Ronny Gabriels Photography

Photography is a lot about comfort zones.  People shoot what they are familiar with or what comes natural to them.  But the best way to learn is often to leave this comfort zone and explore others fields.  With that in mind I’m announcing the “Day at the Races” initiative I will set out in 2010.  It’s basically an opportunity for you as a photographer to leave your comfort zone and shoot something you might have never shot before … car races. Upside is that you wont be alone to learn, but I and hopefully a bunch of other people will be there exchanging ideas and learning in the process. 

Why races?

Well, there are two main reasons.

1. Car races is something a lot of you have never even attempted and ideal for learning. Panning shots, high speed action and other techniques used in sports and wildlife photography are great skills to have as a photographer.
2. It’s an outdoor activity so you get to spend a day in the outdoors which is not only healthy but also relaxing (yes even with the loud cars going by ;-))

I’ve been doing this for a couple of years now so I feel comfortable giving tips from my experience. And although I’m not at all at professional level, I’m sure it can be a great learning experience and a fun one to boot. So what the “Day at the Races” will be entail is the following:

• A couple of weeks before a weekend of the BTCS or Belcar Endurance Series (which are racing categories in Belgium) I will post an invitation on my blog to participate in the “Day at the Races”.  You can just send me a message to say whether you want to participate.
• When there are a couple of participants, we will make the arrangements to get to the track (which will be either Zolder or Spa-Francorchamps) and I will provide details on how to get there and when.
• We spend a day shooting the races and learning from each other, exchanging tips, techniques and some good stories ;-)
• I will prepare a place for you to show of your best shots in the week following the event so you can show everybody how you did.

So why BTCS and Belcar?

There are a couple of reasons why I selected the BTCS or Belcar weekends.  First of all most of the BTCS and Belcar events are free, meaning that you don’t have to pay to get into the racetrack.  That makes it little easier when thinking of reasons to go. Furthermore, you have access to the entire circuit, including the paddock area, meaning you can go wherever you want. Most of the international race series are not free and most of the time you have to pay extra to get into the paddock. 

Secondly, the BTCS are touring cars which are kind of like cars you find on the road in a racing jacket.  The most important advantage of that is that the cars are not mind-bendingly fast. A big advantage if you are just starting with panning shots. The Belcar Endurance Series are faster GT cars, but since these races last longer, you get more time to get it right. So, keeping the phrase “walk before you run” in mind, we start with these races before going into the big leagues.

Thirdly, the BTCS and Belcar series are completely belgian organizations who mainly use the Zolder and Spa-Francorchamps circuits. In a race weekend, most of the time, there are several extra races and side-events to diversify the day a bit.  So it won’t be too boring even for people who don’t want to watch cars racing around a circuit all day.  (And for the ladies, Koen Wauters is one of the competitors in these series, and since you can get into the paddock … :-)).

When and where will these “Day at the Races” session be?

I will post an invitation on this blog a couple of weeks before a race, but you can take a look at the calendar for the 2010 season on www.btcseries.be and www.belgiangt.com (season starts in April and ends in October). I won’t be going to all races, but like I said I’ll keep you posted on what races a “Day at the Races” session will be held. By the way, I got three extra seats in the car, so if you don’t have a car or don’t want to drive yourself, there are options ;-)

What do I need?

What you will need is a DSLR camera (sorry but point-and-shoots just can’t make these shots) and a long lens (as long as you got, but I would say you need at least 200mm). If you are a Canon shooter, I have a 100-400mm lens you could try during the day. Besides that, I would suggest a monopod or tripod with ballhead, good walking shoes (especially for Spa-Francorchamps circuit) and since it is still Belgium a raincover or plastic bag to protect your camera from the elements.

What about me leaving my comfort zone?

I know, this is about leaving your comfort zone, but I’m not leaving anything. Right, so what I would like to propose is that if you like this initiative, organize one yourself for a discipline you would like to share with other photographers.

So keep your eyes on the blog for updates, but please let me know already if you like the initiative and are thinking of maybe joining.  Just for me to see whether there is interest in this type of sessions or not.