Returning to the Mallory Park VSCC event

One of the first VSCC races that I visited in 2011 was the Bob Gerard Memorial Trophy event at Mallory Park. That year, the event was staged in August, on a beautiful late summer’s day. I took my Canon 5D and a 70-300mm Sigma lens, and very little else. I couldn’t even use the correct white balance settings, and didn’t really think too much about how I was shooting.

Less than a year on, and I returned to Mallory Park to photograph the same event, but now with much more technical and creative knowledge, plus a load of different cameras and formats. The event this year took place on June the 24th, and after a rather scary drive down to the Leicestershire circuit in heavy rain, I arrived only to find out that the practice was delayed because of the weather.

To this event I brought my (newly repaired) Canon 5D, with 70-200mm IS II f/2.8 lens, the 28-135mm Canon lens, the Polaroid 103 Automatic Land Camera, Rolleicord 1A, Ensign Mayfair box camera, Canon 300v film camera, and the Lomography La Sardina.

An appropriate camera, for an appropriate subject

This time, I used Ilford FP4+ in the Rollecord 1A. This camera was built in the 1930s/40s, so it seemed only right that I should photograph cars of the same period in black & white. I had good success with this film in 35mm format at Cadwell Park, so tried it in the 120 format.

The FP4+ developed in Ilfosol 3 produced strong, contrasty results. The quality of the lens shines through with these shots.

I used Ilfosol 3 to develop this film, and the depth of the black areas came through well. The quality of the lens is amazing for a camera of this age, producing sharp, detailed results. I’ve found myself becoming more confident with this camera every time that I take it out. Although many of the Rolleiflex cameras have a f/2.8 lens, I haven’t really missed having this headroom for the type of shots that I’ve done so far.

This shot used up a frame of Delta 400 @ 3200 that was developed in Ilford DD-X. I had to shield the camera from the light as much as possible and used a tiny aperture and fast shutter speed.

Delta 400 pushed surprisingly well to 3200, as can be seen in this shot of the Darracq engine. I loved the multiple tones found over the metallic surfaces. Once again, the quality of the Rolleicord lens shone through, producing sharp detailed results.

Disappointment from a tired box camera

I once again took the Mayfair box camera with my, and loaded it with Fuji Pro 400H. After having the film processed, I was not happy with the results. Many shots were blurry, with little sharpness and no real character. I think that the shutter itself is simply too slow, and has probably lost the stated speed over the years. I’m going to try and clean out the camera as well as I can, to try and improve the action of the shutter.

One of the few ‘usable’ shots from the Ensign Mayfair box camera. The framing is off, but I liked the idea, and the subdued colours that came out.

The colours on the Mayfair came out well, but with so much camera shake were ultimately disappointing compared to results I’ve had from it in the past.

Rare camera, rare cars

The Polaroid 103 once again produced gorgeous colours in the patches of sunshine at Mallory Park. The blues and greens that come from this camera make a lasting impression, typical of the format.

Lush greens and blues typical of the Polaroid format on this shot of the start of a VSCC race at Mallory Park.

The colour Fuji FP-100c film self terminates, so I always take my shots home before peeling them apart and allowing them to dry. This is one of the most exciting parts of the day, usually with great surprised and slight disappointments when shots don’t quite come out as expected – but that’s part of the experience of Polaroid photography.

This beautiful, rare, and extremely valuable Bugatti Type 57c was in the carpark at Mallory. I felt this just had to be captured on Polaroid!

Sometimes a subject just has to be captured on a certain format, and that was certainly the case with a beautiful Bugatti Type 57c. Although not a particularly creative shot, the fact that such a rare car, and a rare Polaroid format have been combined is spectacle enough.

Different developer, different outcome

I chose to use FP4+ in 35mm format again, after doing some work with it at Cadwell Park. This time however, I developed the film using Ilford DD-X, usually used on their Delta range of films, and in my experience on Delta 400 and 3200 with fantastic results. Using it with FP4 however created very different results. A development time of 18 minutes, as opposed to 4:15 in Ilfosol 3 was certainly a big change, and involved a lot of waiting around during processing.

