So very late... but first time trackside

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Jonny
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Hi All,

I was lucky enough to get an opportunity to shoot trackside (for the first time ever) at Silverstone for the F4, GT Cup & monoposto races, just over a month ago. All thanks to Andrew C from this forum, he might not remember but back in 2009 I posted in here looking for recommendations on a bridge camera, he suggested in no uncertain terms that a DSLR was a better option and provided a decent equipment list, so that's where I started... Andrew helped me out with some in-depth tuition for shooting Snetterton with my new equipment and off I went.

5 years, and a lot more advice, later, I was stood the right side of the fence all thanks to Andrew and Talk Photography... It shows just how valuable this place is!

So on to the photos, its a bit sad but even though I've now hit my thirties I still got incredibly nervous doing this & probably didn't make the most of the opportunity (as much as I tried). Even though I, and most of the beginners in this forum have read it a million times, shooting trackside to a brief is a 1000 times more difficult than rocking up on a Jolly as a spectator with a camera... PERIOD! :D Don't kid yourself the fence isn't nearly as much of a problem as you tell yourself it is...

Here's a very small selection from 3000 actuations (considerably less made it to my PC), don't be too hard on me.. I was bricking it 95% of the time :D

1. Avoid photoshopping it later, avoid photoshopping it later (V------FYI I failed ;))
2 by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr

2. Take my word for it, when you're 2 feet away from a Ferrari 458 at full tilt with only a waist high bit of armco protecting you... its difficult not to get the shakes
5 by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr

3. is he going to run wide, is he going to run wide, is he going to run wide....
Richard CHAMBERLAIN - Porsche 935 by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr

4. Must get a shot of everyone, Must get a shot of everyone... easier said than done
1 by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr

5. Please don't crash, please don't crash
Chris BENTLEY - Porsche 997 GT3 Cup by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr

6. Please be sharp, please be sharp
Tom Jackson - Chris Dittmann Racing by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr

7.Avoid getting the porta-loo in shot, avoid getting the porta-loo in shot

Shaun BALFE - Ferrari 458 GT3 by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr

8.Try and show some racing, try and show some racing
4 by Fireproof Creative, on Flickr


I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!!!! :banana::banana::banana:hopefully not the last chance I get, thanks so much again to Andrew and all the folks at TP that brought me here :)


BTCC this weekend as a spectator again, maybe see some of you about :D

Thanks for looking
 
LOL love the captions Jonathan and a fine set plenty of movement in your shots good work.

I have only got very close and had some near misses with MX/Enduro which was a bit on the scary side so I would imaging its damn scary with cars
 
Very nice set ... No1 is the best for me. Im also very jealous that you've shot track side at Silverstone lol
 
They look damn good to me, #1 stands out the most . I would love to have the chance of being trackside one day, I'm still very much in my apprenticeship stage (having only started in 2012) just venturing out onto Kart circuits so far and I'm in my 50's ! Perhaps by the time I reach 60 I'll have a crack.
Hope you have the chance to repeat your efforts , keep up the good work.
 
Congratulations on getting trackside, well deserved and you haven't dissapointed, really nice set.

Paul.
 
Nice work Jonathan, looks like you made the most of it. A nice mixture, hope you get another chance trackside in the future. #1, 5, 6 & 8(y)
 
Great set and well deserved Johnathan.
For number 4 is that taken from the grandstand, was at the first corner yesterday and wondering how people get that shot as you look to be so low that you cant see over the concrete if your media.
 
Never done this either, not my genre and I don't normally comment in this section but these images are superb, to see this sharpness and clarity at speed is quite fantastic IMO :)
 
Nice and crisp, glad you enjoyed the experience.
 
Well done Jonathon all I can say is that it is long overdue and well deserved.
I'm no car man but all looks good to me :clap:

Thanks Graham, really appreciate it :D

Well done..a good selection.

Thanks very much Paul

Looks like you did a good job on the other side......these are all great, especially the 458 in No.2, I like the framing in 8 and there's no porta-loo in 7.

Cheers... the shot without the loo took multiple attempts due to numerous bright blue loos just out of shot :D

Now pop down to some forest stages, standing 3' from the cars, with no Armco, coming past at full chat on gravel or mud.
Do do get protective red & white tape in some places ;-)

Some nice shots there by the way.

Haha thanks... I don't think I have the nerves to deal with a rally based on this :)

LOL love the captions Jonathan and a fine set plenty of movement in your shots good work.

