brands hatch - photo friendly?

[richard plumb]

So my wife is off to Japan for a couple of weeks, so I have a couple of weekends free (amazingly without a huge DIY checklist). I've also been very lacking in drive regarding photography, so figure its a good time to kick myself up the bum and get going again.

I enjoyed going to the touring cars at Thruxton a couple of years ago, and its on at Brands Hatch this weekend. Any comments on how photographer friendly it is, where I should aim for, and when I should get there (traffic, people turning up early with chairs and umbrellas etc)

[tdodd]

I'm far from experienced with photography at Brands Hatch but I've found the crowds to be a bit of a nightmare during popular events. If it is wet (or very sunny!) then the brollies can be a major annoyance, and people definitely like to set up their own individual "camps" with seating, picnic baskets etc.. I don't know how early you need to get there in order to secure a good spot, but I imagine you need to be pretty sharp.

If you're tallish you can shoot over the top of the fencing from the outfield on Hailwood Hill. I'm 6' in my shoes and can just manage to clear the fencing at some parts, but access all depends on the rest of the crowd and a bit of luck. If you get to the infield near Druids then the fencing is low and minimal - clear shots should be easy, provided the crowd is not in the way. There is low fencing (waist height) around McLaen/Clearways, with quite good views over Surtees, McLaren and Clark Curve.

I've uploaded an album showing my few keepers from Brands and I've annotated them with my location. Here is the album....

Picasa Web Albums - Eezy Tiger - Brands Hatch#

[Mike.P®]

Originally Posted by tdodd

I've uploaded an album showing my few keepers from Brands and I've annotated them with my location. Here is the album....

Picasa Web Albums - Eezy Tiger - Brands Hatch#

Some really good shots there.

[richard plumb]

great shots. Those ones from clearways look pretty close - what length lens did you use?

I used to have a 100-400 but sold it last year. It'd be handy if I could get away with my 70-200 (perhaps with my 1.4x on)

[tdodd]

The shots going past me at Clearways were at 250mm and 200mm (with my 100-400 lens on my 1D3). The one coming into McLaren from Surtees is at 400mm. You can get EXIF data from the images in the album by clicking "more info" on the right of the web page when viewing each individaul image. All three are unedited and uncropped.

The earlier images from the BTCC in 2007 are uncropped but have been tweaked for WB and levels. They were taken with my 30D and 100-400.

p.s. the shots at Clearways were taken at the season opening event a few weeks ago. The place was virtully deserted. Entry was free to the public but the day was heavily biased towards the media. I got there early (needn't have bothered) waited an hour for the first drive by to take place and that was delayed by an hour so I had two hours of wandering around and killing time, saw a few laps and thought "Bugger this" and went home. At least I did get a chance to check out some of the vantage points but it's a shame there was next to nothing to see.

[alfienoakes]

BTCC is likely to bring out a decent crowd, especially if the sun is shining. For photography you're better of going on Saturday, and on Sunday enjoying the racing.

Saturday, won't get you any racing shots, but you won't have to struggle with big crowds and people camped out in good locations. Here's a quick run down of the corners. Note my timings which are based around where the sun is. On a gloomy day, it's not so much of an issue.

Paddock is good in the morning, but you'll need a longish lens to get in close. Usually get people running off here into the big gravel trap which can make some good shots.

Druids is always good. Low fences on the inside, big fences on the outside, but it's possible to shoot through these without too much bother.

I also favour Surtees early in the day which has a low fence and you are quite close. They do shift through there on the indy circuit though, so you'll need to have a good panning technique.

That really just leaves Clearways. At its best in the afternoon. A few places to shoot through what are now high fences, but go for the TV hole with about 300mm is probably the easiest.

The rest of the track, pit straight etc is not really accessible for photography. There's a good view of the pit straight from a balcony next to the hospitality suites, but it's not that photogenic and you'll probably be shooting into the sun.

[mhendo]

Thanks for your advice above,

I'll be there on Saturday, testing out my A200 & 100-300mm Minolta lens. Looking forward to it!

Hope to get some half decent shots...