Photos of Atlanta Race Weekend

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Very nice collection!

Q. What kind of access did you have in order to get some of those
behind-the-scenes pics?

 

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Robert R Kircher, Jr. wrote:

> Spent my weekend in Atlanta Georgia at the NASCAR events and took quite a
> few pics. I've posted a good number of them (see links below.) If you're
> into racing you might like them, if not you may find them a bit repetitive.
> Admittedly the pics are of varied quality but there are a good number of
> what I think are great pics through out.
>
> These pics represent my first attempt at race photos with a (D)SLR camera,
> so techniques like panning were all new to me. It took a little practice
> but I think I got it down pretty good for my first time.
>
> I've broken the pics down into separate galleries with my favorites in the
> root gallery.
> http/www.pbase.com/rkircher/atlanta_spring_2005

Some nice work, Rob. Hope some of the advice you got here was helpful.
Here are a few of my race pics:
http/cgi.moltenimage.com/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album04

 

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"Matt Ion" <soundy@moltenimage.com> wrote in message
news:HGG0e.770726$Xk.677034@pd7tw3no...
> Robert R Kircher, Jr. wrote:
>
>> Spent my weekend in Atlanta Georgia at the NASCAR events and took quite a
>> few pics. I've posted a good number of them (see links below.) If
>> you're into racing you might like them, if not you may find them a bit
>> repetitive. Admittedly the pics are of varied quality but there are a
>> good number of what I think are great pics through out.
>>
>> These pics represent my first attempt at race photos with a (D)SLR
>> camera, so techniques like panning were all new to me. It took a little
>> practice but I think I got it down pretty good for my first time.
>>
>> I've broken the pics down into separate galleries with my favorites in
>> the root gallery.
>> http/www.pbase.com/rkircher/atlanta_spring_2005
>
> Some nice work, Rob. Hope some of the advice you got here was helpful.

Thanks Matt,

Yes much of the advice I received here was very helpful. I'm also going to
print out your suggestions on taking pic of airplanes and try it out.

Thanks again.

> Here are a few of my race pics:
> http/cgi.moltenimage.com/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album04

Nice pics too bad you had the fence between you and the CART cars. :-/

--

Rob

 

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RichA wrote:


> Good head shots. I didn't know there were female drivers in NASCAR.

Shawna Robinson has been driving Winston Cup races since 2001.

 

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Alan Browne wrote:


> Paul Tracy could almost never win when Villeneuve (jr) was in the same
> league (whatever its called). When Villeneuve left for F-1 then
> suddenly Tracy's star could finally rise on occasion. ;-)

PT's success didn't come until several years after Jacques Villeneuve
left CART for his barely-mediocre F1 career. PT didn't really start
winning races until he got a serious attitude adjustment, started acting
his age rather than his shoe size, and learned how to drive with a LOT
more maturity. His hotheaded antics were what always sunk him before.
Nothing to do with JV.

 

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Robert R Kircher, Jr. wrote:

> Here is another thing I want to learn. I have not played much with EXP COMP
> while shooting. I understand the concept but I'm not too sure where and
> when to apply it. I have other pics of planes and they all do look the
> same; silhouetted in the sky. I've played with the RAW images in Capture
> One but haven't really been able to do much. I guess I'm going to have to
> spend a day or two at the airport and just try different things with the
> camera. I will go back to the RAW images and see if I can find a more
> consistent set of adjustments and apply them to all the air pics.

Try my previous suggestion, set the camera to manual, and dial in
exposure according to the sunny-16 rule: 1/ISO @ f/16 for bright
sunlight, add a stop if there's a high, light overcast, two or three if
it's really cloudy; then adjust parameters to match your
shutter/aperture needs.

Example: at 100 ISO, use 1/100 (or 1/125) at f/16, 1/250 @ f/11, 1/500 @
f/8, or going the other way, 1/50 @ f/22, 1/25 @ f/32, and so on.