This shot had a great range of tones, and was very sharp. The overall town, however, was much lighter than when I’d used Ilfosol 3.

The results produced quite ‘bright’ images, yet still had a good range of tones, and super sharp results. The grain on the shots was also very low, probably as DD-X is for high speed films where grain is naturally going to be big. I can’t actually decide if I like the tone of these shots, as they seem to lack the contrast of using Ilfosol 3.

This closeup of the bonnet belts on the Talbot Lago used repetitive shapes, contrasted with deep blacks in the vents and belt. I really liked how this turned out.

As I’ve often found, closeups of design features of cars has worked really well for creating interesting compositions. These bonnet belts created a photograph of contrasts; deep black vents, flat metal surfaces, textured leather and leading lines from the hinge and repetition of vent openings. I think I would use this combination of film and developer again, but also want to try it with Delta 100.

Lomography La Sardina and Poundland film… as usual

Again I used Kodak Color Plus 200 in the La Sardina camera, which is great for this kind of shoot. The light on the day wasn’t always on my side, but I still managed to get some nice detail shots of the cars in the paddock.

The very distinctive grill of the Wolseley Hornet Special, taken on the La Sardina on the ‘Close’ setting.

Continuing to learn the art of blur

Much of the time at Mallory was spent continuing my experimentation with slow shutter speeds to capture blur and a sense of speed (but some time was also spent eating doughnuts and hotdogs) around the circuit. After experimenting with these shots at Cadwell Park, I wanted to continue this, but with the added feature of using the wider lens to capture cars moving with a greater sense of place and scale.

A shutter speed of 1/15 and a focal length of 28mm created a great sense of scale, and the combination of lush green grass and bright blue skies, with the vibrant red of the car produced an exciting shot.

I was pleased with the results I got from shooting in this way. Now that I had a camera with a battery box on it, I could also shoot in portrait format with greater ease. I wanted to create an oil painting like quality from using slow shutter speeds, and managed to again get good results.

This shot of the ERA retains just enough sharpness to be recognisable, but is heavily blurred creating a sense of speed. Barriers, the lake, and the sky create a sense of the location.

These shots rarely come out well, and are very much trial and error, with a splash of luck – but I think they create some of the best shots of the day.

Old favourites shot in new ways

I’ve never really tried working against the light in my photography, and after I found myself on the wrong side of the circuit with a bright sun in front of me, I had to make do with my position. I did however manage to get a decent shot of the ‘fan favourite’ GN JAP GP car heading into the hairpin.

The lighting on this shot adds to the slightly sinister look of the GN JAP Grand Prix racer, as the silhouette hides some of the details – but the logo can still be faintly seen on the side of the car.

The mix of bright background and dark, deep and subtle details of the GN JAP came out, with some light creeping over the top of the bodywork. I want to continue experimenting with working against the light to see how I can capture contrasting colours and shapes.

Looking back, and looking forward

Just 10 months ago I first went to Mallory Park, pointing my trusty 5D at the VSCC cars. It feels like a long time ago, what with college, Christmas and many days of shooting and camera purchases since then. I’m amazed with how much I’ve come on, but at the same time feel as though I should be getting better shots, and taking more risks. I sometime think that I just slip into what I normally do; set a shutter speed of 1/80, and start shooting. I need to start varying what I do, and think about high detail, fast shutter speeds shots of the action as well.

I’ve enjoyed experimenting with the different cameras, but do think that the Ensign Mayfair box has let me down at this event. I did manage to find a Kodak Brownie No2 in a vintage shop, which seems to be in much better condition, and has a much faster sounding shutter. I think this may become my box camera of choice in the future!

Additional links

You can see the full set of VSCC shots from Mallory Park on Flickr, and the Mallory Park website is where you should go if you fancy popping down to see some great races at a fantastic track yourself. If you fancy going to a VSCC event, then the Vintage Sports Car Club website is the place to go.

If you have any questions about the shots I’ve taken, whether it be about techniques or equipment, please feel free to add a comment or contact me.

Posted in: 35mm, Digital, Film Photography, Lomography, Medium Format, Polaroid, VSCC