Good call, Stu. It's happening a couple of days after the Goodwood Revival race meeting. Admission to the outer airfield (and some grandstands) is free, but you must first register in advance. Click this link for more info and to put your name down.

Terrific Alan, as ever. I'd happily swap a few of our local parakeets for a little owl or two...

Hi Martin

The first bit of advice is to pack stout boots and waterproofs, as well as summer gear. I've been to Spa 30-odd times and conditions can morph from bright sunshine to downpour in little more than the blink of an eye. Take a camera cover, too.

If you have a general admission ticket, I'd cross to the centre of the circuit and venture up towards Les Combes and the following downhill right-hander, which I call Rivage but now seems to have been renamed Bruxelles (click on the central map on this link). You'd probably have to shoot through the fence at Les Combes, to obtain something like the angle below, which was taken at 270mm in 2011. At that point on the circuit, though, spectators often assemble piles of logs, use small ladders or else sit on a mate's shoulders to shoot over the fence.



At Rivage/Bruxelles, the top of the inside spectator banking is much higher than the debris fencing and lots of photographers gather there (always a useful clue) to take unimpeded pan shots - I'm guessing that 200-300mm would be about right, but can't be sure because I haven't tried it. The circuit is also at its highest between these two sections, so you might be able to find a convenient perch to compose a landscape shot that embraces most of southern Belgium - something like this, perhaps (taken at 100mm last year). Note that I had the very unfair advantage of a media tabard, so can't be certain about what might be available from behind the fence. There are some elevated vantage points in this area, though, and you'll struggle to find one of those elsewhere (unless you happen to have a seat in one of the Eau Rouge grandstands).



It's a very, very long uphill walk to Les Combes - so carrying ladders, big lenses and stuff might be a pain - and as with most circuits tall debris fences present the main obstacle. I'm not sure whether I'll be there - I haven't missed the Belgian GP since 1990, but this year it clashes with other things and I might be at Mallory Park instead! If you have further questions about specifics, feel free to drop me a PM.

Hope you enjoy the trip.

Cheers,
Simon

Thanks, all.

Carl, I think 'pro' is stretching it a bit. I am first and foremost a writer, but the photography often goes hand in hand with the day job. The Pentax user you encountered might not have been referring to me - there was another accredited snapper using Pentax, too. He was shooting for a local paper with a couple of K20Ds.

The 'you've been framed' shot was taken on the far side of the circuit, about as far from public reach as it's possible to get. I hadn't seen any other yellow bibs venture that far, so thought I'd explore (which involved walking through lots of thistles - not a great idea when armed only with shorts). Marshals allowed me to use an unmanned tower and the tree framed the Formula Ford cars quite nicely. I later tried the same shot with the saloons, but it worked only with Hillman Imps and Minis. Everything else was too big...

Concur with the above. You, Barrie (and Simon Harrison, when he pops up) deserve extra credit for getting such crisp and varied action shots from behind (or over the top of) the debris fences, which I know presents a significant hurdle.

In the slipstream of Barrie Forbes' fine photos from the weekend just past, here's my take on the Croft Nostalgia event...


1 - The prevailing ambience (K-5 IIs, Tamron 17-50)


2 - Unspoilt North Yorkshire (K-6 IIs, Sigma 50-150, 1/125)


3 - Fine tuning (K-3, 17-50)


4 - Charge of the backlight brigade (K-3, DA300)


5 - Weird science (K-5 IIs, 70-200)


6 - Aerial aerobatics (K-3, DA300)


7 - Partially terrestrial aerobatics (K3, DA300)


8 - You've been framed (K-5 IIs, 70-200)


9 - Two-way traffic (K-5 IIs, DA300)


10 - Farewell (K-3, DA300)

Some fine stuff there, Simon. Hard to pick out a favourite, but I'm a massive fan of Marmite (be having some on my toast in a few minutes) and find #5 very appealing - good use of your surroundings to create something a little different (and dripping with flair).

Barrie, those portraits are terrific. I looked round for willing victims, but kept bumping into racing drivers who wanted to talk about anti-dive suspension geometry and suchlike. You win...

Some nice stuff there, Barrie. My favourite is probably Williams Grimshaw's Formula Junior Moorland {car 29), because an open-face helmet complements the mono and I love the vivid expression. I'll post some eventually...

So we didn't meet up, Barrie, but you did spot me!

Mobile reception was poor all weekend - particularly troublesome on Sunday, when Mrs A wandered off with my car keys and I was unable to locate her. It was nice to make Simon Harrison's acquaintance on Sunday and I hope it won't be too long before I'm back at Croft. Haven't yet edited many photos, because I've been touring NE England & SE Scotland on various errands, but I'll post some in due course. First, though, I hope to take in WWT Washington before heading south tomorrow afternoon.

I'd much prefer to stay up here, mind...