2023 St. Petersburg Indy Gran Prix Photographic Guide
Albert Whitted Park, St. Petersburg, Florida
2023 St. Petersburg Indy Gran Prix
Report and Images by Mark Roden of MRA Racing Images
10 April 2023
This photographic guide of the St Petersburg Indy Grand Prix will take you round the temporary street circuit using the map below to show you some of the best locations to take motorsports photography.
As a photographer, I want to be somewhere that has an unobstructed or, relatively unobstructed view, and so looking at the map and the seating chart, here are some options for getting good snaps at the St. Petersburg Indy Gran Prix temporary street circuit:
The main straightaway. Highly recommended, and for panning, no other location is better. Depending on where you are sitting, you can get a decent view of turn 14 and the flagstand, as well as inside view of turn 1. There are some colorful banners along most of the wall that show well for backgrounds.
Outside Turn 1. There is a fence, but I can sit above it or shoot through it without much trouble.
Turn 10 grandstands. Here, you get what you get, which is going to be heavy squared fence except from the very top left corner of the stands.
There are a few fenced views at ground level around the track at the corners, but I find them relatively hard to deal with when it comes to getting quality shots. Try it, but don’t expect too much.
View of Turn 14 / Pit Entry, located at the left end of the main straightaway grandstands.
The first year at St Pete (2019) we had tickets in the upper part of grandstand 3. Our seats were in the last column by the walking steps, with nothing between us and a distant turn 14 along with the pit entrance. With a long zoom we caught them coming off that turn and either onto the main straight or ducking into the pits. We were able to garner some nice context with the water in the background. If you’re lucky it’s possible to catch a plane taking off.
It is an open view and in the afternoon on race day, shooting in that direction will avoid glare. As the seating orientation in this area is facing south, any shooting to the west (right) will be subject to a lot of it if the day is bright and sunny (It’s Florida…)
Start / Finish line to the west and front stretch.
For the 2022 race we purchased tickets further west of the start/finish line, closer to turn one along the front straight (See Shooting Position “B”). We did this to catch them coming across the line without so much glare by shooting toward the east.
We were between this area and position “A” for the last 40 or so laps this year.
End of front stretch and inside Turn 1.
We also found a spot at the end of grandstand 7 (Position “C”). Early morning practice sessions fare better when shooting at turn 1 (west), and afternoon sessions are best when shooting along the front straight with an eastward angle, or at turn 14 / pit entrance.
Outside Turn 1 / Pit Exit.
The most useful position that I have found at St Pete is sitting in the grandstand 10 area (Position “D”). The stands are situated at the end of the main straight, just past the apex of turn 1.
In 2022, from the left-most end of these grandstands we caught everything from an angled turn entry , through the apex, and just past some painted runway lines that presented a nice context. From there, the cars ducked underneath the top of the fence heading out toward turn 2.
We also snapped a pit exit view from there to catch the cars as they were entering the track.
Outside of turn 2.
This requires shooting through the fence, but it could work with a long zoom and using some through-the-fence techniques. I investigated it but did not fire off any shots as I did not find it all that useful shooting straight into the sun. Maybe earlier in the morning it would work better.
There are a few other ground level spots along the track, I have one marked as Position “F”.
Typical View Through the Fence from a Ground Standing Position
Turn 10 Grandstands.
Turn 10 tickets seemed like a good idea at the time, but I didn’t realize how bad the view would be concerning photography. Except for a few seats (and by a few, I mean literally 10, or less) in the extreme upper left corner of the grandstand structure, it was quite useless.
You cannot get close enough to the catch fence to eliminate it visually, and even if you could, the way it is constructed works against you; thick wires in horizontal squares instead of diagonal, about 3in x 3in (75mmx75mm).
Another obstruction which you cannot get around is the wall. As the cars come off turn 10, they are very close (right up against) the wall, and so the only visible part is the top half of the car, roughly from the top of the wheel and above.
Getting shots in the pits
As far as Indy road courses go, I would recommend St Pete. This was my third SPGP and I am used to where everything is now. For the first two years (2019 and 2022) I purchased pit passes, but this year I decided against them, due to all the clutter in the pits last year.
The more technologically advanced these cars get, the more gear gets shoved into the pit area. This makes it very difficult for non-credentialled photographers like me to work.
Images from the 2019 St Pete Gran Prix inside pit lane
It is sometimes easier to get a shot from the grandstands, since it is an elevated position looking down into the pit boxes. The timing stands are still in the way, so the best approach is to find an angled vantage point on the pit box of the car you’re trying to catch, then wait for a pit stop. It is hit or miss, but you’ll have a few chances to get it right if the crowd is thin enough to move around a little.
Images from the 2019 and 2022 St Pete Gran Prix of pit lane from above
You can share this photographic guide with your friends on Social Media using these links.
Follow us on Social Media: