A Day at the Races (Part 2) - Autódromo do Estoril (20th of November 2011)

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Jorge using the Canon EF 500mm

(courtesy of Canon Professional Services/Colorfoto)

Some days ago, you could see some photographs I made during the treino fotográfico organized by Colorfoto and Canon Professional Services, so I won’t repeat myself here, explaining how it all came to take place.

Please, just use your mouse, should you wish to know more and you missed the first post.

The workshop actually consisted of two days, so this second post on the theme shows the photographs I shot on Sunday.

Please, allow me just to remember that the treino fotográfico took place under the supervision of the very kind gentleman Paulo Maria, an experienced sports photographer.

Once again, thank you Paulo, thank you Colorfoto and Canon.

I also wish to thank the staff at Autódromo do Estoril and the racing teams, everybody was very kind and supportive.

Last but not least, a special grateful word to my sun Jorge who brought me along…

The racing cars were only the Leitmotiv…

I don’t really much care about racing cars, I am more the type of guy who gets a faster heartbeat staring at Land Rovers and Pinzgauers, everything that can climb over rocks, or dive in some deep mud… The type of workhorse vehicles that can take me to that far away places, out of reach from the ordinary Sunday drivers.

Nevertheless, photographing racing cars (with a digital camera) can quickly become a passionate addiction and you must control yourself to stop shooting.

As you might guess looking at the photographs, I got a kick out of telling a story about the human action at it, all the anxiety and stress, all the concentration and awareness, all the sadness of losing and all the joy of winning.

Just like in real life…

Some of the fellow-photographers who made the day very enjoyable

Some thoughts and opinions about the Canon gear I have used on the event:

The 500mm that you see Jorge using above is for sure a great lens! Jorge got absolutely wonderful shots with it!

 If I would earn my money shooting sports or birds, I would definitely consider such a beast.

As I don’t, I prefer to stick to my (much smaller and lighter)  EF 400mm / 5.6 L (or whatever Canon calls it, I am lazy to check it up, this long terminology kind of nerves me!).

Since I got recently a frozen shoulder and some trouble in my left hand, this beast of a lens (I mean the 500mm) just is too heavy and cumbersome for my taste. I know that you need to get used to it, but I feel much more confortable with the smaller lens.

(Please, keep in mind that on the 30D body, as I have used it, the 400 becomes equivalent to a 640mm lens! I was actally getting “nearer” than Jorge with his 5D and the 500mm… I have used the 400mm exclusively hand held, no tripod or monopod! - no Image Stablizer on this lens, thanks!)

You can see the lens in question (I mean the 400mm) on an older post, should you have interest on taking a look. If you look further on, you will also find several photographs that every now and then I posted, made using that piece of glass.  

I also had the chance to try the 70-200 / 2.8 L in the Autódromo, the newer version of the lens, with Image Stablizer. In case you have noticed my former comment, you will understand that I am no big fan of IS… The noise and feeling of it working just drives me nuts, I rather prefer to hold one of my cats in the arm!

So, I prefer to stick to my older version, without IS, thank you again! (of course, you may claim that I can shoot with IS off. You are right, but I have the feeling that if we made a side by side test on optical quality and definition, the older lens would win… Somebody with more experience than me out there with a different opinion? Maybe Canon?)

The rest of the stuff was plain bread and butter:

I have used Jorge’s EF 50mm / 1.4, a lens that I can’t say it is bad for sure, but I also won’t claim that it is “GREAT”.  I know that lots of knowledgeable people love it, but I am maybe spoiled by Leitz / Leica and Zeiss…

I say jaein (ja + nein as the germans like to say)…

About my old 17-35 / 2.8 L:

Canon still has to make it better, if they want to convince me with their wide-angles, but then again maybe I am spoiled by the Summicrons, Elmarits, Distagons, Super-Angulons and Grandagons…

(lots of funny names, right!)

As I have said before, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose…

All in all, I absolutely was a winner by taking part on the event!

I hope that you enjoy the photographs.

Technical data for both days:

Camera - Canon 30D

Lenses - Canon EF 17-35mm/2.8 L + EF 50mm/1.4 + 70-200mm/2.8 IS L (not used on the 20th) + 400mm/5.6 L

Dates - 19th + 20th of November 2011 (these images, second day only)

Location - Autódromo do Estoril, Portugal

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A Day at the Races - Estoril, 19th of November 2011

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At first I was reluctant and said no.

