Project Monet 

Report by Piotr Maczka

1st December 2020

It wasn't the day I was hoping for. The leaden sky with dark grey clouds bowling across it didn't look like it was going to be productive for me and the project I had in mind. I had hoped for a bright sky with lots of sunshine and most importantly a bright harsh light that would blow out all of the highlights! 

Instead, as the racers headed out on track for their last outing of the year at Oulton Park, we were greeted with a heavy cloudburst. As the rain poured down I was struggling to have a clear view of the track and my lens was hunting for focus. Of course, the races were exciting, but I was there to execute my project. 

I have seen a lot of motorsports action pictures and I've also taken plenty, but every time when I looked at them I've always seen the background. Even when viewing a panning shot taken with a very low shutter speed I could tell what the blurred background was, grandstand, spectators, building and the like. 

I have nothing against pictures that show detail in the background and it can enhance the image, but I wanted to try out something different.

I did not want to see anything that would distract from the subject matter. The idea behind this project was that it should be only a feeling of a place, a of sense of a track and most importantly for motorsports, a sensation of speed. 

That was the framework behind my idea. I wanted to take a photo like a fine art painting by an impressionist. I came to the conclusion that I would play with light and shadow. I decided to keep the car as sharp as it could be and blur the background to the point where the surroundings became almost unrecognizable or, and maybe a better word, “unidentifiable”. 

I called it project Monet. The background of the image should create something intermediate, between reality and imagination, and everything should be done in the camera. 

I knew that I could not achieve the effect of a proper painting, but I wanted to be as close to a 19th century impressionist artist's picture as possible, without applying any photoshop filters. This is easy to say and hard to execute. 

I know Oulton Park quite well, so I did not have to look too hard for a good location. During a few previous events I took many test shots, so I knew what shutter speed and aperture I would have to use to achieve my goal.

As for ISO, you can't really predetermine that with the changeable UK weather, so I decided to adjust according to the light condition during the shot.

I also set a cloudy white balance to boost colours. All I needed now was the sun. Fortunately, luck was on my side, the clouds parted and I started to shoot. 

I was quite happy when I saw the pictures in camera. I knew that I was not going to spend hours in photoshop, just a few basic adjustments would be needed and I would have the result I was looking for.

Canon colours are amongst the best but I additionally applied Canon C Log V1* and in post processing used the dodge and burn tool and that was it. 

As I said in the beginning, I wanted to achieve this look right in the camera without any filters, but in the end filled, with curiosity, I applied photoshop oil filter to one of my pictures. 

A good printer, quality photographic paper with a texture, a posh frame and we have my version of an impressionist oil painting in the office.

Photographic Post Script

Piotr used a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV matched to a SIGMA 70-200mm F2.8 DG OS HSM at 200mm with and aperture of f5 and a Shutter Speed ranging from 1/125 to 1/160 of a second to take these images.

*Canon’s C-Log is mainly used for Cinematic video production and maximizes the image sensor to obtain a greater dynamic range, making footage captured by the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV more flexible in post. Using C-Log will reduce the loss of detail within the highlights and shadows.

Claude Monet - The Japanese Footbridge

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