It took me a little bit of time to get the hang of focusing via “One Shot”.  I’m so accustomed to “AI Servo” that some of my initial stills were blurry because it focused just a little behind of my subject.  Plus, I had it at AI because I was replicating the settings on the 5d that I had on my 1D.  Lighting may have also played a small part in my initial difficulties in focusing.

I have nothing but praise for the 5D.  It’s easy to figure out why this is the “go to” camera of most independent film makers and up and coming portrait/wedding photographers.  The good still image performance coupled with stellar video make it a versatile tool.

What few realize is that the digital single lens reflex cameras professional photographers use today is a bit more expensive than the film versions of years past.  Even fewer realize that the lenses used in these new DSLR’s have exponentially gotten more expensive.  What escapes everyone but the working photographers is that there is actually a lot of skill required to take a professional looking photo.  The snap shot a regular person takes is probably good for a 4×6 print.  Once you get bigger than that, it becomes apparent that it is nothing more than a snap shop.  What puzzles me is that everyone out there that takes snap shots always prefaces that they are not a professional but deep down still expects to be praised that their pictures are just as good as the working professional.  The images produced by these folks are great snap shots.  That is exactly what they are, a great snap shot.  The most positive praise I can give them is that they were out there trying.  Entry into the craft is prohibited by the cost of the equipment needed to produce professional photographs and not the snap shots everybody seems say is just as good as what the professionals take.

The time it takes to actually learn how to use light, positioning, safety, and setting the camera is even more prohibitive.  The attitude most folks take is that anyone with a camera is a photographer.  I agree with that statement.  Anyone with a camera is a photographer.  However, not every photographer can create a quality image.  The product that most photographers with a camera can create falls within the term that I’ve over used, a snap shot.  The quality of these images is perfect for the internet.  The quality of these snap shots fall short once the need to display them past casual appreciation is needed.  The possibility of getting that sale or that sponsorship is directly related to the quality of the image provided.

Some individuals think they can use my work with no regard for the effort I put into it.  Granted that photography is just a hobby for me, it is not a reason to blatantly use my work for any commercial purpose without my permission.  I generally allow for the private display of my work in addition to what is fair use.  Most folks erroneously  interpret that to mean they can use it for any purpose.  Once an individual uses my work for commercial purposes, they have stepped out of the bounds of the license.  With the recent court decisions affecting copyright such as L.A. Times V. Free Republic and New York Times Co. V. Tasini, it seems that photographers now have additional ammunition to press their rights.

One thing I hope folks get out of this post, respect my work.  Give the credit where it’s due.  Support the cause.

Being so small and thin had advantages. Unfortunately, it’s also their disadvantage. Because I practically use flash drive media on a weekly basis, parts of the card started to show wear. A few of my SD cards started to have difficulty feeding into the card reader of my laptop. I discovered that the corner of the plastic casing have broken off causing the hangup.

I’ve recently acquired 533x, 32Gb CF cards and used them during the WERA races. No longer do I have to suffer through the waiting of recording burst images. The speed was a welcome reminder of how things used to be. I didn’t have to wait for the buffer to clear as was the case with my SD cards. Processing images was also encountered efficiencies. 3000+ images in about 6 minutes. I think it’s time to upgrade my card reader.

Very few realize that photographers use a tremendous amount of web space.  Most people upload about 10 to 15 pictures at any given time to remind them of a particular event.  If you are into scrap booking, that number increases to around 100 to 125 images.  I upload an average of about 12,000 images on any given weekend just for preview pages.  Since folks are accustomed to seeing their 10 personal pictures up on Facebook or Shutterfly in 2 minutes, they expect photographers to have the 10,000+ event pictures up on the web for preview in the same 2 minutes.  Very few realize that there is a factor of 1,000 separating their personal pictures to that of the photographer.

Thankfully, my bottom line was not hit quite as hard.  The fee for the space was bumped from $4.99/month to $7.99/month.  When I think about it, a $3 increase in price is not bad for a 15 fold increase in space.  Although it is still an increase in expenses, it is a cost effective increase.  Just like everybody else, I have to watch every dollar I spend.  For the most part, this photography thing is just a hobby for me.  It’s something I really enjoy doing.

I actually still prefer this method of watermarking.  The reason I stopped doing it is because of a group from Phoenix, AZ.  This particular group started using quite a few of my photos to promote their team.  I noticed that none of this group’s members gave me any support to keep this photography thing going.  When the topic of support came up, they made it look as if I was receiving a benefit from them using my pictures and that I should be thankful.  The benefit was that I was getting “Advertising” from them.  Had they respected my work, I probably would be watermarking like this to this day. Eventually, they did give me some support.  However, they did ruin it for everybody with their remarks.

This is how I now watermark images:

The logo in the middle identifies serves a few purposes.  It tells all viewers where the image came from and prevents any unintended uses.   The bottom text is probably the most important thing.  It tells me the date I took the image (10/24/2010), the folder it’s in (Level 3 a), and the image number (ML_70004).  The image number has a few tidbits of information.  “ML” are my initials.  “7″ indicates the day of the week (Sunday).  “0004″ is the variable image number that my camera assigns to the image.  “ML_7xxxx” is something I have to set each event day.  If I forget to change the day, I’ll end up with a Saturday event with a “7″ prefix.  There are a few events that I’ve done this with.  One thing I always do is reset the image counter.  This way, I start out fresh and will get a an easy reference to the total image count at the end of the day.

