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Photography in a Velodrome

by Oldfatgit
Sat, Jan 14, 2023 13:18
8

Hi guys
I'm in a Velodrome tomorrow to photograph some of the local club members ... its not a competitive event.

Anyone got any hints or tips... especially around lens selection.

My fastest 'long' lens is an f4 24-105; fastest wide is f1.8 18-35, and fastest prime is a f2.4 50mm.

I'm also happy to shoot high iso and nor bothered about 'noise.

I'm after shooting 'acceptable' images, which will probably end up sizes for web, rather than high quality, media use images.

Any tips or pointers greatly appreciated

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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8 comments

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Oldfatgit | 1 year ago
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In the end, because this wasn't a competitive event, the spectator seating was shut off, so I could only shoot from the competitors area in the middle of the track.
It also meant that I could get on to the track by the landing area (or whatever you call it) and so the 24-105 at f4 and Iso 800 was good enough for the job.

I struggled with panning when I shot touring cars a few years back, and thought that the slower speeds would make it easier ... that was not the case.
My panning sucks, and something that I need to practice, as empty seating gives really good blurr lines.

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mattw replied to Oldfatgit | 1 year ago
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Oldfatgit wrote:

In the end, because this wasn't a competitive event, the spectator seating was shut off, so I could only shoot from the competitors area in the middle of the track. It also meant that I could get on to the track by the landing area (or whatever you call it) and so the 24-105 at f4 and Iso 800 was good enough for the job. I struggled with panning when I shot touring cars a few years back, and thought that the slower speeds would make it easier ... that was not the case. My panning sucks, and something that I need to practice, as empty seating gives really good blurr lines.

In your defence, the angular velocity of the bikes on a 250m track may be quite a bit higher than the touring cars. I'm imagining you spinning like a top. 1

Hope you enjoyed the day, however.

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andystow | 1 year ago
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What camera do you have? I know some recent DSLRs will cleverly time the shot to match the max brightness of fluorescent lighting, assuming that's what you'll be dealing with.

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Oldfatgit replied to andystow | 1 year ago
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I have a Canon 7d MkII.
Sounds like you might be describing a mirrorless trait, and one that my older camera doesn't have.

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Backladder replied to andystow | 1 year ago
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I doubt the velodrome lighting will be flourescent, my local in Glasgow certainly isn't, the lights take several seconds to go to full brightness so I suspect some kind of incandescent and they are directed towards the track so it is quite bright there.

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mattw | 1 year ago
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Perhaps play with some pans to get heads in focus against a blurred background.

Also zooming in or out as riders go away or towards you (think that's the right way around) can be an interesting effect.

If you shoot raw with a higher shutter speed / stopped down for depth of field, you may be able to push it a couple of stops in post-processing.

If you have one, take a tripod or monopod - can make a big difference.

As ever, the most important thing is to enjoy yourself.

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mark1a | 1 year ago
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I wouldn't expect too much from the 18-35 wide open at f/1.8, depth of field will be paper thin and you'll struggle to get multiple riders in focus. Lighting will be a challenge if indoors so go higher on ISO, but I personally don't like anything above 800 or 1600. So, wide shots on the bends with the 18-35, stopped down to f/4 or f/5.6 for more DoF, and then some close-in head & shoulder shots with the 24-105 as riders approach on straights. On the wide shots you don't want fast shutter, it will look like the riders are frozen with still wheel spokes and static background. For these, slow down shutter to 1/60 (this will help with light and you can drop ISO back to sub-400) and then pan as the rider goes round. Done right, this will show the rider sharp in focus, with motion blur on wheels and background. On the head in shots, motion blur and DoF won't matter, so up the shutter speed, open up the aperture and aim for as sharp as possible. 

Not had much experience in a velodrome myself, but have done a lot of outdoor rider photography as a support driver on a number of charity bike trips, plus a fair amount of birding, motorsport events and air shows, the lighting is usually better, but the motion blur and depth of field challenges are similar. 
 

Edit: forgot to mention, shoot RAW if you don't already, it will give way more latitude with poor lighting, and you stand a better chance of fixing the noise. 

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Oldfatgit replied to mark1a | 1 year ago
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Magic, thanks for your reply Mark.

I've not seriously picked up the camera since a driver faulted collision in 2018 left me with some mobility issues; before then I primarily shot models on location.
Had a go a motor sports at Knockhill and found it somewhat challenging... not the photography, but the scum of trying to get in the best places ...

I did shoot a local CX race last year, however as it was outside, it was more in my comfort zone.

I've managed to borrow an F2 135mm prime which gives me a bit more length

Hopefully the lighting will be good enough inside the Velodrome that I can be at f4 or so ... I'll find out in a couple of hours

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