Brands Hatch part 3 - Clearways

As improvements to health and safety lead to the erection of higher and more sturdy fences, there are now very limited spots on the Indy circuit for the amateur photographer to get a good vantage point. The inside of Druids is an excellent location for panning shots: one is close to the action, there is a 1m high fence and the sun is coming from a perfect angle in the morning. All the panning shots in my first post were taken here.


The other popular place on the circuit is Clearways, particularly late afternoon as the sun swings round. The downside is that the bikes are farther away so more reach is needed, ideally in the form of a 400mm to 500mm lens. There is a small open 'window' in the fence around Clearways where it's possible to sneak a few photographic stints. The opening in the fence is fairly narrow so panning is not possible and the stock image taken here is where the bikes are cranked over on the apex of the curve. That said, it's possible to capture the speed and skill of the riders - judge for yourself from the shots below.

In the background is the bike which did not make it round the previous corner

My favourite shot of the day

I tried to keep the shutter speed to 1/2000th or faster, achieved by shooting in aperture priority mode, carefully monitoring and selecting aperture value (f/5 to f/7.1) and ISO (400 to 800).