Photos of Atlanta Race Weekend

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Robert R Kircher, Jr. wrote:

> "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.

Ah, see, I was spoiled right off then, by my first CASCAR race. They
have a nice little 1/4-mile oval in Vernon, BC, built by a local guy
who's a race nut with lots of money, and it seemed once you had access
to the pit area (whether by crew pass, press pass, whatever), you could
just go wherever you damn well pleased on the infield area (which,
granted, isn't very big on a 1/4-mile oval). They'd have someone
yelling at you if you got to close to somewhere dangerous, but in
general they seemed to assume that people were smart enough to stay out
of harm's way, having signed a waiver already. Actually, I found that
true of pretty much all the CASCAR events I was at.

 

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Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital,rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

"Matt Ion" <soundy@moltenimage.com> wrote in message
news:ApW0e.786115$6l.256793@pd7tw2no...
> Robert R Kircher, Jr. wrote:
>
>> "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.
>
> Ah, see, I was spoiled right off then, by my first CASCAR race. They have
> a nice little 1/4-mile oval in Vernon, BC, built by a local guy who's a
> race nut with lots of money, and it seemed once you had access to the pit
> area (whether by crew pass, press pass, whatever), you could just go
> wherever you damn well pleased on the infield area (which, granted, isn't
> very big on a 1/4-mile oval). They'd have someone yelling at you if you
> got to close to somewhere dangerous, but in general they seemed to assume
> that people were smart enough to stay out of harm's way, having signed a
> waiver already. Actually, I found that true of pretty much all the CASCAR
> events I was at.

Used to be that way in NASCAR too but over the past several years the
popularity has forced them to apply all sorts of restrictions. Regardless
the access provided is like no other sport around. What other sport give
the regular fan this sort of access, http/www.pbase.com/image/41148568.

--

Rob

 

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Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital,rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

"Robert R Kircher, Jr." <rrkircher@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:cY6dnYGZa7nDutnfRVn-iA@giganews.com...
>
> "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

Thanks for the info. Yes, I have an 80-300 or so (forget exactly) Cosmicar
lens but had not thought about using it on a racing trip. I can see where it
may be a useful tool now that you mention it. I haven't tried it on the
camera yet (KA lens from old Pentax box) and it is not as fast as I would
like. I guess I should go through my old film equipment cases and see what I
do have. I think I have a KA 2x multiplier which might be usefull too. At
least easier to transport around than the old long lenses. What type of
filters did you use for the sunny conditions? Your shots seemed to be right
on.

Ed
>
>
>
>

 

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Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital,rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

"Ed Medlin" <ed@edmedlin.com> wrote in message
news:69f1e.25291$hU7.19248@newssvr33.news.prodigy.com...
>
> "Robert R Kircher, Jr." <rrkircher@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:cY6dnYGZa7nDutnfRVn-iA@giganews.com...
>>
>> "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
>
> Thanks for the info. Yes, I have an 80-300 or so (forget exactly) Cosmicar
> lens but had not thought about using it on a racing trip. I can see where
> it may be a useful tool now that you mention it. I haven't tried it on the
> camera yet (KA lens from old Pentax box) and it is not as fast as I would
> like. I guess I should go through my old film equipment cases and see what
> I do have. I think I have a KA 2x multiplier which might be usefull too.
> At least easier to transport around than the old long lenses. What type of
> filters did you use for the sunny conditions? Your shots seemed to be
> right on.

Short of the UV Haze filter I have on all my lenses, I didn't use any
filters at all. I asked a friend who shoots races professionally and he
said he doesn't use any so neither did I. I will admit to some work with
Capture One but that requires that you to shoot in RAW.

In regards to the 2x, I have one too and I've used it for moon shots etc,
but I'm not too sure how effective it would be shooting action shots.
People may look at you like your nuts and Homeland Security may take you
away but I think a few test at your nearest highway may be in order. The
cars are certainly not at the same speed as on the track, but at least you
can try the equipment out while panning and see what your results are like.
With that said my friend mentioned that he has used his 1.4x at the races
but I believe he said he had thing mounted to a tripod.

Besides that, I received a lot of good advice from the folks here. Search
for the Subject "Going to the Races, Need Some Advice".

--

Rob

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital,rec.photo.digital.slr-systems (More info?)

"Robert R Kircher, Jr." <rrkircher@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:hd2dnU9Ew9RUFtjfRVn-1A@giganews.com...
>
> "Ed Medlin" <ed@edmedlin.com> wrote in message
> news:69f1e.25291$hU7.19248@newssvr33.news.prodigy.com...
>>
>> "Robert R Kircher, Jr." <rrkircher@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:cY6dnYGZa7nDutnfRVn-iA@giganews.com...
>>>
>>> "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
>>
>> Thanks for the info. Yes, I have an 80-300 or so (forget exactly)
>> Cosmicar lens but had not thought about using it on a racing trip. I can
>> see where it may be a useful tool now that you mention it. I haven't
>> tried it on the camera yet (KA lens from old Pentax box) and it is not as
>> fast as I would like. I guess I should go through my old film equipment
>> cases and see what I do have. I think I have a KA 2x multiplier which
>> might be usefull too. At least easier to transport around than the old
>> long lenses. What type of filters did you use for the sunny conditions?
>> Your shots seemed to be right on.
>
> Short of the UV Haze filter I have on all my lenses, I didn't use any
> filters at all. I asked a friend who shoots races professionally and he
> said he doesn't use any so neither did I. I will admit to some work with
> Capture One but that requires that you to shoot in RAW.
>
> In regards to the 2x, I have one too and I've used it for moon shots etc,
> but I'm not too sure how effective it would be shooting action shots.
> People may look at you like your nuts and Homeland Security may take you
> away but I think a few test at your nearest highway may be in order. The
> cars are certainly not at the same speed as on the track, but at least you
> can try the equipment out while panning and see what your results are
> like. With that said my friend mentioned that he has used his 1.4x at the
> races but I believe he said he had thing mounted to a tripod.
>
> Besides that, I received a lot of good advice from the folks here. Search
> for the Subject "Going to the Races, Need Some Advice".
>
> --
>
> Rob

Sure will........Thanks Rob.

Ed
>
>
>
>
>