Seeking permission to shoot

So I'm a new photographer seeking permission to shoot at a instate race track. Have any of you tried to get this pass before and if so who should I contact. Thank again

tennfan1125 wrote in post #17004236
So I'm a new photographer seeking permission to shoot at a instate race track. Have any of you tried to get this pass before and if so who should I contact. Thank again

Why do you want/need to be there?

tennfan1125 wrote in post #17004236
So I'm a new photographer seeking permission to shoot at a instate race track. Have any of you tried to get this pass before and if so who should I contact. Thank again

You contact the media outlet that you are shooting for (newspaper, TV etc) and they give you a letter confirming that they want you to shoot and will be publishing the images. You provide this letter to the venue/organisers and they grant you media accreditation.

If you aren't shooting for a media outlet there is very little reason for the venue to grant you media accreditation so most wont. A small local venue that doesn't get much media coverage might.

tennfan1125 wrote in post #17004236
So I'm a new photographer seeking permission to shoot at a instate race track. Have any of you tried to get this pass before and if so who should I contact. Thank again

Do you want to get experience photographing racing? There are several approaches.

One way is to find tracks where cameras are tolerated and you can find good locations with the purchase of a spectator ticket. Road America at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin is one of those tracks. This example came from the Sports Car Club of America June Sprints.

Thanks for the info, I will try the different things you suggest. My biggest problem is there aren't that many tracks near Ky, some Ohio maybe. But that's as close as I can get without driving a few days away...

tennfan1125 wrote in post #17006000
Thanks for the info, I will try the different things you suggest. My biggest problem is there aren't that many tracks near Ky, some Ohio maybe. But that's as close as I can get without driving a few days away...

The owners of these Kentucky race tracks will be surprised to learn there "aren't many" of them. That will come as an equal surprise to owners of race tracks in Ohio.

Between Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia and Tennessee, that region is in one of the hotbeds of motor sports. There are so many tracks in that region, that you'll need to search a web site to find them.

Motorsports are so popular in that area that they're even held in areas that don't have tracks. This weekend on the Ohio River, not far from the Kentucky Speedway, you'll find the Madison Regatta unlimited hydroplane race in Madison, Indiana. It's a great event for photography as long as you have a long lens. (250mm example below).

+1 to everything DC Fan said. if you look at the site of most any track, they will tell you what it takes to get a media or photography pass.

You can get good shots though even if you are behind the fences. Just get to a track early enough and do some scouting during practice. There are often angles you can get from a certain spot that can be just as good as if you had a pass.

For example at Mid-Ohio, turn one is fenced, but since it is the inside of a turn you only have a 4 foot fence. if you have good panning skills, you can get great shots from a number of places along that fence. At most NASCAR tracks, the more expensive seats are the ones further up because you get to see more and in a lot of cases you can see over the fence to certain parts of the track. use the websites to find a seat with a view that looks over a fence at a car coming in to the turns or coming down a straight. You will need a longer lens, but the "access" is still there.