But my son Jorge insisted, and I agreed to take part on the Photographic Training organized by Colorfoto ( it is no exggeration if I claim that they are the best photographic retailers in Portugal) and Canon Professional Services.

Instructor was Mr. Paulo Maria (Interslide), a professional with long experience in the field of Motorsports Photography, and who happens to be a very kind person.

David and Rui Morgado from Colorfoto were also always at hand with good advise and driving us around the track.

We also could try some of those beautiful grey Canon lens that you can watch the pros using on TV during sports events.

As a whole, all the event was very well organized and a joy to be part of.

Thinking afterwards, I came to realize, that I had never photographed a car race before.

So, you’re watching a kind of premier…

The long lenses from Canon are really top-notch and digital photography is a very convenient medium for this kind of stuff.

Yes, you guess it right: even a hardcore Leica guy like me has to concede that in this field Canon sounds better than Leica!

“Come on, you will have some fun!”.

Well, I must admit that Jorge was right, and I am happy that I came along.

We had a wonderful day at Autódromo do Estoril!

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Travels With Color Film - Alcácer do Sal, Portugal, October 1998 (Ektachrome 100S)

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Maybe some of you had the chance to watch the wonderful movie “The Bridges of Madison County”, adapted from the novel by Robert James Waller.

Clint Eastwood plays the role of a not-so-young photographer (Robert Kincaid) on assignment for National Geographic magazine, shooting a photographic essay on some covered bridges in Madison County, in the U.S. state of Iowa, not far from Des Moines.

Robert, the photographer,  meets Francesca (Meryl Streep), a somewhat-frustrated and lonely-also-not-so-young-but-still-very-attractive lady, italian war bride, who runs a farm with her husband. She happens to be alone for a couple of days, as her husband and kids are away at the 1965 Illinois state fair…

This chance encounter rapidly evolves to a very intense and dramatic once-in-a-life-time love affair. One can hear the deep voice of Johnny Hartman sing ballads in the background, and the whole story is described and interpreted with astounding artistry. The ambiance is very passionate and tasteful.

An overwhelming movie!

Besides picking up his beer from a cool box in the back of his green pick-up truck, Robert also stores in there his color films, subsequently changing them to Francesca’s refrigerator, when the growing lady’s hospitality permits him to share her house and bed comfort.

 Yes, Iowa in Summer can be a hot place! I have experienced it myself. I also went to Des Moines to photograph some buildings by Mies van der Rohe, although I must have to concede that I didn’t know about the covered bridges back then.

What a pity!

Those of you old enough to remember the existence of color reversal film, probably know what I am talking about: great care is needed to avoid excessive heat  on your films, or you risk to get back home from your dreamtrip only to find out that the colors have changed and shifted.

Yes, color film is heat sensitive and prone to surprises (black and white too, altough to a lesser extent).

Packing 30 or 40 rolls for a trip is also common procedure, taking most room on your bag, albeit with lesser weight than your photographic equipment. Despite the big volume and all the trouble, one also has much less shots at one’s disposal than in some small memory cards…

Well, having a cool-box with you is a good excuse to bring along some fresh beer. You don’t need nobody’s freezer!

The pictures that I show on this post where shot on Kodak Ektachrome 100S reversal film, with Canon gear. I was on assignment for the defunct magazine “Portugal Português”, which was associated with the better-known, but also defunct, “Casa Decoração”.

I made some assignments for both magazines for a while, before it was adieu, farewell.

Obviously, it was some celebratory date in Alcácer do Sal, but I don’t have a clue about what or why. I was too much busy (or too much lazy for notations?), back in those days, so I was happy when the client had his/her images and I could jump to the next spot, very often on the other side of the country.

The notations often got lost somewhere along the way, only the images and the feelings remained...

I would like to say thank you to all the people who have been supporting this blog.

You give me strength to keep going on!

Technical Data:

Camera - Canon EOS 1n

Lenses - Canon EF 17-35mm f/2.8 L USM + Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L USM

Filme – Kodak Ektachrome 100S

Location – Alcácer do Sal, Portugal

Date – October 1998

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