Shooting Sport as a Spectator Part 5: Motor Sport
When Fujifilm UK commissioned me to produce a series of shooting different sports from the perspective I always planned to do one on motor sport, specifically circuit racing, because this is one area that is misunderstood by photographers who don't have access to a media pass.
If you attend events at the big tracks like Silverstone then, yes, shooting from the spectator areas is a pain because of the high fences and the big run off areas. Silverstone is a pain for the guys with a media vest due to nature of the track. It is the same as I pointed out when I did my feature on rugby. Shooting at an international match at Murrayfield is pretty much impossible with a media pass, so the answer is to find a venue that you can shoot more freely, and this mantra applies to motor sport as well.
For part 5 of my series on shooting sport as a spectator I went to the British GT weekend at Snetterton in Norfolk. I haven't been to Snetterton for many years and I have to admit the spectator facilities are some of the best in Europe and the views from the banking are vast and interrupted; my hat goes off to Motor Sport Vision for providing such great facilities.
To be honest I had a media pass so for some of the races I was shooting trackside but I found when shooting this article that the spectator area actually provided a better view than the trackside location. And in the main the spectators were able to stand right behind the photographers wearing the bibs so had pretty much the same view. The only exception was the first corner where you needed a media vest to get access to take the start shot.
Apart from that I can highly recommend Snetterton as a venue for anyone who wants to break into sports photography and needs to build up a portfolio of images.
My feature for Fujifilm details how I go about taking motor sport images at the track and in the paddock. CLICK HERE to see the full feature on the Fujifilm website.
Here is a gallery of images from the day I spent at Snetterton.
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MacLean Photographic run Tours and Workshops in East Lothian and the Borders of Scotland. CLICK HERE for more details and availability
Jeff Carter is an Official Fujifilm X Photographer and was named as a Fujifilm brand ambassador in June 2015. In 2016 he worked with the company on the launches of the Fujifilm X-Pro2 in Tokyo and the Fujifilm X-T2 in Paris in July 2016. You can view his profile and gallery on the Fujifilm website HERE
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