You Are Here

Wherever you are at, that's the place to be.
Image copyright Erik Markov 2009

At the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, IL. shooting the NASCAR race for the second year in a row. While up on a shooting platform getting some photos of cars on the track during practice, I saw this jumble. Reminds me of the "You Are Here" on maps. Of course that never seems to help, just because one is there, doesn't mean they know where "here" is.

The opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not necessarily

reflect those of my employer.

Comments containing off-color or hateful language may be removed.

HDR and Balloons

Apparently it is possible to completely contradict yourself, even within the space of a week. It turns out I proved myself wrong. From 4 days before, the exact quote, "...so good that you can't even tell sometimes it's an HDR image. I think that's what to strive for..."

I spent the first weekend of May down at the Indianapolis Speedway shooting hot air balloons. Before the Speedway was a racetrack, there was a balloon race in 1909. To celebrate the centennial, they had several balloon events over the weekend. Friday night was a balloon glow where they keep the balloons on the ground and light them up, creating some very cool colors. The same thing for Saturday night. Sunday morning there was a balloon race that took off from the track.

I played around with HDR some more and had what I think was some success with it. While also proving my self wrong, or at the very least short sighted.

Balloons wait to launch at the start of the balloon race Sunday.
Image copyright Erik Markov 2009

Like I said before, seeing the images that are going to make good HDR is proving to be the most difficult part of this. If you just want to shoot a series of exposures and make them real gritty, contrasty photos... well that's easy. The software will allow you to do that without a hitch. Trying to take it to the next level and make an image that's unique, that's difficult.

I had 500 image files by the time I got done from all the balloon events of the weekend. That's from shooting with the D700, D70 and my Canon G2 p&s. It was a variety of 3, 5 and 7 series exposures. All told if I made HDR images from all the series, I might end up with 50 HDR images. And of that it's hard to say how many might actually work in reality.

Part of shooting HDR I'm finding very quickly is scouting out your location and shooting conditions. The range of light values, what the weather is like, amount of motion in your subject. The above image was shot with the D70 handheld, 3 exposures 1 stop apart. The balloon on the back right you can see where the software had some difficulty lining things up. Not sure if that's because it was handheld, movement from the balloon or the fact it wasn't the balloon I was focused on and thus the depth of field may have played a part.

I don't think it's enough to drastically affect the image tho. The image is probably entering the surreal area, but I like it. There was room in Photomatix to take it even further, but I felt this was about right. Part of what affects whether an image comes across as surreal or not is what the subject is. I might be wrong about this, but balloons being the subject helps I think because it is kind of a whimsical type of event anyway.

Friday night's balloon glow, shot with the Canon G2.

Image copyright Erik Markov 2009

The above image is entirely surreal, no doubt about it. The desaturation is a result of what I did in Photomatix. The heavy cloud cover also gives it a bit of an ominous feeling. That was shot with the G2 which only allows me a series of 3 exposures. The normally saturated image I didn't like as much, that's why I tried going to the extreme. Granted there are a couple easy ways around the bracket limit, but I wasn't too concerned about what images I would get from that camera, I was more just playing around.

Friday night's balloon glow, shot with the Nikon D700.

Image copyright Erik Markov 2009

This image, shot with the D700, was a series of 7. This is a mixture of the realistic with the surreal. One exposure of this image probably wouldn't yield both a good exposure of the balloons, the pagoda and the sky, but I don't think it looks too unreal. The grass, yes. I used Photomatix to add some contrast and texture to the grass, I could have backed off some more to make it look more natural, but I kinda liked it this way. Someone else might think it's too gritty.

The pagoda at the Speedway Friday night, shot with the D700.
Image copyright Erik Markov 2009

The images of the pagoda are a perfect example of the possibilities with HDR. To expose for that photo typically, there are going to have to be compromises. Expose for the lights along the sides, allowing the sign on the front and the sidewalk to go dark? Expose for the sign to be able to see the historical photo, and completely blow out the same lights causing some massive flare? There really isn't a good option for one exposure.

Image copyright Erik Markov 2009


Image copyright Erik Markov 2009


Image copyright Erik Markov 2009

The sprint cars are something I played around with during an assignment to shoot the season opening of the Kokomo Speedway. I'm not a huge fan of going out there, find it kinda boring really. It's muddy, it's boring watching cars just going around and around.... and around the track. That's why there are so many types of racing, to each his own. After shooting the stuff for the assignment the next day, I played around for a little while with the HDR. Kept my mind occupied for a little bit.

Now, you're not supposed to be able to shoot moving images and make them HDR. Most of the time, the image layers aren't going to line up properly. That made it a challenge just for the heck of it to see if I could do it. There is a little bleed thru on some parts of the image from one layer onto another, but I was really surprised how well it did turn out. Most of the bleed thru is stuff that could be fixed in Photoshop. Certainly not something you would do for an image that was going to run in the paper and represent what an event looked like. It strays into an ethical gray area. But just to play with, it's a lot of fun.

