Getting Close

[Michael Ririe]

Hey everyone... I'm curious how you get so close to the cars during the race? Or are you using a 400mm lens? How do photographers get down next to the tracks?

[Jeff Kapic]

Large focal length lenses will get them close. Ranging from 200-600 or more.
To get next to the track, you need credentials. To get credentials, you need to be working for someone.

Jeff

[Sevan Pulurian]

Large focal length lenses will get them close. Ranging from 200-600 or more.
To get next to the track, you need credentials. To get credentials, you need to be working for someone.

Jeff

Yeah what he said, You need an editor of a magazine to submit a letter stating you will be covering the event for them. Other then that a 100-400 is ideal, 500mm, 300mm are also used. But depending on which tracks you go to. You might be able to get away with less.

[Steve Stein]

If you can't get on the other side of the fence, you can sometimes use a long lens to shoot through the shooter's holes in the catch fence from the other side of the spectator's fence. The shots below was from Mid-Ohio with an open hole. I was on a two-step ladder so I could get even with the opening. Chris Clark gave me these tips so hat's off to Chris. The downside is you pretty much have to prefocus your spot and try to minimize the how much of the opening you'll catch in your shot. With all of these I cropped out the fence cushions. Next time out I'll try to get a little slower shutter speed.since the background in two kind of sucks.

1
http://sastein.zenfolio.com/img/v2/p649791053-3.jpg

2
http://sastein.zenfolio.com/img/v1/p1015880403-3.jpg

3
http://sastein.zenfolio.com/img/v0/p1027179429-3.jpg

4
http://sastein.zenfolio.com/img/v0/p921721907-3.jpg