Modified Live 2018

Modified Live Cadwell Park 2018


Modified Live is one of the better car shows to attend as a photographer and lover of all things automotive as it has something for everyone. A static car show with a massive mix of cars, track racing with the highly modified Time Attack cars, Scooter Racing, Historic F1, and drift demos to keep the JDM crowd happy. 

And don't forget the run what you brung track time, where joe public can demonstrate their driving skills, or lack of, to all and sundry. If you are attending next year take a look at our Cadwell Circuit Guide for the best track side vantage points to capture Carl in his massively modified hot hatch. Screaming "I got this" as he hurtles sideways into Hall bends, running 200bhp innit tho' bro.
So for this event I tagged along with LincsDriver a friendly eclectic bunch of car enthusiasts who drive a wide range of cars form Porsche to classic Triumph GT6. All organised on Facebook with the "lets meet in McD at 07:15" statement. Which is standard for all FB car clubs, where else are you going to get man fuel and parking for 20 modified cars at 07:15? 
The convoy drive to Cadwell is an event in itself, the sweeping roads through the Lincolnshire wolds and the smell of unburnt hydrocarbons mixed with the faint aroma of a McD flat white were setting me up for another great day. To cap it all it’s a bank holiday Monday and the Gods have been kind, the weather is amazing.

Before we go any further a word on checking your gear. The night before an event I will charge my batteries and format my storage cards; don’t just delete your old images it's not good for the cards. Then I will check everything ensuring that all the lenses work and are clean. Take a picture of a white or neutral wall load the image into your computer and check that you don’t have marks on your lens or sensor.

On arriving at the show check the following basic settings:

ISO. Sunny day ISO 100, dull day push it up to get the shutter speed you need. Remember the exposure triangle ISO, aperture and shutter speed, changing one will have an affect on the others.

Metering. Area mode unless it’s very tricky lighting, spot metering generally isn't great for automotive photography and definitely don’t use it for track work. A white car will under expose and a black car will over expose your image if you are set to spot metering. I take a shot of the track before the racing to confirm I have all my settings in correctly.

Focus setting. I have two user setting on my camera that I pre-program. One has continuous auto focus with back focus using 9 segments, AF-C on a Nikon which I use on track. The other is single focus AF-S with one segment for the static shots and if I want to pre-focus on part of the track.   
So onto the photography, the area is split into three areas, the static show, the paddock and the track action. 
The static show is in a large field next to the general parking area and is rich pickings for the static photographer as just about anything can turn up. The good news is the field is facing south so grab your pictures when you first arrive as the sun will be at your back as they generally park the cars facing the circuit. 
A good wide angle lens starting at about 24mm for a full frame camera and 18mm for a crop sensor with a polarising filter if its very sunny is recommended. I usually take a 10-20mm as well with me to events like this for those one or two shots that need an extreme wide angle lens. 
Next up is the paddock, its not what you would expect as its could be gazebos, transit vans or the full blown motorsport articulated truck, however, you are free to roam and can always pick up a good shot or two here and chat to the teams if they aren't to busy. 
Using the Cadwell Park guide you can go to the left or right to get to the circuit. Where you go will determine what type of image you are after and the weather. It was sunny and bright so the cleaver money would have been to the right and over the bridge to have the sun at your back while capturing the action on the straight just before Coppice. 
However, I went to the left to Hall bends and the Hairpin as this area is tree covered and the light is quite good as it filters through the trees. Also I expected there to be less people and I was correct so I was able to pick my spots to capture the action. Look out for the areas of light and try and capture the cars as they cross these areas remembering to adjust your exposure accordingly. Standing back can also give you a nice shot.
Next is the Hairpin, the cars will be going slow here so you can drop the shutter speed and blur the background combined with the dappled light from the trees can give you some nice images.
You can't go any further round the circuit from the Hairpin, so back towards the café and the mountain. The rest of the circuit is in direct sunlight so watch the shadows and keep the sun to your back. 
The Drift Demos take place from the bottom of the mountain through the Hall bends to the Hairpin. The best area to capture the drift action is at the bottom of the mountain as this is where they will get the longest slides and therefore the most smoke, Hall is a little tight however, they do try and put on a show and it can go wrong so be prepared.  
Photos by Ben Lucas
One of the highlights is the F1 car demo, the sound is amazing. These cars look good anywhere on the track but they are quick so trying to capture them accelerating out of a corner can be challenging. I took the shot below from under the bridge looking towards Charlies, you can see the cars coming up the straight so you have time to set yourself up. 
As the cars come off the gas they will flame just as the start to go up the hill, not every time but if you are aware you should be able to capture a shot or two to add to your Modified Live portfolio.
I hope you have enjoyed this write up and photographs of Modified Live from Cadwell 2018. As always I don’t claim to be an expert on this subject, it's just my random observations of a day out with some friends carrying a camera and hopefully I will inspire some of you to get out there and take some great images . If you would like to contribute an article to PistonClick drop us an email. 

The next ramblings of a slightly more sunburnt photographer will be The Speed Machine Festival from Silverstone.

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