The winning No.8 Toyota hybrid, co-driven by F1 superstar, Fernando Alonso, taken in the early evening as the light started to fade.
At 3PM the cars roar away, waved on by guest race-starter, tennis legend Rafael Nadal, and the race is on. We watched the start from the hospitality suite to start with but soon ventured out to find good locations to shoot the cars in action.
Being a 24-hour race, you get plenty of time to explore the circuit, despite its 8.5 miles length, much longer than an average international standard racing venue, which includes sections on public roads.
Probably the most interesting challenge for photographers at Le Mans is dealing with the low light of dusk/dawn and, of course, night time. Even with high-end pro gear, getting sharp shots when there isn’t enough light is going to be very difficult, with the cars reaching more than 210 miles per hour.
Creative motion blur
Even when it gets too dark for pin-sharp shots you can get creative with motion blur to give a profound sense of speed.
The red ‘surf wave’ inside the front wheel is actually the brake disk glowing red hot as it brings the car’s speed down for the approaching corner. This was shot almost as dusk turned to night.
It was even possible to pan and blur the background in the fading light.
For most smartphones, shooting at night time is a nightmare. Not so with the P20 Pro. I was able to use the Light Painting mode to record the lights of the cars as trails following the curves of the track and with relative ease.
The Indianapolis curve shot with the P20 Pro’s light painting mode.
Here’s a gallery of my shots of the cars on-circuit across the 24 hours.
The landmark Le Mans carousel ride.
The landmark Le Mans carousel ride.
A bird's-eye view from the top of the Le Mans carousel ride.
GTE cars lead a prototype into the complex near the end of the lap.
The winning No.8 Toyota hybrid, co-driven by F1 superstar, Fernando Alonso, taken in the early evening as the light started to fade.
Eventual winner, Toyota Hybrid #8 leading the field early in the race.
The second-placed Toyota Hybrid.
This Chip Ganassi Ford GT lifts a front right wheel riding over the kerbs.
LMP2 Oreca 07.
LMP2 Oreca 07.
An LM GTE Pro Chevrolet Corvette C7R launches over the kerbing.
An LM GTE Pro Chevrolet Corvette C7R launches over the kerbing.
An Oreca 07 LMP2 prototype sportscar.
With a media photographer's pink tabard you can get really close to the action though we aren't allowed to touch the crash barrier.
An LMP2 Dallara P217 passes one of my P20 Pro-equipped colleagues at the complex approaching the pits straight.
A Ferrari 488 GTE in the LM GTE Amateur class.
The Chip Ganassi Ford GT demonstrating the leaning verticals quirk of using a camera without a mechanical shutter while panning.
LMP2, LMP1 and LM GTE cars a few hours after the start navigating Virage Ford near the start of the pits straight.
Approaching Indianapolis at dusk.
The red 'surf wave' inside the front wheel is actually the brake disk glowing red hot as it brings the car's speed down for the approaching corner. This was shot almost as dusk turned to night.
Dusk at the Indianapolis curve with the P20 Pro.
Dusk at the Indianapolis curve with the P20 Pro.
Dusk at the Indianapolis curve with the P20 Pro.
Dusk at the Indianapolis curve with the P20 Pro.
The Indianapolis curve shot with the P20 Pro's light painting mode.
The Indianapolis curve shot with the P20 Pro's light painting mode.
The Indianapolis curve shot with the P20 Pro's light painting mode.
The Indianapolis curve shot with the P20 Pro's light painting mode.
The Jenson Button BR Engineering BR1.
A Chip Ganassi Ford GT in the LM GTE Pro class.
Prototype sportscar vs Porsche road-car inspired LM GTE at turn 1.
A Ferrari 488 GTE EVO
LMP2 and GTE class cars mixing it Tertre Rouge.
One of the several Aston Martins in the Grand Touring Endurance classes.
The landmark Dunlop bridge at Le Mans with the second-placed #7 Toyota Hybrid passing underneath.
Race-winning car #8, the Toyota Hybrid, exits the pits with my P20 Pro-equipped colleagues just metres away.
A P20 Pro wide angle view of one of the Jackie Chan Racing cars being serviced by the pit crew.
A P20 Pro telephoto shot of one of the Jackie Chan Racing cars about to be refuelled.
A TV media creww on their way to find another interviewee in the pits.
A P20 Pro telephoto view if the pits straight from our hospitality room above the pit lane.
A view if the pits straight from our hospitality room above the pit lane.
The race is almost over and as the cars prepare to meet the chequered flag, the pit crews crowd the pit wall to cheer their cars and drivers after 24 hours of gruelling racing.
This demonstrates the level of sharpness you can expect if you get your panning right, here's a view of the whole frame.
