Brands Hatch

[GFWilliams]

Hi, I am looking to go to Brands Hatch this coming Sunday.

How do you get a 'pass' to stand in front of the wire fencing there?

Thanks alot,

from George

[baz7175]

What is on this weekend?

To get a media pass you need different things depending on the event...

Anything ranging from a letter from an mag/paper editor through to full blown FIA accreditation can be required...and Motorsportvision who run Brands Hatch and several other UK tracks aren't easily duped either, you can expect to be asked for proof of work used in mags/papers over the previous 12-24 months, proof that you are there working for one or many publications during that particular event and the biggie - public liability insurance which last time I checked had to be 2million or more to allow you trackside unless you were authorised by the governing body of whichever race series/championship you were attending...and hence covered by their own PLI policy or the MSA's...

Small tracks normally will allow you some leeway, but any biggies you have no chance without the proper credentials...

Edited by baz7175 on Friday 9th November 14:04

[GFWilliams]

it is elise racing - not much chance of me getting in front on the fence then!

Thanks anyway,
George

[baz7175]

In many cases it's who you know - if you know members of one of the teams, whether it be a spanner monkey, a driver or someone else in the entourage they can normally assist you in getting your hands on a media pass, on the premise that you are there working for them in a happy-snapper capacity...even then they still have to go through the necessary channels to have you approved by the media liason/co-ordinator of the race series and with the track's own media officials - normally the cutoff for registering to go trackside is at least the week before, but again it all comes down to who you are and who you know - in some cases when I started covering Msport events I had to be registered well in advance, then as I was better known by peeps it was possible to do things in a more last minute fashion (not that I did so intentionally but there were occasions of being asked the day before to fly somewhere to cover something)...

Unfortunately the tracks have to be this strict as otherwise Joe Bloggs could get their hands on one and go wandering out into no-man's land, or worse onto a live track

Edited by baz7175 on Friday 9th November 14:11

[Furyous]

Contact CalypsoElise on here or Seloc.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/profile.asp?mem...

He is the LOTRDC top man.

The Elise trophy is a fairly laid back event, and Brands does have some good spots that you can avoid the wires with.

I would be going Sunday but have other commitments unfortunately.

F

ETA Profile

Edited by Furyous on Friday 9th November 15:20

[nre]

do you really need to be in front of the fence? there are quite a few places on both the GP and indy circuits where there is no fence to speak of and you can get some good pics.

[MonkeyHanger]

nre said:

do you really need to be in front of the fence? there are quite a few places on both the GP and indy circuits where there is no fence to speak of and you can get some good pics.

Indeed there are - lots of good shooting spots both with & without fences.

On the approach to druids. Shot from the infield just before the bridge..


Through the fence on the outside of Druids looking back down to Paddock Hill Bend.



Same place but with the car a little closer..



There's a big TV camera flap in the fence on the Clark Curve. Works for both GP and Indy Circuits.



That's just a few of the options. I haven't even bothered with the angles out on the GP loop. All it takes is a bit of imagination.

[agent006]

On the infield at the entry to the second corner (druids?) is a good spot.

[rhubarb]

MonkeyHangar said:

There's a big TV camera flap in the fence on the Clark Curve. Works for both GP and Indy Circuits.

Which is a great spot until those inconsiderate TV types come with their big cameras anyone would think they put it there for their benefit. You should be alright for this weekend though.

As has been said there's loads of really good places around brands hatch, have a look here the last three sets were all taken from behind the fence.

[GFWilliams]

cool - It sounds like I don't need one - out of interest, what lens were you using? - I have got a 70-300 F4-5.6

Thanks again everyone - got some ideas now

George

[nre]

GFWilliams said:

cool - It sounds like I don't need one - out of interest, what lens were you using? - I have got a 70-300 F4-5.6

Thanks again everyone - got some ideas now

George

That should be fine George I usually use a 28-200 on the inside of Druids or Surtees.

These are inside druids






more here www.nre.fotopic.net 

[Gemm]

200mm is plenty for inside Druids. I've found the approach and the exit are better than the apex.

[SpeedyGonzales]

GFWilliams said:

Hi, I am looking to go to Brands Hatch this coming Sunday.

Thanks alot,

from George

If only i knew there was an event at Brands Hatch earlier

[DanH]

How do you get infield at druids? Is it over the bridge and they are happy enough for you to spectate from there?

[MonkeyHanger]

DanH said:

How do you get infield at druids? Is it over the bridge and they are happy enough for you to spectate from there?

Yep, straight over the bridge.

There's no problem at all spectating from there.

[DanH]

MonkeyHanger said:

DanH said:

How do you get infield at druids? Is it over the bridge and they are happy enough for you to spectate from there?

Yep, straight over the bridge.

There's no problem at all spectating from there.

Thanks. Looks like a great spot. What level of zoom were you using for your pics coming out of paddock, especially?

Trying to work out what kit I need for the photos I want to take

[MonkeyHanger]

DanH said:

Thanks. Looks like a great spot. What level of zoom were you using for your pics coming out of paddock, especially?

Trying to work out what kit I need for the photos I want to take

Shot 1 is at 521mm, 2&3 are at 600mm

All 3 were on the 1DMK2N, with a Sigma 120-300 and 2x Convertor screwed on although you can get away with 4-500mm up there if you capture the cars a bit later or are using a 1.6x Crop body rather than my 1.3x. Filling the frame with more than 1 car can also help

The last shot of the Group C cars was the bare 120-300.

All 4 shots are as they came out of the camera (uncropped) with only a bit of Sharpening thrown in.

1 tip for shooting through the Druids Mega-Fence...if it's a clear day and the sun is shining directly onto your side of the fence then wait a couple of hours as no amount of photoshoppery or sheer luck will stop the fence buggering up the shot.

Edited by MonkeyHanger on Tuesday 27th November 18:10

[DanH]

Thanks! They look great given everywhere I read about using 2x converters they suggest the photos will always be terrible. Do they stand up ok at bigger sizes?

Slightly depressing to know that to do it without compromise would cost thousands in lenses! I guess the cheapest for a nikon user like me is their 300mm prime with no VR and a convertor.

[MonkeyHanger]

DanH said:

Thanks! They look great given everywhere I read about using 2x converters they suggest the photos will always be terrible. Do they stand up ok at bigger sizes?

Slightly depressing to know that to do it without compromise would cost thousands in lenses! I guess the cheapest for a nikon user like me is their 300mm prime with no VR and a convertor.

It depends on the lens as the TC will degrade the image quality to a certain extent.

I print (and occasionally sell ) quite a few 18x12 prints from the 1DMK2N/120-300 combination and they look great. Having said that there's a 500 or 600 prime on the shopping list in the near future