Northants Event Photography – Corby & Southam AMCA Moto-X Club Meeting 10/09/2017 at Woodford
Corby & Southam AMCA Moto-X Club Meeting 10/09/2017 at Woodford
A free Sunday morning and a Moto-X fixture at the track in Woodford, Northants, provided my first opportunity to try my hand at motocross photography. The forecast wasn’t brilliant, but I thought I would chance my arm anyway. It would provide a decent sighter of what to expect in future, if nothing else.
There was no entry fee for spectators for this fixture (though I believe there may be for some meetings), and it was a simple case of walking (or driving!) in. The Moto-X track at Woodford is really winding, constantly turning back on itself. This means that the circuit is actually quite long. It also means that a significant chunk of it is inaccessible to spectators.
Long lens shot of riders over a jump at Woodford motocross track.
Speaking of spectators, virtually the whole length of the south side of the field where the track is located was accessible. The crowd is kept back from the track by means of a secondary rope. Signs are positioned making it clear where you are not allowed beyond.
Motocross Photography
It didn’t take me long to realise that the most impressive shots were going to come courtesy of the various jumps around the course. Some were within closer reach than others, and some offering a head-on perspective and others more of a side-on. The head-ons required a 400mm lens on a full-frame body. My trusty Sigma 120-300mm was perfect for the side-on ones.
Two riders crest a jump at the motocross track at Woodford, Northants.
The weather was none-too-kind, and drizzly showers made their presence felt on several occasions during the morning. The lack of sun also really hurt the pictures, particularly the ‘sky shots’.
There’s a tight bend at the eastern end of the crowd line that offers a view of the bikes and riders coming towards you head-on. What I liked about this spot was that there was often more than one bike in the frame and sometimes as many as four.
Four riders come head-on towards the camera at Woodford motocross track.
Moto-X
A few of the riders (and fellow spectators) did come over for a chat and were more than willing to share a little knowledge with this motocross virgin. The intention was for there to have been three blocks of five races, covering different abilities and age groups. There was, however, scope for this to have been expanded to four blocks of five, if the fifteen initial races were completed in a timely manner.
From what I saw, the whole operation seemed really slick, with very little time wasted between races. (the riders for the next race were lined up in the gate while the preceding race was taking place)
I was also impressed with the safety aspect. Marshalls were placed at key points around the track. Armed with red and yellow flags, they would wave one if anyone had a technical issue or became separated from their bike. During the course of the morning there were a few examples of each. The St Johns Ambulance was on hand to deal with any injuries arising from the latter.
A little air time at Woodford motocross track
Though the weather very clearly did not play ball, I saw plenty to make me realise the photographic potential of these events. I will be back!
The full gallery of images from the morning can be found here:
CORBY & SOUTHAM AMCA MOTO-X CLUB MEETING 10/09/2017 AT WOODFORD
A full list of motocross fixtures (the whole country) can be found on the AMCA website.
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I am based in Northamptonshire, but am willing to travel out of area.
If you’ve not already done so, please take a look at my Event Portfolio.[vc_row][vc_column][gem_textbox rectangle_corner=”lb” content_text_color=”#757575″ border_width=”1″][vc_column_text]Karl Drage is a professional Northamptonshire-based event photographer who also covers surrounding counties such as Leicestershire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Rutland, Oxfordshire & Warwickshire. If you are looking for an event photographer in the towns of Northampton, Kettering, Wellingborough, Oundle, Corby, Peterborough, Leicester, Huntingdon, Towcester, Rugby, Daventry, Oakham or nearby, please use one of the methods on the Contact Us page to get in touch. He will be only too happy to go through your needs with you and will endeavour to put together a competitive solution that meets them.[/vc_column_text][/gem_textbox][/vc_column][/vc_row]