You'll probably still need to experiment from there, but that'll give
you a good baseline to work from.

 

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"Annika1980" <annika1980@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1111724783.423864.30110@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> Very nice collection!
>

Thanks

> Q. What kind of access did you have in order to get some of those
> behind-the-scenes pics?


Standard pit pass gets you into the pit area up to 30 minutes before the
race. Prices very by track but at Atlanta it's $125 for the weekend which
consists of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Although not unique to NASCAR,
pit/paddock access is one of the best thing in NASCAR. It allows the fans
to get right up in the action and let me tell you even during practice and
qualifying there's a lot of action.

--

Rob

 

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Well, if we're showing off our race pics:

1) Paul Tracy & Sebastian Bourdais @ Brands Hatch [Nikon D100]

<http/www.panix.com/~johnf/temp/BH720.jpg>


2) CART Long Beach [Pentax *ist-D]

<http/www.panix.com/~johnf/temp/CityStreets.jpg>


3) Monterey Historics [Pentax *ist-D]

<http/www.panix.com/~johnf/temp/mh2004.jpg>


4) ALMS [Pentax *ist-D]

<http/www.panix.com/~johnf/temp/OneForFrank.jpg>

 

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"John Francis" <johnf@panix.com> wrote in message
news:d1vmsm$3m5$1@reader1.panix.com...
> Well, if we're showing off our race pics:
>
> 1) Paul Tracy & Sebastian Bourdais @ Brands Hatch [Nikon D100]
>
> <http/www.panix.com/~johnf/temp/BH720.jpg>
>
>
> 2) CART Long Beach [Pentax *ist-D]
>
> <http/www.panix.com/~johnf/temp/CityStreets.jpg>
>
>
> 3) Monterey Historics [Pentax *ist-D]
>
> <http/www.panix.com/~johnf/temp/mh2004.jpg>
>
>
> 4) ALMS [Pentax *ist-D]
>
> <http/www.panix.com/~johnf/temp/OneForFrank.jpg>

LOL... Great picture. Did you cheat by having one of those fancy press
passes to get into the sweet spots around the track or did you have to do it
like us lowly armatures have to, from behind the magic lines or the ugly
fences? ;-)

--

Rob

 

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"Robert R Kircher, Jr." <rrkircher@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:W9qdnd7t28Ly_N7fRVn-oQ@giganews.com...
>
> "John Francis" <johnf@panix.com> wrote in message
> news:d1vmsm$3m5$1@reader1.panix.com...
>> Well, if we're showing off our race pics:
>>
>> 1) Paul Tracy & Sebastian Bourdais @ Brands Hatch [Nikon D100]
>>
>> <http/www.panix.com/~johnf/temp/BH720.jpg>
>>
>>
>> 2) CART Long Beach [Pentax *ist-D]
>>
>> <http/www.panix.com/~johnf/temp/CityStreets.jpg>
>>
>>
>> 3) Monterey Historics [Pentax *ist-D]
>>
>> <http/www.panix.com/~johnf/temp/mh2004.jpg>
>>
>>
>> 4) ALMS [Pentax *ist-D]
>>
>> <http/www.panix.com/~johnf/temp/OneForFrank.jpg>
>
> LOL... Great picture.

That was supposed to be great "pictures". Although I do like the last one I
didn't want to leave out the rest too.

--

Rob

 

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Robert R Kircher, Jr. wrote:

Thanks Matt,
>
> Yes much of the advice I received here was very helpful. I'm also going to
> print out your suggestions on taking pic of airplanes and try it out.

Same applies to the cars, or any kind of tricky outdoor metering like
that.

