My trip to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course was a last-minute surprise
and what a great surprise it was!! I had never been here before, but always wanted
to. 2020 was a hard year on all forms of motorsport and a lot of races were
cancelled or ran without fans. I was disappointed that the Indy 500 was run
without fans in 2020, because I would not see the IndyCars this year. In
August, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course announced an IndyCar race in September, with
fans, and I got a weekend ticket. I was going to see the IndyCars after all!! I
looked on the Internet for photography opportunities at the track and found two
references [1,2] for non-media access photographers. These were photography
guides for the track and they were put together by fans who liked to shoot.
However, they were several years old. In the chat below one of the photography
guides, it sounded like there were now less opportunities to shoot! I didn’t
really know if I would be able to shoot, but I decided on going and see what
was available. If I got a few good shots, I would be happy.
Two older references for fan photography without media
access
1. http://blog.cclarkphoto.com/2008/09/mid-ohio-spectators-photography-guide.html
(Accessed: 14 November 2020)
2. https://i.imgur.com/jow1Yp3.jpg
(Accessed: 14 November 2020)
a. The above map was accessed from:
https://www.reddit.com/r/USCR/comments/bjkmob/mid_ohio_photography_tipsadvice/
(Accessed: 14 November 2020)
I decided to put together this guide so that other
photographers would have a reference for their trip to Mid-Ohio. I wish that I
had seen a reference like this so I could have made better use of my time on
the first day. I spent most of Friday trying out locations to see what I liked.
I hope that someone likes what I have put together and finds it useful.
I shot with a Canon EOS 5D Mk IV for all action shots. I use a Canon 6D for my Victory Lane shots for the Road to Indy. My lenses are:
1)
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM
2)
EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM
3)
EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM – for fun shots
4)
EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM – for Victory Lane shots
I have included the IndyCar Layout in Figure 1 for reference. Because of the way that the 2020 season went, some tracks did two races, one Saturday and one on Sunday. That is what happened at Mid-Ohio. The support series consisted of the USF2000, Indy Pro 2000, and the Mazda MX-5 Cup. Indy Pro 2000 and MX-5 had two races, with the USF2000 having three races. I arrived for the Friday practices. I quickly found that there were a ton of shooting locations for those who were not fortunate enough to get a photographer’s vest (media access). Before the action started, I walked the inside of the track and picked several spots that I wanted to use.
I will give my notes on each turn and some pictures from there:
Figure 1 - Track Map
(Will Pittenger - from: Wikipedia: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course)
Turn 1
So, I loved this place as a shooting location, as it gave great
access to the cars. In fact, I would say this was my favorite shooting location
at the track. The bridge is just to your right and you can snag a shot, if you
are quick enough, with the cars just exiting under the bridge. Based on the
references above and the comments, the access may be cut off when they use it
for private events. There was a short fence here that allowed you to be up
close to the action. You had a lot of room to shoot from the edge of the bridge
up to the marshal’s station at the exit of the turn. This is on the outside of
the track.
It was wide open when I first entered on Friday. I shot a
USF2000 and MX-5 practice before I noticed that I had been “yellow-taped” in.
At one point, I turned around and all access points had three levels of yellow
tape shutting it off. Whoever did the taping, let me stay, but never informed
me that I could not be there!!! It was closed off for the rest of the weekend.
I would have loved to shoot from there each day!!!
I got some excellent panning shots with great green spaces
as a background. I tried to capture some curbs and other course items in the
pictures. The bridge also made for a great background.
I used primarily a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM.
Turn 2 (Keyhole)
I did not actually shoot the cars here. I walked up and took
a few practice shots. This would have been one of the only locations where I
could have shot from outside of the track. You were shooting from a mound that
allowed you to see above the catch-fence. You could get some panning shots, but
I think it would be mostly the cars coming towards or going away from you. To
get a shot, you have to be at the high points of the mound. It seemed like
there were only two spots where you could get fence-free pictures.
Turn 3
I don’t think that you can get access to this turn without a
photographer’s vest.
Turn 4
This was my second favorite area. I wish that I had started
each race here, as it looked to be one of the best passing opportunities. I got
a few shots of passing coming through and out of this turn. On the straight, great
panning shots could be had with the large video screen in the background. I
loved to use it with the long-exposure shots! You could also get good shots of
the cars entering Turn 5, at the top of the hill. There were shooting
opportunities from the middle/exit of Turn 4 to the entrance to Turn 5, because
there was a short fence.
I used both a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM and an EF
100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM here. If you are capturing the cars coming off of
Turn 4 or entering Turn 5, the 100-400mm would be better.
Turn 5
It looks like you need a photographer’s vest to shoot here
from the outside of the track (inside of the turn). You could shoot through the
fence and hope that it didn’t show up in the picture.
