A Guide to Photographing Silverstone

Motorsport presents some of the most dynamic and vibrant opportunities for sports photography available to a spectator. As a hobbyist photographer, you are provided with much better opportunities compared with virtually every other sporting discipline, the large venues allow you to move around and get closer to the action than you are often able to at things like football matches or athletics events.

Introduction

Silverstone is the UK’s premier racing circuit, having grown up on its doorstep I’m a little biased, but it’s also my favourite. Currently, it’s the only place you can see top-flight racing series like F1, MotoGP and the World Endurance Championship in the UK.

I’ve been watching cars and bikes blast around Silverstone for more than 25 years and 15 of them have been spent with some sort of camera, so I like to think I know my way around when it comes to photography (you are welcome to decide for yourself). This guide has been written to help both new photographers and photographers new to motorsport, specifically to help you get the best out of your time at Silverstone if you haven’t visited before. There might even be a few nuggets of information useful to the professionals out there too (even if it’s just the good pubs listed at the end).

Equipment Guide

There’s a classic mantra among photographers that goes something along the lines of ‘80% of a great image comes from behind the camera, while 20% happens inside it’ while this is a nice concept, it’s not strictly true, especially in the case of demanding subjects like motorsport.

It’s important to say that no amount of professional gear will make you a good photographer, but it does have a huge influence on image quality, consistency and processing potential. That said, if you are conscious of the limitations of your equipment and instead play to its strengths, the only thing stopping you getting great images is your own ability.

When it comes to Silverstone specifically, having some of the following camera equipment available to you will make the task easier, you should view this as a recommended list rather than a must have:

1. A DSLR with a fast, reliable auto-focus system. This becomes invaluable when working with subjects moving at high speed. While manual focus can be a viable option, it tends to be much more hit and miss vs. modern auto-focus systems and invariably results in a reduced success ratio (practice can, of course, offset this to an extent).
2. A decent burst rate of 6+ fps, while I’d always advise against ‘machine gunning’ the whole time, it can be really helpful when trying to capture slower shutter speed pans as you are more likely to get at least one good shot in a burst. It’s also useful if your auto-focus system is not the most reliable, manually pre-focusing can be a preferable option where a burst will give you a better chance of success.
3. Fast glass will give you the best chance of dealing with weather, catch fencing (explained later) and accurate focus. Unfortunately, it also tends to be prohibitively expensive for most spectators. Ideally, for Silverstone, you’ll want a telephoto lens of at least 300mm with a minimum aperture of at least f5.6, but f4 or f2.8 will give you much more scope for flexibility. A good wide angle is another useful addition to the gear bag to make the most of atmospheric and paddock opportunities. 
4. A sturdy monopod. While many photographers prefer to shoot hand-held, a monopod will dramatically increase your hit ratio when working at telephoto distances, even if image stabilisation is available to you. Speaking from my own experience I prefer to turn off any stabilisation as I find it interferes with my ability to track a subject smoothly. A monopod is easy to carry around and takes up little space, don’t be tempted to use a tripod as they are often bulky, irritating to other spectators and encourage you to stay in one place.
5. Filters. A circular polariser and a couple of medium strength ND filters will be useful in cutting out glare and boosting colours as well as allowing the use of wider apertures on bright days. Be aware that certain racing series like GTs, employ Perspex windscreens that will cause a rainbow effect when shot through a CPL. This can be fixed to a degree in post but it can require a fair amount of work and you may prefer to shoot without one if that’s something you are worried about.

As most of you will no doubt know, the British weather is pretty unreliable, to say the least. A decent set of waterproofs (both top and bottom), as well as a pair of sturdy walking boots, can make for a drier, if not comfortable experience. Don’t forget protection for your camera, purpose made rain covers are a necessity, with even cheap disposable ones having served me very well in the past. The rain can make for some of the most dramatic shots and tends to be worth suffering for. Be aware that Silverstone is flat and quite open, so standing on a raised bank in a thunderstorm is best avoided.

One other piece of equipment that can be both a blessing and a curse is the infamous camping step. While you may not want to be ‘that person’ a little extra height can open up quite a few opportunities that would be otherwise unavailable. Some of the televised events encourage the circuit to place advertising hoardings in front of the Armco around various sections of the track, these tend to be the perfect height to block the average spectator's view. 

