Races are not always run on bright sunny days, sometimes they race at night. Events such as the 12 Hours of Sebring, the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, some races in the American LeMans Series and even local drag and oval track races include occasional night races.

Caption: This image of a racecar made during a night race at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca has an exposure of 1/80 sec at f/5.6 at ISO 800 and an on camera flash was used. In this case, I “dialed down” the Canon 550EX flash by minus one and one-third stops, reducing the impact of the flash.

One of the problems of using flash at a motorsports event is that if you’re not careful you will produce a static-looking image that looks like the car is parked on the track, instead of going fast. That’s why in addition to using flash, you’ll also want to pan the camera using the kind of techniques covered in my post “At the Track.” Sure, using panning and slow shutter speeds can produce a slightly blurry photograph but the car will look as if it’s in motion, not stationary.

How much flash you should use under these conditions is not just a matter of applying a formula and depends on many factors including ambient light, camera’s ISO setting, lens used as well, as the speed and reflectivity of the car itself. As in much of sports photography, experience will be your guide. Start by using the flash at full power and then lower the output after reviewing the results on your SLR’s preview screen. If you can adjust the flash output, use the flash’s diffuser panel (if it has one) to spread the light.

Caption: Why you would even want to make flash photographs of night races? This photograph was made during the night portion of the six-hour American LeMans Series race at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca. The cars use reflective decals and the additional combination of headlights, dark backgrounds, and flash produce drama. Exposure with a Canon EOS 50D and EF 75-300mm lens was 1/250 sec at f/4 and ISO 800 with an EX 550 flash.

Safety Tip: Shooting at any racetrack especially at night can be dangerous. You should only make photographs in designated areas and if you use flash make sure that you only fire it at the side of the racecar. Using flash when a car is coming directly toward you is not only foolish but places you and the driver in serious jeopardy. He or she has enough to do without being blinded by your flash.

If you enjoyed today’s blog post and would like to buy Joe a cup of Earl Grey tea ($3.50), click here.

Along with photographer Barry Staver, Joe is co-author of Better Available Light Digital Photography with new copies are available from Amazon for $21.450 and used copies starting around six bucks.

As Jason Anderson advised in his post, How to Keep Your Sensor Clean, he suggests that you to “avoid changing lenses outdoors because dust can enter from uncontrolled areas and it’s the place where you have the least control.” Unfortunately the reality is that, especially when shooting motorsports, sometime you just gotta change lenses .

How I made this shot: This Audi ALMS race car was shot driving into The Corkscrew at Laguna Seca raceway using a Canon EOS 50D and a EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM lens (at 160mm.) Nighttime exposure was 1/500 sec at f/8 and ISO 400.

Here’s something that might help: MindShift Gear’s Lens Switch Case ($42.50) is a modular lens/accessory pouch that can be carried or attached to the belt of your favorite backpack. The company’s inexpensive ($16.50) rotation180° Professional Attachment straps make that something that’s easy to do.

This lightweight belt pouch accommodates most wide angle to telephoto lenses including 17-40mm, 14-24mm, tilt shift, 24-70mm and 70-200mm lenses. In addition to lenses you can store a professional speedlight or maybe two pro speedlights or a 4×6 filter kit and accessories. All of the zippered closures can be opened and closed with one hand

An external zippered pocket holds filters, cable release or a cleaning cloth. The removable padded divider lets you protect two items placed side-by-side. A custom-fitted rain cover stows the bottom pouch.

The case measures 7 x 4.5 x 3-inched when retracted or 10 x 4.5 x 3-inches when it’s extended. The Lens Switch Case weighs six ounces and is made from 30D Ripstop PU, 210 D nylon, 140 D silver toned nylon, has YKK zippers and like all MindShift Gear products, it’s able to stand up to the elements.

It’s something to think about the next time yoy head out to the track…

If you enjoyed today’s blog post and would like to treat me to a cup of Earl Grey tea ($2.50), please click here. And if you do, thanks so much.

Along with photographer Barry Staver, Joe is co-author of Better Available Light Digital Photography that’s out-of-print but new copies are available for $21.88 or used copies for giveaway prices—less than two bucks—from Amazon, as I write this. The Kindle version, for some reason, is expensive.