>> Here are a few of my race pics:
>>http/cgi.moltenimage.com/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album04
>
>
> Nice pics too bad you had the fence between you and the CART cars. :-/

It's the Vancouver road course, where the general public can wander
right up to the fences in most areas, so the fences are a safety
necessity. Nothing beats watching a race from the pits, though,
especially on an oval

 

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"Matt Ion" <soundy@moltenimage.com> wrote in message
news:0wJ0e.775979$8l.62912@pd7tw1no...
> Robert R Kircher, Jr. wrote:
>
> Thanks Matt,
>>
>> Yes much of the advice I received here was very helpful. I'm also going
>> to print out your suggestions on taking pic of airplanes and try it out.
>
> Same applies to the cars, or any kind of tricky outdoor metering like
> that.
>
>>> Here are a few of my race pics:
>>>http/cgi.moltenimage.com/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album04
>>
>>
>> Nice pics too bad you had the fence between you and the CART cars. :-/
>
> It's the Vancouver road course, where the general public can wander right
> up to the fences in most areas, so the fences are a safety necessity.
> Nothing beats watching a race from the pits, though, especially on an oval
>

You need a Press or Hot pass to stay in the pits during a NASCAR race. I'd
love the opportunity once to shoot from that perspective.

--

Rob

 

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In article <W9qdnd7t28Ly_N7fRVn-oQ@giganews.com>,
Robert R Kircher, Jr. <rrkircher@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>"John Francis" <johnf@panix.com> wrote in message
>news:d1vmsm$3m5$1@reader1.panix.com...
>> Well, if we're showing off our race pics:
>>
>> 1) Paul Tracy & Sebastian Bourdais @ Brands Hatch [Nikon D100]
>>
>> <http/www.panix.com/~johnf/temp/BH720.jpg>
>>
>>
>> 2) CART Long Beach [Pentax *ist-D]
>>
>> <http/www.panix.com/~johnf/temp/CityStreets.jpg>
>>
>>
>> 3) Monterey Historics [Pentax *ist-D]
>>
>> <http/www.panix.com/~johnf/temp/mh2004.jpg>
>>
>>
>> 4) ALMS [Pentax *ist-D]
>>
>> <http/www.panix.com/~johnf/temp/OneForFrank.jpg>
>
>LOL... Great picture. Did you cheat by having one of those fancy press
>passes to get into the sweet spots around the track or did you have to do it
>like us lowly armatures have to, from behind the magic lines or the ugly
>fences? ;-)


Nowadays I cheats.
I generally get a season pass to my local track (Laguna Seca).
But I grew up in earshot of Brands Hatch (and my mother still lives
in the same house), so when the Champ Cars paid a visit to the track
I just had to find the time to go back for a couple of weeks.

 

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In article <6r2dnQAed8d3-t7fRVn-vg@giganews.com>,
Robert R Kircher, Jr. <rrkircher@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>You need a Press or Hot pass to stay in the pits during a NASCAR race. I'd
>love the opportunity once to shoot from that perspective.

NASCAR are actually pretty tough for access - you generally need a pass
to get anywhere near the garage area. Mind you, for hot pit access on
raceday ALMS are tougher - you need a firesuit.

Shooting a race from the pits is actually pretty un-interesting; you
aren't usually allowed over the wall (unlike practice days, generally).
But you do get a chance to get shots like this (from Portland):

<http/www.panix.com/~johnf/temp/PortlandPitStop.jpg>


[You need a long lens, though: that's 35mm film, and my 250-600 at
the long end. I *love* that lens for motorsports - the Long Beach
shot is taken with the same lens, at 250 (plus a 1.5x crop factor)]

 

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"John Francis" <johnf@panix.com> wrote in message
news:d1vrke$2jt$1@reader1.panix.com...
> In article <6r2dnQAed8d3-t7fRVn-vg@giganews.com>,
> Robert R Kircher, Jr. <rrkircher@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>You need a Press or Hot pass to stay in the pits during a NASCAR race.
>>I'd
>>love the opportunity once to shoot from that perspective.
>
> NASCAR are actually pretty tough for access - you generally need a pass
> to get anywhere near the garage area. Mind you, for hot pit access on
> raceday ALMS are tougher - you need a firesuit.
>
> Shooting a race from the pits is actually pretty un-interesting; you
> aren't usually allowed over the wall (unlike practice days, generally).
> But you do get a chance to get shots like this (from Portland):
>
> <http/www.panix.com/~johnf/temp/PortlandPitStop.jpg>
>

Another great shot.

