In a previous post I illustrated the use of old Nikon Nikkor manual focus lenses to photograph a classic automobile show. These older lenses tend to "round" off the top end of the curve, making highlights easier to control in processing. It is a simple process to keep the highlights creamy and luscious.
Modern lenses tend to be a bit more "contrasty" in the highlights. As such when using modern autofocus optics I've found I need to gently modify the highlight areas by using a "rounded" curve toward the top end.
After the teuf-teuf show I visited le Mans for the 24 heures Classic event. This was the second time that I've been (the first visit being in 2016). Not wanting to miss a shot by rushing to manually focus (I wasn't yet fully comfortable in trusting my manual focus abilities) I took three cameras mounted with three different autofocus lenses.
The first camera was a Sony NEX-5T with a Sigma 30mm f/2.8 EX DN. The second was a Sony A5000 with a Sigma 19mm f/2.8 EX DN. It was this camera that I put on the end of a monopod and remote triggered using a cell phone. This was a wonderful solution for getting into those "hard to reach" places. The third camera was a Sony A6000 and a Sony 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 SEL OSS. This is the setup I would use to "reach" out and "compress" the distance between me and a subject.
Le Mans has been hot and dry in the two years I've been there. A hat (the one I used to wear to combat the sun in India), a sack lunch, and bottled water are basic requirements. I selected Friday as the best day to be there. The crowds on Saturday and Sunday can be massive. To avoid as many people as I could I took a 07h30 TGV out of Montparnasse. Le Mans is only an hour away and I was able to get to one of the entry gates just as they opened at 09h00.
Hot footing it over to the paddock meant I had to avoid strong temptation to take photographs of private cars as they arrived. There are areas set up all around the infield for car clubs. These clubs come from all over Europe and some very interesting automobiles are on display. They would have to wait until I was done working the paddock and racetrack.
I can get pretty excited seeing old racecars. Ferraris, Jaguars, Alfa Romeos, early Bentleys and the oh-so-French Bugattis. These and many many more marques and makes of racecar are on display as they prepare for a weekend of racing. The atmosphere is even better than anything I read as a young boy in Road and Track magazine.
There is simply too much happening all at the same time to take it all in. I did my best to concentrate on cars I was most interested in. From time to time I would stop and talk to car owners and drivers to learn more about them and their vehicles. The histories are so deep and rich.
It's difficult to do the subject justice in just one seven hour day, but I did the best I could. Of course I am looking forward to the next 24 heures Classic in two years.
[Note: Here is an album of images from the 2018 Le Mans Classic - including both black and white as well as color works]
Modern lenses tend to be a bit more "contrasty" in the highlights. As such when using modern autofocus optics I've found I need to gently modify the highlight areas by using a "rounded" curve toward the top end.
After the teuf-teuf show I visited le Mans for the 24 heures Classic event. This was the second time that I've been (the first visit being in 2016). Not wanting to miss a shot by rushing to manually focus (I wasn't yet fully comfortable in trusting my manual focus abilities) I took three cameras mounted with three different autofocus lenses.
The first camera was a Sony NEX-5T with a Sigma 30mm f/2.8 EX DN. The second was a Sony A5000 with a Sigma 19mm f/2.8 EX DN. It was this camera that I put on the end of a monopod and remote triggered using a cell phone. This was a wonderful solution for getting into those "hard to reach" places. The third camera was a Sony A6000 and a Sony 55-210mm f/4.5-6.3 SEL OSS. This is the setup I would use to "reach" out and "compress" the distance between me and a subject.
Le Mans has been hot and dry in the two years I've been there. A hat (the one I used to wear to combat the sun in India), a sack lunch, and bottled water are basic requirements. I selected Friday as the best day to be there. The crowds on Saturday and Sunday can be massive. To avoid as many people as I could I took a 07h30 TGV out of Montparnasse. Le Mans is only an hour away and I was able to get to one of the entry gates just as they opened at 09h00.
Hot footing it over to the paddock meant I had to avoid strong temptation to take photographs of private cars as they arrived. There are areas set up all around the infield for car clubs. These clubs come from all over Europe and some very interesting automobiles are on display. They would have to wait until I was done working the paddock and racetrack.
I can get pretty excited seeing old racecars. Ferraris, Jaguars, Alfa Romeos, early Bentleys and the oh-so-French Bugattis. These and many many more marques and makes of racecar are on display as they prepare for a weekend of racing. The atmosphere is even better than anything I read as a young boy in Road and Track magazine.
There is simply too much happening all at the same time to take it all in. I did my best to concentrate on cars I was most interested in. From time to time I would stop and talk to car owners and drivers to learn more about them and their vehicles. The histories are so deep and rich.
It's difficult to do the subject justice in just one seven hour day, but I did the best I could. Of course I am looking forward to the next 24 heures Classic in two years.
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