primotipo…

(Honda)

Modern Grand Prix photographers have a challenge their forebears did not, that is, generally uninteresting backgrounds by the standards of, say, pre-1970, whilst noting Monaco, Spa and Singapore as modern exceptions, not the only ones mind you…

My habit over the four year primotipo journey is making article research and writing choices based on inspiring or interesting photographs. This has taken me randomly into all manner of subjects, happily so, and further back in time than I figured at the outset. It’s been good for me as ‘my strengths’ such as they exist, are post 1960 but i’ve ended up writing articles on average about topics from much earlier periods. In part the photos which have taken my fancy are as much about the background as the car or driver and based on that are most often of the distant past. I must try harder in relation to the last twenty years or so!

So I guess whilst the photographers of today have far more sophisticated, digital, whoopy-doo, trick-schmick equipment- the act of taking a photograph is ‘easier’ than in ye olden days but they have their own creative challenges composing shots of interest to we punters on what all too often are bland circuits devoid of substantial differences from one another.

(McLaren)

Albert Park gives the ‘snappers something to work with despite its flatness- the lake, city background, crowd and trees are all neat props. So it’s with these thoughts I went looking for some interesting current shots, Albert Park 2017 in this case. 2018 with the ‘fuggin halos was just a step too far.

It’s interesting to look at the choices these photographers made in composition, panning and crop. I’ve no idea of the driver of each McLaren in shot, both helmet designs have a bit of colour on top and a bit of white below, either Fernando Alonso or Stoffel Vandoorne are good guesses! It wasn’t a great race for McLaren mind you, Alonso was out on lap 50 with a broken floor and Vandoorne finished 13th, two laps down on winner Seb Vettel’s Ferrari SF70H.

There is no such thing as a bad orange(ish) McLaren however much the MCL32 Honda was a dog. Better times are surely around the corner at the time of writing, July 2018…

Credits…

Honda, McLaren

Tailpiece…

(McLaren)

Finito…