For moving images there is another option for HDR, which is to shoot RAW. Once in the computer you create your 3 or 5 or 7 exposures, then make the image in Photomatix. This could also be used if you just don't feel like shooting the bracketed exposures. For those that shoot RAW all the time and then convert to JPG, they can choose to do an HDR image anytime they like without having to plan ahead of time. I've tried playing with this some and haven't had much success. I've just found the bracketed exposures to be easier for the time being.

HDR.... is it just for fun, or is it a legitimate tool to add to a photographer's bag of tricks? I don't have the answer to that. I do know that right now it has me thinking about creating images in a different way. I've got a list of places that I want to visit again to shoot in HDR. I think that's the frustrating thing about HDR (in a good way) and photography in general. Just when you think you've shot an image that is as good as it gets, along comes a technique or a piece of equipment that gives you a new idea of how to shoot that image. Oh, well.

Life Lock 400 Nascar race

Greg Biffle's pit.
You are here.
Image copyright Kokomo Tribune 2008

Update ~ The gallery of photos I shot just went up on the Tribune's website.

Went up to the Chicagoland Speedway this past Thursday to shoot the Nascar races there this weekend. I would have posted this on the days I shot all of this, but the days were so long I just didn't have the energy after shooting all day to then write posts.

This post is a couple days late even past that reason. Over the course of the three days, I shot about 4500 images. It's the equivalent of 125 rolls of film. Makes my back hurt just thinking about carrying all that. After editing the photos over the past couple days, I ended up with 80 images to tone the color and write cutlines for. So this post got put at the bottom of the pile.

It was an interesting weekend tho. It was my first time at the track in Joliet, IL. It's a short 1.5 mile oval track which makes the racing a little different from the 2.5 mile Indy Motor Speedway I'm used to over the past five years.

The reporter and I left on Thursday and got there around noon. Lots of press conferences and media interviews to do and take photos of. Thursday was supposed to be a day for the drivers of the Nextel Cup race to get a feel for the track in practice and then qualify later in the day. Supposed to be. The track got hit with a huge rain storm later in the day.

I was down in the pit lane and all the cars were lined up for the drivers to go out and qualify. All of the sudden, the crews from the various teams started pushing cars back towards the garages. The sky got really dark and ugly, the teams got the cars into the garage about five minutes before all hell broke loose and the rained started coming down sideways.

Cars get pushed back to the garage area.

Image copyright Kokomo Tribune 2008

All the media waited around for a few hours until the qualifications were canceled later in the evening. Not a glamorous start to what was to be the first Nascar night race at the track.

Rain falling at the track, almost looks like snow.
Image copyright Kokomo Tribune 2008

Friday about noon I showed up back at the track with the reporter, doing our "no rain dance." A lot of the day involves just walking around the garages hoping to see a driver and snap a few photos as they sign autographs for fans or talk to their crew in the garage.

Spent part of the day walking around with the reporter, Ken de la Bastide, through the garage areas of the Nextel Cup drivers and the Busch Series drivers. The Nextel drivers are the guys like Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt jr. The big names, so to speak. The Busch Series has drivers like Dario Franchitti who came over from the Indy Racing League, Brian Vickers and Kenny Wallace; the up and coming racers. Some guys race in both series, but only a few.

Like I've said before, I'm not a gearhead. But I have found the more racing I shoot, the more I am starting to enjoy it. Being a night race and seeing how I've never shot one, I pushed to get credentials to go to this one. And I'm glad I did. Unique experience for sure.

As most know, Nascar is referred to as redneck racing. Don't know if I would put it quite like that, but the general idea gets across. More laid back than the Indy Racing League let's say. Different style of cars, different history of racing.

A Nascar driver might tell someone to "meet me in my holler in an hour." Huh? Holler is a southern word for a small valley. In this case it's used as a noun to describe their race trailer they work out of that is parked near the team garage. Like I said, more laid back.

On Friday night there was the Busch Series race, which quite a few pegged Tony Stewart to win. Which he didn't even come close to. As I heard someone in the media room say, Stewart appears to be taking the express bus to last place. Unfortunate, but true. Stewart hasn't done real well this year, sometimes coming close but never quite there.

Kyle Busch celebrates by standing on his car while in a haze of smoke.
Image copyright Kokomo Tribune 2008

Kyle Busch ended up winning the race. Got quite a few good photos of him as he celebrated in typical Nascar fashion by doing a burnout on the track. Pretty non-eventful race, Busch had a pretty good grip on the lead for much of it.

Friday was a late night. Didn't get out til midnight. Fortunately, didn't have to be at the track again til noon the next day.

Came in on Saturday and with it being a night race, the mood is pretty relaxed. Most of the drivers didn't show up until around 4pm to start getting ready. Spent some time wandering around shooting features, just finding cool stuff that caught my eye.

