However, shooting under the cover of darkness also presents a few challenges with regards to exposure and focusing but the results are worth the extra effort required.  Last weekend I was at the Circuit Paul Ricard with the European Le Mans Series for the Le Castellet 240, the only ELMS night event on the calendar and a good opportunity to practice my very rusty skills as the last night race I shot was the FIA World Endurance Championship 8 Hours of Bahrain last December. Fujifilm X-T...

As you may have seen a few weeks ago that I tested the Haida Filters M10 system and I really liked the quality and the usability of the system.  Since my glowing review Haida asked me if I would like to work with them as a Co-Photographer / Ambassador and I said 'yes'. So today I am pleased to announce this partnership and HERE is a link to my profile page on the Haida Photo website. I am currently in France at the Circuit Paul Ricard for the two day pre season test and first round of the European Le Mans Series and Michelin Le Mans Cup. I have been using the Haida M10 0.9 (3 Stop) and 1.8 (6 Stop) Neutral Density filters for shooting videos at the track. Here is a the video interview with the crew of the no50 Richard Mille Racing Team Oreca that we did yesterday evening and then shot the track footage earlier today.  I used the two Haida ND filters to allow me to use a wider aperture in the sunny conditions here at Paul Ricard.  The final video was used on ...

Yesterday I was on the grid ahead of the Michelin Le Mans Cup race at the Circuit Paul Ricard and I took the Fujinon XF50mm f2 attached to my X-T2 to capture some images of the drivers as they prepared for the two hour race. The more I use the 50mm f2 lens the more I getting to love it.  I had the 56mm f1.2 but sold it in favour of the 90mm f2, which is a brilliant portrait lens.  However the small size of the 50mm f2 with superb image quality really makes it a desirable package and I will probably add one to my camera bag after the test. The AF was one again very quick to react and with the XT2 set to single focus point I was able to take images of the drivers sitting in the cockpit and focus on the eyes through the helmet or car windscreen. I will be travelling to Mexico tomorrow afternoon and will be using this lens a lot more in the streets of Mexico City and at the  Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. ------------------------...