FOS '09 - Day 2

Well, the second day of Goodwood's Festival Of Speed 2009 has drawn to a close under a blue sky and puffy white clouds. It hasn't been like that all day, but at least the only rain we had lasted all of 2 minutes - so I mustn't grumble!

So then... Today's imagery was not so much weighted towards the main track action, instead taking in the wider variety of sights and the people enjoying them.

After a brief visit, first thing to, to the Supercar line-up, I headed to the Dunlop area in order to get a few people pictures. With lots of display panels and notable vehicles running on Dunlop tyres, there was plenty of scope to shoot some candid (unposed) pictures - both of the public and of guest speakers. At the time I arrived, racing car driver Richard Attwood was being interviewed, and I ran off a series of pictures looking down from the back of the 'audience' stand, just as the brief rain shower began.

Very often, part of my brief involves interacting directly with people, posing them and arranging them strategically. However, it is always my preference to follow the 'natural' route where possible, as the expressions and true personality almost always come across better when the subject is unaware that they are beingphotographed . It is for this reason that the same approach (albeit under very different conditions) is used when we deal with with teams, staff and corporate groups.

On the walk away from Dunlop, one passes through the Cartier Style et Luxe area, which this year displays some fine examples of both vintage and modern machines from the likes of Bugatti, Alfa Romeo and Maserati. With the rain still clearly visible on the bodywork, I took the chance to go in close to capture some detail shots which are simple in their arrangement, but great as 'filler' images. Plenty of scope here, also, for images depicting people viewing the cars, looking through windows and under bonnets. Oh, and we mustn't forget the jazz musicians who were creating a great backing track to a lively atmosphere on the lawn.

Next it was another brief visit to the Hill action, and a great vantage point looking directly down the track, to capture modern-day Formula 1 cars racing away from the start line. Amazing machines and challenge enough to capture on camera! As were theEurofighter Typhoon planes flying overhead just moments before.

A brief lunch was taken before heading to one of my favourite areas of the whole event - the rally stage, set in woodland at the very top of the site. So good is this area that it could actually pass as a real setting for a race. The cars on show - spanning a number of decades up to the current day - looked fantastic as they were thrown round the chalk roads. I positioned myself on one outer bend, protected by hay multiple bale barriers, and mixed up the shots to include both long-lens and wide-angle views of the action. Great stuff.

By this time, my shooting duties were drawing to a close, and I had just enough time to photograph a number of displays on my way back to the Press Office and before the process of preparing the images in line with yesterday'sarrangements.

Not sure what the weather will be doing tomorrow, but either way it should be another great day of diverse photographic opportunities.

Today's action (featuring a selection of both my images and those captured by colleagues) can be seen on the Goodwood website here.

Related posts: FOS '09 - Day 1, FOS '09 - Day 3

More to come.