Richard Petty jokes with Jeff Gordon.
Image copyright Kokomo Tribune 2008

Around 6pm, the photographers headed out to the start finish line to shoot the driver introductions. Richard Petty was there, as this is his 50th year of being involved with the series. First as a driver starting in 1958 until his retirement in 1992, and currently as a team owner.

Before the driver intro's, Petty was introduced and honored. Then the drivers for the Nextel race came out on stage, all wearing the same signature cowboy hat Petty has always worn. Pretty funny. Then all the drivers were stopping to get their hats signed by Petty. The guy is a legend for sure, and you would have thought the drivers were all 12-years-old, the way they were acting with asking to get their hats signed.

After the intro's, I walked along the pit area for awhile, shooting drivers as they waited for the race to start, along with getting photos of people involved with their team's sponsors. P.R. stuff they have to do to make sure the money keeps rolling in.

Kyle Busch celebrates his win by smoking his tires.
Image copyright Kokomo Tribune 2008

This race didn't hold a lot of surprises either, just a few at the end. A few caution flags were dropped. With a few laps left, Kyle Busch passed Jimmie Johnson after it went from a yellow caution back to green.

Busch drove into the grass along the front stretch, partially tearing up the grass. It might have been neat, except for the rain the area got the morning of, causing the field to be a soggy mess. His crew ran out and helped push him out for a proper celebration of another burnout on the front stretch.

The opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.

Comments containing off-color or hateful language may be removed.

Blood Donor

Levi Bowman works on his car for the Howard County Fair demolition derby later that evening. According to Bowman, "She runs like a top as long as I can keep the drive shaft in."

Image copyright Kokomo Tribune 2008

Going over to the demolition derby while I was at the fair probably was the highlight of my day spent there. Shooting animals, and yes I did get some photos of goats, part of the fair queen judging, but this is much more interesting. What can one say, its a demolition derby, lots of jerry-rigging and hammering before going out to compete. Lots of fun to take photos of though. And the shirt just makes it complete.

T

The opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.

Comments containing off-color or hateful language may be removed.

The opini

The Need for Speed (On 2 Wheels)

Niccolo Canepa gets a little air as he accelerates leaving the first s-curve at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during rookie open testing.
Image copyright Kokomo Tribune 2008

Got a chance to shoot one of the Moto GP practice days at the Indianapolis Speedway this week. Very interesting experience.

After five years of shooting the Indy 500, I am definitely a converted gearhead. This wasn't always the case.

When I was at Ball State, I was able to do my required internship experience by shooting for Reuters wire service the summer of 1996, before my senior year.

It wasn't an exciting experience. As interns (unpaid) we were basically cannon fodder for Reuters. We were assigned to a turn and spent all day there shooting cars as they went by. For much of the time that meant we just got photos of cars passing by. If a car happened to wreck in our turn, then that definitely increased our chances of seeing our picture used in some way.

I didn't see a wreck the whole month, not that one is ever happy to see a wreck, but when that's the only thing one is assigned to do it can make a photographer stir crazy. And that was back when the month seemed stretched out much more, now practice and qualifying is much more compressed.

My memories from that month were hanging out with the other photographers and the heavy, HEAVY rain that we got. I remember sitting in my car in a flooded field, eating ding dongs and drinking MGD (there's a taste combination).

The first few years I was in Kokomo, I wasn't interested in shooting the Indy 500. I thought it was just standing in a turn. More of the same, how wrong I was. The 500 brings out several hundred thousand fans just on race day alone. It's an interesting study of humanity on such a huge scale, to me it transcends the sports aspect of it. I've been pretty successful in the five years I've shot the race, improving my images each year I think, which always makes a photographer happy.

All of this experience has made me look forward to the upcoming inaugural Moto GP race this September. The last cycle race at the Speedway was in 1909, the year the track opened. That's amazing, 99 years ago. And the cycles move much, much quicker than they did back then.

The track was open for several rookie competitors in the Moto GP circuit to learn the track and get some time in on their bikes.

The speeds are little different from the Indy cars, the cycles going a little slower on some parts of the track, particularly going through the s-curves. But considering the cycles are a smaller target, it makes it just as difficult to shoot as a larger car.

I shot the above image as the cycle came out of the s-curve near turn one and Niccolo Canepa gunned it heading into the next curve. Nearly all the riders got a little bit of front tire air which always looks pretty cool. I stood and waited as each rider came by because I knew I wanted a good shot of a cycle, with the "flying wing" on the wall behind it as a possible centerpiece for the article. And I got lucky that Canepa popped a good one right in front of me.

Head to my Sportsshooter page to see more images from the practice session.

As I sometimes say, I'd rather be lucky than good. Shooting 10 frames a second certainly doesn't hurt either.


The opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer. Comments containing off-color or hateful language may be removed.