There's a spot at ALMS right off turn 4 and the entrance of pit road just
above the infield pedestrian tunnel. I'd love to be able to shoot from
right there. You can get the cars as they come around the turn up on the
banking so you get more then just a shot of the side of the car.

--

Rob



>
>

 

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In article <996dnQ2UvOci597fRVn-jg@giganews.com>,
Robert R Kircher, Jr. <rrkircher@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>There's a spot at ALMS right off turn 4 and the entrance of pit road just
>above the infield pedestrian tunnel. I'd love to be able to shoot from
>right there. You can get the cars as they come around the turn up on the
>banking so you get more then just a shot of the side of the car.


I'm a little confused - to me, ALMS is American Le Mans Series, not a
track. But at all the ovals I've been to you can't get up close to the
track at the exit of T4 - that's a high-impact zone. On some tracks
there's a photo tower, with a reasonable view. On some other tracks
your best bet is the steps at the end of the grandstand. But you're
unlikely to be able to get close to the outside of the track there.

I did manage it once, in New Hampshire, for a CART race in the middle
90s (1993 - 1995), for the start of the race. And that was with just
a regular paid admission ticket. But the security guard let me sneak
up to the wire, grab a couple of shots, and step back behind the line.

 

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"John Francis" <johnf@panix.com> wrote in message
news:d206jc$9uj$1@reader1.panix.com...
> In article <996dnQ2UvOci597fRVn-jg@giganews.com>,
> Robert R Kircher, Jr. <rrkircher@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>There's a spot at ALMS right off turn 4 and the entrance of pit road just
>>above the infield pedestrian tunnel. I'd love to be able to shoot from
>>right there. You can get the cars as they come around the turn up on the
>>banking so you get more then just a shot of the side of the car.
>
>
> I'm a little confused - to me, ALMS is American Le Mans Series, not a
> track. But at all the ovals I've been to you can't get up close to the
> track at the exit of T4 - that's a high-impact zone. On some tracks
> there's a photo tower, with a reasonable view. On some other tracks
> your best bet is the steps at the end of the grandstand. But you're
> unlikely to be able to get close to the outside of the track there.
>
> I did manage it once, in New Hampshire, for a CART race in the middle
> 90s (1993 - 1995), for the start of the race. And that was with just
> a regular paid admission ticket. But the security guard let me sneak
> up to the wire, grab a couple of shots, and step back behind the line.
>


I'm sorry, Atlanta Motor Speedway. Anyway, at the entrance to pit road
there's an inside wall and those who have press passes can venture out to
this inside wall and get a great shot of turn 4.

--

Rob

 

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"Robert R Kircher, Jr." <rrkircher@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:U_idnY598fNjBN7fRVn-og@giganews.com...
> "Annika1980" <annika1980@aol.com> wrote in message
> news:1111724783.423864.30110@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>> Very nice collection!
>>
>
> Thanks
>
>> Q. What kind of access did you have in order to get some of those
>> behind-the-scenes pics?
>
>
> Standard pit pass gets you into the pit area up to 30 minutes before the
> race. Prices very by track but at Atlanta it's $125 for the weekend which
> consists of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Although not unique to NASCAR,
> pit/paddock access is one of the best thing in NASCAR. It allows the fans
> to get right up in the action and let me tell you even during practice and
> qualifying there's a lot of action.
>
> --
>
> Rob

We will be going to the fall Nascar Texas race and will definately have pit
passes. I am just getting used to my *ist D. I have used Pentax film 35mm
boxes for many years and although not seamless, the transition is not too
bad. I did get out and shoot some a couple of days ago but the weather was
horrible and finally just got too damn wet and cold.
http/www.pbase.com/edmedlin/image/41181457 and a few others there were my
first shots with the camera. No processing on any of them..... all shot in
AAA jpeg and no tripod. Ignore the date in the exif..... lol. Got to change
that.


