Another outing to test how the micro four thirds Olympus can measure up to photographing fast moving action, and personally missing sidecar motocross. This was my first opportunity to catch a round of the British Championship this year. This event was round six at staged at Milton Malsor in Northamptonshire, a compact, interesting and accessible track. Previous visits have all been to Canada Heights which is a wonderful woodland setting with lots if elevation, Milton Malsor looks like a good contender for more visits.
For the photographers, I partnered the Olympus EM1 with the 40-150 zoom and 300 f4, both performed better than I expected, excellent focus tracking and lens stabilisation meant no need for a support and made shooting much simpler allowing me to test out a wide range of angles and approaches.
Shutter speeds between 1/1600-1/2000 to capture the action and 1/40 for the panning shots. I also set a couple of the custom modes beforehand to easily switch between shooting styles whilst at the track, I recommend this so as not to miss shots
After a few races to check the best vantage points, I found on almost all locations a lower viewpoint* offered the best approach and the opportunity to get level with the sidecar passengers eyes. The abundance of wild grasses and flowers provided a further element of interest to the foreground.
* with any fast moving sports, make sure your shooting position is safe and only ever one knee on the ground.
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