Deadpoet’s Cave

My intrepid friend, Peter Chan, took another walk around the F1 pit garages and start-finish straight yesterday evening. (View his earlier walkabout.) Once again, he has shared his photos with me and given me permission to blog these. Here we go…

Work going on at the start-finish straight. I’m imagining 20 cars on the grid, waiting for the five lights to go out, signalling the start of the race. The sound is guaranteed to give you goosebumps. Hair raising, indeed…

Suzuka’s famous Ferris Wheel may no longer be an F1 feature since the Japan race moved to Fuji, but we’ve got our Singapore Flyer dominating the paddock skyline.

Valerio Maioli lighting engineer in his buggy.

Renault team at work.

McLaren Mercedes keeping a firm lid on things.

• Stripped
• Peter Chan takes a walk around the Singapore F1 circuit
• The Long Overdue Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix Wrap-up Post
• Singapore Grand Prix 2008 - Friday Practice

I attended a talk - no, a gathering - with Darren Heath, a photographer who makes F1 look fantastic.

Darren, whose career roughly follows David Coulthard’s motor racing journey, has been taking trackside photos for about 20 years. His interest started when he was a teenager. With the support of his father, he attended races all over Britain, honing his skill and interest.

He is as British as they come, with a dry sense of humour and a mock (at least, I think its mock) disdain for the French and their race. I also sense that he favours Hamilton and McLaren, but acknowledges that Ferrari makes most F1 photos look terrific, thanks to that striking scarlet red.

What stands out about his shots are his panning shots. Shots that track the cars as they zoom by on track. Doing that, you get a blurred background, car in focus effect, giving the photos the feeling of motion and speed. His panning shots are truly amazing. He hates what he calls (and I paraphrase) the car-parked-on-the-side-of-the-road shots.

While he has taken some cliched shots - hey, you have to please clients - he tends to infuse those with his own brand of style. Darren talked about what he has to do during a race weekend. There is a lot of planning and preparation involved. When up close with the characters of F1, communication and camaraderie is essential.

The photo which got the biggest reaction from the crowd is the one which you can see at the top. Despite all the planning and anticipation that goes into his photos, often, it is the totally unexpected which makes the best shot.

Critter vs Hamilton - that photo speaks for itself. If you look closely, you can see that the little fellow’s front feet are off the ground. The timing, the framing, the juxtaposition in the shot… just astounding.

Darren also had some tips for the general photographers in the crowd. He takes shots from the stands sometimes, so I’m sure his tips will come in useful. Despite the fact that I don’t have a lens which costs five figures…

Oh yes, Darren, you were wishing for rain - you got it this morning. But that was more like a light shower. I’m afraid if it really pours during the race, it will probably be too unsafe…

Thanks to NLB for hosting this event!

NLB’s Pod (the UFO top level of the National Library) has a nice view of the Esplanade portion of the track. Too bad I left my big-ass camera at home.

• The Long Overdue Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix Wrap-up Post
• Stripped
• Snakes & Devils - A History of the Singapore Grand Prix
• Together

Peter Chan, a Friend of Yesterday.sg, took a walk around the Marina Bay Street Circuit this afternoon. He emailed me the photos and kindly gave me permission to post them here. So, here goes!

The first two corners. Hmm… possibility of an accident as 20 cars come flying through?

Chicane near Singapore Cricket Club.

Armco barriers at Anderson Bridge.

Toyota team checking out the track near the Bay Grandstand where I will be seated! IR construction in the background.

Renaults under protective tarp, Ferarri containers and pits in the background.

Possibly BMW, with the Renaults further back. Someone’s obviously been to 7-Eleven. Strategic product placement?

Red Bull freight container next to… Toyota perhaps. David Coulthard’s pit in the background.

Looking down the Start-Finish straight.

Thanks, Peter, once again, for emailing these to me and allowing me to post them! =)

• Peter Chan - Another walk around the Singapore GP pit garages
• Battle Royale
• Test post for Elaine
• Bump