Where do you find sharp photos of Midgets and Sprites that convey a sense of motion - even speed?

While editing 'Sprite Torque', the magazine of the Sprite Car Club of Australia (SCCA) I searched for action oriented cover shots. The objective was to liven up the cover of the magazine by balancing the usual static shots of Spridgets lined up at events with shots of roadgoing and race Spridgets on the move.

Not finding an answer to the question, I have started taking photos on SCCA drives. As an amateur and not well practised photographer using a basic digital camera, I've managed to take one or too that are passable.

January 2007 update - from the trip to Tasmania in November 2006 on the Hume Highway between Sydney and Marulan - see this page for the story and images

January 2007 update - uncropped version of the shot in the Tamania trip page, 'No Hoods Allowed'

January 2007 update - almost at the end of the Tasmania trip. Two views of clouds - in the sky and in the paintwork while the spinning rear wheel shows 10 days worth of road grime.

January 2007 update - silhouette on a light coloured concrete road at about 90KMH

December 2005 update - Taken on the Kings Highway between Braidwood and Batemans Bay at about 80kmh - an enlarged section of this image was used on the cover of December 2005 Sprite Torque magazine

December 2005 update - Taken on the same road as the previous shot but missed the full length of the Healey 3000 as Neil blatted past at 100kmh+. Note the exhaust - the noise at full song as the almost full race car passed at about ear level was awesome!

December 2005 update - The old camera cradled in the right hand dangled over the driver's door trick again - but backwards this time!

December 2005 update - On the move but slowly as this Midget crams onto the tiny punt or ferry across the Nepean River just out of Sydney - 6 Sprites and Midgets made it. A cropped version made the November cover of Sprite Torque.

January 2005 update - taken on the Sprite Car Club Fish 'n Chip run on 15 January, this was simply a case of cradling the camera in the palm of my hand and holding it out at arms length from the car. It helps that the Canon IXUS 400 is very compact - settings were on auto.

January 2005 update - this one has too much of the side of the car and not enough of the spinning wheel or the line of Sprites ahead. Note the misaligned 'A' pillar chrome strip - we used the original holes but could have played more with the strips!

January 2005 update - more of the road this time. In fact, a little too much of the road!

This one made it on the cover of June 2004 'Sprite Torque'. The reflection of the Sprite in the Midget's paintwork (ABP 102 of course!) was unintentional as was the blurring of the road surface but they help convey the sense of movement.

This is a blurred attempt to get the gauges to show that the car is being driven. The digital camera doesn't have the same short focal length as the trusty old Olympus OM1!

A variation on the same theme (taken while sitting on the folded hood behind driver) - all three images above taken on McCarrs Creek Road at Church Point in Sydney.

Same car on a sharper corner, up hill at higher speed - no front anti-roll bar shows up here. Taken on the 2004 SCCA Christmas in July run up to the Blue Mountains.

Again, driver-taken above windshield but lack of blurred image edges or road surface - shutter speed too fast - makes it look static.

Images copyright Paul Orton - please ask for permission if you would like to use them.