What is funny is that when I show up tomorrow, the first thing folks ask me is if I was out shooting yesterday.  It would have been cool to see rain shots.  I firmly believe that this response is natural for people to say even though they have no intention of getting rain pictures.  People expect variety, even if that variety is not what they want.  Even if they already know they don’t want it, folks want the opportunity to confirm they don’t want it.  Just like the elections, folks value their right to choose.  They want a clear winner and a clear loser.  I just have to come up with something to say tomorrow.

It was a bit tricky getting the sun movement down.  It wasn’t until my third lap around the track on my SUV that I figured out where the sun was going to move to, correspondingly, the order of the corners I was going to photograph.  Since I’m on foot, I like to hit the corners that are in close proximity to each other.  The order for today was, outside broadside of 3, inside of 4, inside/middle/exit of 7, and finally the inside of 9.  Turn 9 and turn 4 are duplicates.  I just like the different background.

On to the pictures:

If you are thinking it looks like SMMSR, it does.  I’m not as artistic as most people think.  I lack the imagination.  That’s what happens when a business major takes up photography.  If it works, I’m prone to repeat it and will not change or fix it.  Which is why I welcome the opportunity to have a 2nd photo outfit shoot the same event.  If they come up with a better angle, I will shamelessly copy it.  It saves me the trial and error experience of getting to know a new track.  I eagerly await the images produced by the other outfit that was out there today.

Turn 1:

Turn 8:

Turn 7, Outside:

Turn 7, Inside:

I did not feel like sticking to my plan of doing turn 4, 5, 6, and 10.  Students from yesterday were not really clicking along at speed unlike today.  Since the sequence worked so well yesterday, I made a command decision to do it over.  Fortunately, it was a good decision.  Attendees from yesterday agreed with me.  Their pictures from yesterday was a bit timid when compared to today.

A few minor crashes today.  What surprised me was a sighting lap crash in the novice group first thing in the morning in turn 4.  If memory serves me right, there is one organization that has the “Don’t Do It” crash policy.  It’s just for giggles, but, it drives home a point.  As with everyone, I despise crashes.  There is a potential for injury which can sometimes be catastrophic and it normally involves some monetary exchange since there is always a part that gets broken that will be needing replacement.

Crashes are one of the few things I try not to photograph.  I’m the type who will photograph anything just to be diversified.  If ever I do get a crash, I generally delete it as soon as I can.  I just don’t like making someone relive that awful experience.  Plus, I am very protective of the places I photograph.  I’ve always felt that if a crash picture taken at SMMSR or LVMS were to make it to the web, it would be bad publicity for the track.  The last thing I want is to have my home tracks have that bad reputation of having a lot of crashes.  A few regular track day attendees have asked me to put aside my feelings and catch them on camera should they fall so that they can at least figure out what they did wrong.  I always tell them I will with tongue in cheek.

First off was a rear shot of Turn 1:

I generally hold off on this shot until the 3rd or 4th session of the day when riders are more comfortable and can go deeper into the corner.  Unfortunately, it had to go first because I’d be fighting the sun if I did this angle/corner any later.  I was shooting in 400mm territory where it put me just inside the hot pit wall.  This is not an area I would be shooting on a regular track day.  However, with just a handful of riders today, it was not as hazardous.  Using a 600mm would have put me safely inside the cold track, but, I’d have the hot pit wall to contend with along with riders coming between.  All in all, it was a good warm up for me.

Next up was the inside of Turn 8.

My favorite angle for this track.  Not quite as dramatic since Dale was being friendly before he got down to business.  I think this was the corner he said to “Look, Lean, and Believe.”  As one student pointed out, it should be on a sticker.

Next up is an angle of a corner that I rarely get to do.  Inside of Turn 7:

Here’s Dale flogging one of the BMW demo bikes that BMW of Las Vegas brought.  Light is best in this corner late in the afternoon.  I rarely get to shoot this angle because I generally stop way before the optimum time for this corner.  Looking back at today, all my shots were practically side lit.  My timing was off in trying to match corners/angles with hot track time.

Last was the outside of Turn 8:

Two up rides were starting along late in the afternoon giving students a glimpse of proper lines, brake, and acceleration points.  I cut my time short on this corner because the wind was becoming an issue by this time late in the afternoon.  I was starting to get pelted by fine sand.  I started to worry about the front element of my 600mm.  It’s just better to save your equipment when conditions are better.  Actually, the wind got so strong to the point were it moved the orange portable toilet I was using as a wind block a good 20 feet.  I could have kept hiding behind it.  The thought of it falling over me with all the crap inside it made me rethink my position.

I also debut the new Trackday.Net polo shirt today.  I’ll take pictures tomorrow of my next generation of track attire.