Ed
>
>
>
>
>

 

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"Ed Medlin" <ed@edmedlin.com> wrote in message
news:8bV0e.18285$0T3.1670@newssvr31.news.prodigy.com...
>
> "Robert R Kircher, Jr." <rrkircher@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:U_idnY598fNjBN7fRVn-og@giganews.com...
>> "Annika1980" <annika1980@aol.com> wrote in message
>> news:1111724783.423864.30110@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>>> Very nice collection!
>>>
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>>> Q. What kind of access did you have in order to get some of those
>>> behind-the-scenes pics?
>>
>>
>> Standard pit pass gets you into the pit area up to 30 minutes before the
>> race. Prices very by track but at Atlanta it's $125 for the weekend
>> which consists of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Although not unique to
>> NASCAR, pit/paddock access is one of the best thing in NASCAR. It allows
>> the fans to get right up in the action and let me tell you even during
>> practice and qualifying there's a lot of action.
>>
>> --
>>
>> Rob
>
> We will be going to the fall Nascar Texas race and will definately have
> pit passes. I am just getting used to my *ist D. I have used Pentax film
> 35mm boxes for many years and although not seamless, the transition is not
> too bad. I did get out and shoot some a couple of days ago but the weather
> was horrible and finally just got too damn wet and cold.
> http/www.pbase.com/edmedlin/image/41181457 and a few others there were
> my first shots with the camera. No processing on any of them..... all shot
> in AAA jpeg and no tripod. Ignore the date in the exif..... lol. Got to
> change that.
>


If you don't already have one save up for a long lens. I brought my 18-55,
28-135, and my 100-400 and for the most part only used my 100-400. I was
very surprised that I didn't use the 28-135 much on pit road but I found
that the 100-400 was perfect for getting shots a bit more discretely. All
the head shots were done with the bigger lens. It let me shoot through the
crowd instead of having to muscle my way through the crowd.

--

Rob

 

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Robert R Kircher, Jr. wrote:
> "Matt Ion" <soundy@moltenimage.com> wrote in message
> news:0wJ0e.775979$8l.62912@pd7tw1no...
>
>>Robert R Kircher, Jr. wrote:
>>
>>Thanks Matt,
>>
>>>Yes much of the advice I received here was very helpful. I'm also going
>>>to print out your suggestions on taking pic of airplanes and try it out.
>>
>>Same applies to the cars, or any kind of tricky outdoor metering like
>>that.
>>
>>
>>>>Here are a few of my race pics:
>>>>http/cgi.moltenimage.com/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album04
>>>
>>>
>>>Nice pics too bad you had the fence between you and the CART cars. :-/
>>
>>It's the Vancouver road course, where the general public can wander right
>>up to the fences in most areas, so the fences are a safety necessity.
>>Nothing beats watching a race from the pits, though, especially on an oval
>>
>
>
> You need a Press or Hot pass to stay in the pits during a NASCAR race. I'd
> love the opportunity once to shoot from that perspective.

A friend of mine was on the pit crew of a CASCAR team a couple years
ago; he convinced them to have us redo their website, including race
photos when possible, so I was there as part of their crew.
Unfortuantely they were Calgary-based and most of the races were in
Alberta or the BC Interior and just too far away for me to get to, and
the team ran into various different kinds of trouble the next season, so
that was it, but it was fun while it lasted.

Actually, if you've followed NASCAR fairly closely, you'd probably know
this team owner's name: Trevor Boys. He drove a few races in the
Craftsman Truck series last year and used to drive Winston Cup years
ago. His son Wheeler was the racer we were working with here.