I have only got very close and had some near misses with MX/Enduro which was a bit on the scary side so I would imaging its damn scary with cars

Really appreciate that Gaz, its definitely a different experience

Very nice set ... No1 is the best for me. Im also very jealous that you've shot track side at Silverstone lol

Thanks, it was a great experience.. I would recommend it :D

They look damn good to me, #1 stands out the most . I would love to have the chance of being trackside one day, I'm still very much in my apprenticeship stage (having only started in 2012) just venturing out onto Kart circuits so far and I'm in my 50's ! Perhaps by the time I reach 60 I'll have a crack.
Hope you have the chance to repeat your efforts , keep up the good work.

Thanks, I still have a long way to go in terms of consistency... keep at it :D

Congratulations on getting trackside, well deserved and you haven't dissapointed, really nice set.

Paul.

Thanks Paul... I hope I delivered a decent variety of shots

Nice work Jonathan, looks like you made the most of it. A nice mixture, hope you get another chance trackside in the future. #1, 5, 6 & 8(y)

Thanks Neil :)

Great set and well deserved Johnathan.
For number 4 is that taken from the grandstand, was at the first corner yesterday and wondering how people get that shot as you look to be so low that you cant see over the concrete if your media.

Thanks again, yes from the grandstand with a 400mm... its not often open to the public for smaller events but the bib of power gives you certain extra opportunities :D

Never done this either, not my genre and I don't normally comment in this section but these images are superb, to see this sharpness and clarity at speed is quite fantastic IMO :)

Thanks very much, the views of people outside the genre are always refreshing and possibly have extra value as the motorsport community sees this stuff all the time, we risk getting a bit pigeon holed in terms of style.

Nice and crisp, glad you enjoyed the experience.

Thanks Mike, hopefully not the last time I have the chance
 
Well done Jonathan. When I offered you the gig early in the season I knew you'd step up to the mark and go a good job. I knew your stuff from the spectator side of the fence was good, and you'd approach the new aspects of the job in the right way.

Nerves when being out of your comfort zone isn't a bad thing. That is normal!
 
Nicely done Jonathan :)

What kit are you using these days out of curiosity? Silverstone's really not my favourite circuit but more angles are certainly available in front of the fence so to speak. No harm in being nervous. I know you know the place well and I think that really helps before you start working there - access gates etc can be a bit tricky :p
 
Looks like a great first gig! There's some fantastically sharp shots that really take advantage of the new angles opened up to you. Really like the Porsche shot in particular.

Guess it was good to start off on a circuit you know like the back of your hand?

I look forward to seeing many more shots from your future trackside excursions! :D
 
Well done Jonathan. When I offered you the gig early in the season I knew you'd step up to the mark and do a good job. I knew your stuff from the spectator side of the fence was good, and you'd approach the new aspects of the job in the right way.

Nerves when being out of your comfort zone isn't a bad thing. That is normal!

Really appreciate everything you've done for me Andrew, I hope the drivers liked the images


Nicely done Jonathan :)

What kit are you using these days out of curiosity? Silverstone's really not my favourite circuit but more angles are certainly available in front of the fence so to speak. No harm in being nervous. I know you know the place well and I think that really helps before you start working there - access gates etc can be a bit tricky :p

Thanks Az, I'm using the 5D iii, Canon 400mm f5.6, 70-200 f2.8 ii, 17-40L and a ropey old sigma 1.4x. It was like re-learning the track... looking around at the BTCC last weekend I noticed loads more spots that I didn't even consider, next time (hopefully)

Looks like a great first gig! There's some fantastically sharp shots that really take advantage of the new angles opened up to you. Really like the Porsche shot in particular.

Guess it was good to start off on a circuit you know like the back of your hand?

I look forward to seeing many more shots from your future trackside excursions! :D

Cheers George, it definitely helped having a bit of circuit knowledge, but as I say to Az, I didn't think of some spots because of being so used to spectator restrictions. In all honesty I take a lot of inspiration from your images as your style is so different to mine... I'm nowhere near as competent using the 70-200 or managing slow shutter stuff to get reliable results :D If I see you up there in future ill try and collar you for some tuition hahaha
 
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Well chuffed for you bud and you have done an excellent job.
Love the fact that so many people from TP get the other side of the fence and believe the Motorsport forum has some of the best photographers and photography in the UK.
Look forward to seeing much more of your work track-side in the future.
 
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