A step in these situations can provide just enough elevation to give you your own private viewing spot, my friends affectionately call mine ‘the smallest grandstand in the world’. The trade-off, of course, is that you have to lug it around with you and the health risk if balance and coordination are not your thing. Do be aware though that depending on how much the security teams on the gate wish to assert their own importance, you may or may not be restricted from bringing these steps into the venue – a Cheap ￡7 plastic step works well and won’t leave you too downhearted if you have to leave it behind.

Technique Guide: Coping with catch fencing

The first time you visit Silverstone as a camera touting spectator, you are likely to be a bit disappointed with what greets you. Due to safety regulations imposed by the FIA for most purpose-built Formula One venues, run-off areas are large and heavy duty catch fencing is employed around the majority of the circuit. This results in spectator areas being a significant distance from the track, often with a mesh obstruction between you and the subject. If you are a regular visitor to the UK’s other motorsport venues this may well fill you with despair. Fear not, there is still hope, there are numerous opportunities for photography around Silverstone and perhaps more creative options available because you need to work a bit harder.

The first thing you need to know is how to deal with the pesky mesh that stops bits of carbon fibre and wheels from prematurely ending your life. Remember that’s what it’s for when you curse its presence, taking any liberties to physically avoid it can be seriously dangerous and is not at all recommended.

There are a few tips and tricks to pull this off, they are listed in order of the effort and commitment required on your part, from the least to the most:

1. Shoot over the top

There are a few places where you can clear the top of the fences, the obvious way is to get in a grandstand. Ideally, you want to be at the front so the distance to the subject is minimised (and you’re less likely to ruin someone’s day by smacking an innocent spectator on the back of the head with your lens).

The following stands offer unobstructed views of the circuit:

• Large sections of the International pit straight
• Farm outfield, there is a corporate stand on the inside of Farm as well, this is usually locked or reserved for sponsor usage at bigger events.
• Village, although the direction of cars/bikes here is generally away from you unless you are positioned very far left to view Aintree & the entry to Wellington straight
• Large sections of Woodcote and National Pit Straight
• Maggots and Becketts
• Hangar Straight on the infield, there is a small stand here but be aware this is generally unavailable at events where centre access is restricted.
• Club covered and uncovered stands

The caveat of shooting from a stand is you have to shoot down on to the subject which often results in a reasonably dull image framed against the grey of the tarmac. Be aware that grandstand access is usually restricted for large events on qualifying and race day & only a select few will be open to the public for smaller events. Check this on Silverstone’s website for each event to get an idea of what your options are likely to be.

There are a few general spectator areas where you can see over the fence, these are as follows:

• The south banks of the bridge crossing Wellington Straight.
• Sections of Luffield terrace, with the better options at the opposite end to the national straight.
• The exit of Copse Corner on the outside of the circuit, at the very top of the terraces (you’ll need a step or have to balance on the handrails here).
• The inside north bank of the bridge on Hangar straight, not always accessible
• The bank on the inside of the circuit at Vale, not always accessible
• An area of waist-high fencing between the open grandstand at club and the disabled viewing stand at Vale (this is a favourite camping spot for photographers, often pitched up for hours preciously guarding their space – its fence free but in all honesty, quite a dull angle)
• You can also shoot over the start/finish line from the viewing terrace at the south end of the Wing Complex. There is also a view at the north end too, but the angles are tight and they come at you blind.

You can continue to read (and download) the rest of the guide for free by following this link, you'll discover more tips for shooting motorsport & sample images from various locations with the specific camera settings used.

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About the Author

Jonny Henchman is a Northampton based 35 year old graphic designer and motorsport photographer working under the name Fireproof Creative. Starting out more than 15 years ago as an enthusiastic camera-toting spectator with a love of cars, he has since gained regular professional media accreditation for numerous different championship racing series including the FIA World Endurance Championship, British GT, International GT Open and the Race of Champions, in association with the Canadian motorsport picture agency, Flag World. His prize-winning images have been featured in a number of international photography publications including Digital Photographer and Photo Plus magazine.

You can follow Jonny's motorsport exploits on Social Media too: Instagram, Flickr & Twitter