Photography News Issue 43

Photography News | Issue 43 | absolutephoto.com

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Motor sports specialist Frits van Eldik has over 25 years’ experience shooting action-packed events and the Canon system is his tool of choice

Having your camera gear stolen is something we all dread, but when it happened to Frits van Eldik he decided to switch systems and has been using Canon ever since. “Canonwas leading in the world of sports photography so I made the switch,” Frits tells us. “I now use two EOS-1D X Mark II bodies, two EOS 5DMark IV bodies and an EOS 5DSR.” Inspired by the photography his father did as a hobby and growing up around cars (his father owned a garage), Frits found his niche early. “When I was 11 years old I told everybody that I would become a motor sports photographer,” he recalls. He’s now been specialising in motor sports photography for over 25 years. “Motor sports has everything: action, speed, emotions, colours, portraits and landscape. Oneminute you’ll be shooting a nice portrait andminutes later a car leaving the pits. Being on the track you can even shoot scenic landscapes and by changing lens some close-up action.” Shooting such a broad range of shots requires a variety of lenses and Frits has built up his kit accordingly. He uses the EF 400mm f/2.8, EF 200-400mm f4, EF 24mm

f/1.4L II USM, EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM, EF 50mm f/1.2L and EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM. “I love the EF 400mm f/2.8, but the flexibility of the EF 200-400mm is also great. I love the prime lenses as well, but sometimes when travelling you need to decide to bring zoom lenses due to weight restrictions or airline policies,” he says. Frits’ big picture (over the page) was taken for a Dutch glossy magazine called RTL GP magazine. “The feature was about two Porsches that raced back in the 70s. To have these two cars back on the track was already special, but being able to create something that was impossible back in those days was what I wanted to do,” he explains. This image was captured using a Canon EOS 6D with EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM lens, and a rig fixed to the car. “One of my specialities is making rig shots. You need to fine-tune the settings of the camera depending on the speed that the car is running. I used the EOS 6D for this shot because it’s lightweight and has built-in Wi-Fi, which allows me to easily work by connecting with the Camera Connect App to

The Kit

When I was 11 years old I told everybody that I would become a motor sports photographer”

Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x Perfect for getting in close on the action. This lens features a built-in extender increasing the focal range to 280-560mm. It also features Image Stabilizer technology, offering three modes to help eliminate camera shake when panning.

my iPad. When shooting these type of shots now I use the Canon EOS 5DMark IV.” “The challenge in most of my work is time,” he says. “The client usually hires a race track and I then have two hours to create a story. Building a construction that is safe and strong enough to fix the camera to is time consuming; you cannot take any risks. Besides that, you need a bit of luck and a moment where the camera has little vibrations; experience helps me.”

Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM With an ultra low dispersion (UD) and aspherical element to boost image quality this ultra-wide angle lens is great for getting energetic wide shots and filling the frame. It’s wide aperture of f/2.8 will produce stunning bokeh and makes it ideal for shooting hand-held in low-light conditions.

About the photographer

Frits van Eldik is a motor sports and Formula 1 photographer from the Netherlands. His motor sports images have been published in newspapers in both the Netherlands and France, and his client list includes big name brands such as Heineken, BMW, Philips, Red Bull, Shell and many more.

Frits is currently preparing to photograph the Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix and will cover a total of 14 Grands Prix this year. In addition to this he will also be shooting the 24 hours of Le Mans, and is working on a long-term project around historic cars.

fritsvaneldik.nl