Getting Close to the Action

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The circuit at Spa-Francorchamps in the Ardenne Forest in Belgium is possibly my favourite race track in the world.  While it is an FIA Grade One circuit with all of the latest safety features and infrastructure necessary to host a Formula One or World Endurance Championship race, it still has an old school charm.

 At some modern circuits the entire length of the track is enclosed by catch fencing with photographers forced to shoot through photo windows, even when the high fencing is not strictly necessary.  At Spa the catch fencing is only placed in the areas where a high speed crash could send debris into the crowd.  There are parts of the circuit where photographers can stand behind low level barriers and be quite close to the action.

The area of the track I visited on Saturday morning during the Porsche GT3 Cup and TCR International races was at Les Combes, Rivage, Pouhon and Fagnes.  I was there primarily in my role as the FIA Media Delegate checking out the trackside locations with a colleague from the FIA in Paris, but I also took the opportunity to take some images on the X-Pro2.

 These shots were taken on the XF16-55mm f2.8 standing behind the armco barrier and using a 1/60s shutter speed to give a sense of speed as the cars whipped past our position. The X-Pro2's auto focus system was set to AF-C and zone and the camera tracked the cars as they sped into the frame.  I panned with the cars to get the shot at the right point.

 I decided to convert the images into mono in post production using Silver EFEX Pro2 software because I felt it gave a better finish to the images rather than leaving them in colour.




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Comments

  1. Unknown20 May 2016 at 20:04

    Enjoyed the B&W images Jeff - they work well. Probably my favourite circuit especially when I've done it with media accreditation (e.g. for the Spa Six Hours - the classic version held each September). This year will be my first time as Fuji-only as I've now sold all my Nikon gear. Whoever put the photo windows in the catch fencing either had a sense of humour or more likely wasn't 6' 3" - I always have to stoop. I enjoy covering the more remote parts of the circuit whereas most photographers tend to stay within reach of the pits / complex area. Gets you fit as well!

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    Replies
    1. Macsport21 May 2016 at 14:41

      Thanks Gary. One of my favourite circuits as well. I know what you are saying about the height of the photo holes at some corners. However at the other extreme there is one photo window at Pouhon that is 10 feet off the ground and is probably too tall even for you ;)

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