I'd been looking forward to the Drift Superfinals at Raassilla ever since I got back to Estonia. I'd been home for a couple of weeks, but I'd spent the whole summer away and hadn't made it to a single drift event. The last time I'd photographed drift was at Mulgi Drift in the spring. That had been my first time shooting it in quite a while, too. Then summer came and went, and now it was autumn.
On 19 September, I was finally back beside the track. In between, I'd been photographing trams, buildings and people on the streets of Portugal and Spain. Now I had to get used to my subjects moving a little faster again. And, as it turned out, to the light in Estonia too.
Evening settings there, midday settings here
In Portugal and Spain, a lack of light usually wasn't the problem. If anything, there was too much of it for the camera, and I had to work out how to get the picture right. At Raassilla, it felt a bit odd to be shooting in the middle of the day with roughly the same settings I'd been using in the evenings over there.
The f/4 lens I used during the day isn't particularly fast. I wasn't really counting on it for night drifting, so I also brought my 50 mm and 85 mm f/1.8 lenses. The ones usually associated with portrait photography. I had the idea of using them to photograph cars in the dark, because I didn't have a better option available at the time.
The sun came out just in time for the break
During the day, I enjoyed the event, took photos and kept hoping for a bit of sun. I thought it might come out around sunset and give me a few nice sunlit shots from where I was standing. I'd got pictures like that at Mulgi Drift in the spring, and I would have liked a few more.
The sun did come out. Exactly when there was a break in the runs. So the pictures I'd been hoping for didn't happen this time.
The event itself was great. It was a little chilly for me, but otherwise it was good to be back. And I've always liked the sound of turbo engines. It was good to hear them beside the track again after such a long break. Along the way, I also photographed cars and people in the paddock.
Taking a portrait lens out to photograph night drifting
In the evening, I switched lenses, put on the 85 mm and went to give it a try. I promptly messed up the first ten shots.
I suppose I could have expected that. I'm not used to photographing things moving that fast in the dark, and getting back into it took a little time. But the experimenting was so much fun. Using a portrait lens for drifting became my own little running joke that evening.
In lens reviews, everything tends to have its own specific job. This one's good for portraits, that one's good for something else. I don't think we need to let those labels limit us too much. If you've got the lens and an idea, why not give it a try?
My 85 mm did its job very well. The f/1.8 aperture helped a lot in the dark, and the shots that worked were sharp, too. The cars certainly didn't seem to mind that it was called a portrait lens.
I messed up a few more shots after those first ten. I can't really blame the camera or the lens for that. It had more to do with the person holding them. But so what? It was a great evening, and I reckon I got some good pictures too.