August 2000 marked my first World Rally Championship adventure
- WRC Finland. I don't know about you but I must admit I tire of
rally car picture after rally car picture very easily; they all start
to look the same after a while so I look for something different
and try to be creative...
 We spent several days in beautiful Helsinki to experience the country's
capital before heading north to Jyvaskyla, rally HQ. I don't know about
you but I must admit I tire of rally car picture after rally car picture
very easily; they all start to look the same after a while so I look for
something different and try to be creative, and that's why we decided
to spend time in Helsinki rather than just head straight for the rally.
People pictures, wildlife pictures and pictures that reflect our culture
give me a great buzz. So, when out on rally events, I always make time to
visit service areas to take pictures of mechanics, drivers, co-drivers, spectators
and officials immersed in the day's activities. Keeping some variety in your
photography helps you learn and develop your photography skills.
Rally photography
eBooks,
a great way to learn |
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"First and
foremost let me thank you for sending the e-books, which
incidentally are probably the best pieces of photographic kit I have bought..."
H.Jones UK |
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Rallying can be dangerous
I learnt a great deal in Finland about rallying and just how dangerous
the sport can be for the competitors, spectators and photographers. Safety
on the stages is something we should never take for granted and I learnt
first hand what it's all about.
I was photographing on the Mokkipera stages, famous for the incredibly
high-speed straights littered with jump after jump. Great for the spectators
and photographers but dangerous. We walked a long way into the stage and
set up on the brow of a hill to look back down a long straight at the
cars on their approach. There were at least 2 jumps to photograph from
my position; I just started with a lens focal length of 400mm and gently
zoomed out as the car came closer. I had  loads
of time to compose the shots and could wait for just the right moment.
I went through countless rolls of film, and was able to get 2 or 3 different
shots of each car.
However, I started to get bored (as usual). I always have the need to
find a different angle, a different picture, so I moved from the rocky
outcrop I had been crouched on - a spot separated from the track by a
shallow ditch - and moved about 10 yards further along on the opposite
side. You'll never guess what happened next!
The next car on the stage, a Mitsubishi Evo, had an unsettled landing
after the first jump and didn't quite recover sufficiently for the second.
Consequently, the rally car slowly but surely lost control more and more
until it clipped the ditch a few metres before the spot I had just moved
from and rolled where I had previously been stood!
My advice is never sacrifice safety for a photograph; it's not worth
it, no matter how much you think the photographs may be worth or how much
you are being paid. Always have an exit route in mind should an accident
unfold in front of you. Never stand where there is no escape, common sense
I know, but you'd be surprised at just how many photographers think they
are invincible when they put on their media tabbards!
read on (more about WRC
Finland)
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