Turn 6
Again, to be on the inside of the turn, you needed a
photographer’s vest. However, you could get close. The short fence ran from the
exit of Turn 6 to the Honda Bridge. The problem with shooting close to the exit
of Turn 6 was that the TV crew was stationed there and they were an obstacle. I
went about halfway to the Honda Bridge and could get good views of the cars in Turn
6. For the USF2000 cars, I could catch them belching a flame before they
entered the turn. The tricky part was that the TV crew blocked them before they
were starting the turn, but you could get them just entering the turn. The
middle of the area was a great place to get some panning shots with campers in
the background. You could also shoot under the bridge and going up the hill towards
Turn 8. I spent a lot of time here.
I used both a Canon EF 70-200mm
f/2.8L IS III USM and a EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM here. However, the
100-400mm gave me more range, so it was more useful here. For strictly side
panning shots, the 70-200mm was fine.
Turn 7
This was at the Honda
Bridge. The short fence continues right up to the bridge, so you can get some
good shooting. There are some good views of the cars coming at you, but you can
catch them turning for a bit of a side view. You need to get the panning right
and shorten up the exposure to get sharp pictures. I found the best picture
where you wedge yourself between the fence and the bridge stairs. If I were a
little thinner, I could have gotten about a foot more to the right!!! I got a
lot of good shots here.
On the other side of the bridge, you can get good shots of
the cars going up the hill to Turn 8. There is tall catch fencing after the
break in the fence.
I used both a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM and an EF
100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM here, depending on how close you were shooting.
Turn 8
Once you get up the hill, the catch fencing runs out and
there is a short fence to Turn 9. I only shot here a little and got some good
panning shots.
I used both a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM and an EF
100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM here. I think that the 70-200mm is a better choice
for most of the shots here.
Turns 9, 10, and 11
You are in Thunder Valley at this point and there is limited
access unless you have a photographer’s vest. On the inside of the track, you
can find a few spots on the hilltop that will give you access without the catch
fence between you and the car. I looked at these spots but did not shoot here.
Maybe I will the next time that I am here. I should have walked the outside of
the track, as there were some comments in the two references about the views.
Again, I may go there the next time that I am here.
I don’t think that you could use anything but a 100-400mm
here. It is just too far from the hilltop to the track.
Turn 12 (Carousel)
I ended up here on Friday and saw a bunch of cars and canopy
tents here. I decided on getting an infield parking pass for Saturday and
Sunday, so I could have my car in a central point. Each time that I come, I
will park here!
There is a short fence all the way around the inside of the Carousel.
You have a lot of access in this spot. Once the catch fence runs out, you can
capture the cars from there to going up the front stretch! But, not all from
the same location! I liked the corner in the fence that faced the entrance to the
Carousel. This ties with my second favorite spot to shoot. From that location,
you can follow then from the end of the catch fence to the entrance of Turn 13.
If you wanted to catch the cars exiting Turn 13 and going up the front stretch,
you had to walk about fifty-ish feet to the fence row after Turn 13. I had to
ask permission to walk through or between the canopy tents for access. No one said
no!
I used both a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM and an EF
100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM here. However, the 100-400mm gave me more range, so
it was more useful here.
Turn 13
See my discussion of Turn 12. Most of that discussion
applies here. There were a lot of canopy tents on the fence row past Turn 13.
You could get a nice view into the pits and exiting Turn 13.
Starting Stand
I love to get pictures of the cars receiving the Checkered
Flag. There was an empty photographer’s hole that would require a photographer’s
vest to use! I could not get there (legally), so I had to shoot through the
fence. I pre-focused the lens and took several practice shots before the winner
got there. I wanted to make sure that I was ready!
I used a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM for this.
IndyCar Victory Lane
I love capturing the Victory Lane ceremony, but Covid has
made it impossible. It is my understanding that you could visit the ceremony if
you had a Paddock Pass. Those were not available in 2020! I could shoot through
the fence on the other side of the track. I put on the 2X extender on the EF
100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM, so I could capture the action.
Road to Indy Victory Lane
The Victory Lane Podium was on the outside of the track (and
outside of the Paddock) and right before the bridge going over Turn 1. Hmmmm,
this was a bit of a grey-ish area. There were no signs or restrictive barriers
to get access. I suspect that I was not allowed to be there. No one shooed me
away, so I stayed off to the side and socially-distance myself from the other
photographers, the best I could. I was masked the entire time. I love seeing
the emotion of victory and it was on display this weekend!
MX-5 Cup Victory Lane
This was done in the MX-5 Paddock and was not viewable.
Final Thoughts
Mid-Ohio is definitely a fan-friendly track for photography
and I recommend it!! I was surprised at the number of great places for
shooting. My initial worries about shooting locations were for naught. I want
to return in the future. I filled up one of my CompactFlash cards halfway
through Friday and had to change cards! I have never done that before!!! Thank goodness
that I don’t use film. I would have had to mortgage the house to pay for developing!!!
I know it was only for 2020, but I loved having races on
both Saturday and Sunday. It was non-stop action all three days. The only
downside was that my arms were sore from holding up the camera by Sunday
afternoon!!!
I am hoping that Covid is not a thing the next time I go. I
want to get a Paddock Pass to get better access!
I see this as a living document. On the next trip, I am
going to explore some of the areas that I missed on this trip and add them to
this document.
thanks for shairing this amazing information about best sports photography
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