BALTIMORE GRAND PRIX PHOTOS | INDYCAR RACE BALTIMORE GP 2011

The 2011 Inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix photos I took at this motorsport event are some of my favorites. You can also check out Baltimore Grand Prix American Le Mans Photos in my other blog post here – Baltimore Grand Prix ALMS pics.

IZOD IndyCars raced around M&T Stadium, Oriole Park at Camden Yards and the Baltimore Inner Harbor. It was the first of its kind ever in the City of Baltimore with tickets sold out, grandstands packed. And it was the highest rated IndyCar race viewed on VERSUS. The drivers, teams, and sports commentators had nothing but rave reviews about this circuit, the crowds, and the City of Baltimore. Some are even calling it the Long Beach Grand Prix of the East. I admit, the experience was surreal since I’ve driven and walked through these streets before. As soon as the engines started to roar from pit lane, down Lee, up Russell, onto Paca St, down Pratt St, onto Light St, then to Conway, I realized this circuit was something special. Drivers kept saying how technical the track is and noted the challenge of driving on both concrete and asphalt sections. Turns 1 and 3 seemed to be the trickiest. Turn 1 was tight and narrow, turn 3 is a hairpin. Check out this recap from Fox Sports of the 2011 Inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix IZOD IndyCar series including highlights from the race and footage from the horrific crash after Tony Kanaan struck and flew over his friend and competitor Helio Castroneves.

 

Shooting motorsports is like no other shoot I’ve done. Being a street circuit poses its own unique logistical challenges from scouting for locations to strategizing your shots. The 2 mile circuit is really too large to be able to shoot from every possible vantage point. So you choose where you think works best and stick with it, sometimes that just might be 2 or 3 places. My VIP and Media Center access had its restrictions so I focused on shooting from where others might not, so I used the high ground. This also presented a better opportunity for tracking & panning shots with my Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens and Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Autofocus Lens.

Here are some of the photos I took at the Baltimore Grand Prix:

Play the entire Baltimore Grand Prix IZOD Indy slideshow, or to view the gallery, click on an image:

 

The racing series has a 5 years contract with Baltimore. I am looking forward to 2012! Check out my American Le Mans Series coverage on the blog as well.

Photographers – on Friday’s practice sessions I carried my gear in a Speed Freak V2 Shoulder Bag/Beltpack from Think Tank Photo. Here’s my camera gear:

• Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens (well of course this will be with me!)
• Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Autofocus Lens (perfect for getting close when you can’t, and it’s lightweight with great image quality)
• Canon EOS 7D SLR Digital Camera (Body Only) (at 8 fps, good for action and sports)
• Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital Camera (Body Only) (the obvious choice when you want the full frame look)
• Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Lens (great for capturing the scenes at big events like a grand prix)
• Think Tank Photo Speed Freak shoulder bag/beltpack (Friday practice session – great bag, but my left hip was tired after 12 hrs straight)
• Think Tank Photo R U Thirsty (absolutely a necessity at an event like this!)
• Think Tank Photo Lens Changer 75 Pop Down (a good solution for belt carry of long telephotos like the 70-200 or 100-400 with lens hood attached)

Here’s a photo of me wearing the bag. A separate review of this bag to come at a later date so stay tuned. Thanks for visiting the blog today!