A motorsport photography lesson from Frits van Eldik

Friday 17 August 2018, 20:10 by Richard Seijger | 6,097 views | 3 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

The temperature has already risen quite a bit by the time I arrive at Circuitpark Berghem. The smell of petrol and burnt rubber is already clearly noticeable, even though it is only 10:00 am.

Today, during a Canon Masterclass, I will be taught by none other than Frits van Eldik, Canon ambassador and living legend in motorsport photography.

Frits van Eldik with a few final tips and pieces of advice
I like to bring my own cameras and lenses, but Canon has of course also provided the necessary toys, as usual, and the other seven students make enthusiastic use of them throughout the day.

These masterclasses are regularly organised by Canon, but probably by Nikon and Sony too. And it is not just motorsport. They are also very active in other areas, such as wildlife, studio and landscape photography. My advice is... just do it!

Of course, it is great when a pro makes you look at subjects differently, shares their secrets with you and helps you with settings during one-to-one sessions, but for me the real value lies in the inspiration you get from listening to these pros.

I am the type of photographer who tries to capture everything and does their best not to miss anything. Frits van Eldik's response to this was: but do you end up with particularly special images? And isn't it the case that the amateur next to you, and the one next to them, and so on, have probably taken exactly the same photos?

Everyone looking for the best spot
Well, the wisdom we all possess but often forget in the hustle and bustle of everyday life was made very clear to me once again...

1. First think about what you want to photograph, what do you want to show?


2. Make sure you prepare properly, leave nothing to chance;


3. Dare to go for it, dare to take risks;


4. You make your own luck;


5. (Only present your best results, the rest quickly goes in the bin).

Happy with the results
The result... photos that rise above the grey mass, and that is what we all want, isn't it? In my memory, I went back to the 1970s, when the wonderful Tour de France photos by Cor Vos once inspired me to want to take photographs myself.

When the Masterclass ended at five o'clock, it felt as though the time had flown by. We still wanted to try so much, but of course we also wanted to get home quickly to look at the results of this renewed inspiration.

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