February always means two things for me. Superbowl and Daytona. I already did the Superbowl blog so lets take a look back at an action packed trip to the World Center of Speed. The Daytona International Speedway.

The first race of a new NASCAR season always has plenty of storylines. New drivers with new teams, new paint jobs and sponsors are always a big deal at the beginning of the season. For 2012 the big story was by far the first Sprint Cup race for Miss Danica Patrick.

In the 5 years I have been shooting here I’ve learned people either love Danica or they hate her.

If you hate her then this blog will piss you off because with her being the story she was I shot tons of pics of her. *Disclaimer Given*

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 640iso, f4.5, 1/320th, Aperture Priority

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 1600iso, f2.8, 1/500th, Aperture Priority

Below, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Danica Patrick pulls out of the garage to head on track for Daytona 500 practice.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 200iso, f5, 1/640th, Manual

Looking at the damaged car of Sprint Cup series driver Kasey Kahne (below) makes his new sponsorship make so much sense…

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 320iso, f6.3, 1/640th, Manual

Heres some highlights from the Twin Qualifier races held on the Thursday before the 500.

Below, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Danica Patrick (10), Trevor Bayne (21) and Mike Wallace (37) go low to avoid the crashing cars of David Gilliland (38), Juan Pablo Montoya (42) and Paul Menard (27) during race one of the Gatorade Duel at Daytona International Speedway.

Nikon D700, 850mm, 400iso, f7.1, 1/4000th, Aperture Priority

Danica actually did a respectable job during the race but in one of the few remaining laps she would get punted and spin off the exit of turn two and nail the inside wall, below.

Nikon D700, 850mm, 400iso, f6.3, 1/1600th, Aperture Priority

Below, NASCAR champion Tony Stewart celebrates winning race one of the Gatorade Duels at Daytona….

Nikon D700, 850mm, 400iso, f6.3, 1/1000th, Aperture Priority

….while a tow truck drops off what remained of Danicas car back in the garage, below.

Nikon D700, 850mm, 400iso, f5.6, 1/12500th, Aperture Priority

Below, Below, NASCAR driver Matt Kenseth celebrates winning race one of the Gatorade Duels at Daytona.

Nikon D700, 850mm, 800iso, f5.6, 1/2000th, Aperture Priority

One of the more exciting races of Speedweeks is the Truck Series race held under the lights.

Below, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers Paulie Harraka (5) and Jason Leffler (18) crash during the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 1000iso, f5.6, 1/640th, Manual

One of the biggest crashes of the weekend would be a single truck incident involving driver Miguel Paludo (32) who would get loose off turn four and head towards the inside wall….

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 1000iso, f5.6, 1/640th, Manual

Paludo would impact the inside soft wall with enough force to push the wall all the way in upon impact…

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 1000iso, f5.6, 1/640th, Manual

…the wall would rebound and send Paludo helicoptering through the air…

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 1000iso, f5.6, 1/640th, Manual

… the impact was so big that it ripped the radiator completely from the truck which added to my shot by putting a nice background behind the truck…

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 1000iso, f5.6, 1/640th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 1000iso, f5.6, 1/640th, Manual

….in a shower of sparks Paludo would finally land and continue spinning…

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 1000iso, f5.6, 1/640th, Manual

…towards the end of the crash the truck would burst into flames.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 1000iso, f5.6, 1/640th, Manual

Below, Miguel Paludo waves to the fans as he walks away uninjured to a waiting ambulance to be checked out.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 1000iso, f5.6, 1/500th, Manual

After that savage crash you would think the drivers might calm down and race easier?

False!

Below, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Parker Kligerman (29) and Ross Chastain (08) crash during the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 1000iso, f5.6, 1/500th, Manual

Shortly after that crash we would wad up several more trucks in the tri-oval as NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers Brendan Gaughan (2), David Starr (81), Ryan Sieg (39), Nelson Piquet Jr (30) and Parker Kligerman (29) crashed during the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway.

Nikon D700, 6400mm, 6400iso, f2.8, 1/800th, Manual

Late in the race it seemed Johnny Sauter would be in line to take the checkered flag but while leading he would get turned from behind…

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 1000iso, f5.6, 1/500th, Manual

… and tag the outside wall taking him out of the race.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 1000iso, f5.6, 1/500th, Manual

On the last lap of the race we would have the biggest crash of the night when Joey Coulter would get turned and go airborne into the catch fence, below. The crash occurred directly below my shooting position which is the worst spot for me to be able to get shots. Check out the thick steel catch fence post snapping as the truck flies into it!

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 1000iso, f5.6, 1/640th, Manual

Luckily Coulter would land on the ground right side up and slide to a spark filled stop. Coulter would be uninjured.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 1000iso, f5.6, 1/500th, Manual

The big winner of the race would be a driver I never heard of, John King, below.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 1000iso, f5.6, 1/640th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 1000iso, f5.6, 1/400th, Manual

The truck race set the action bar pretty high for the remaining two races of the weekend.

Lets move on to the Nationwide Series race where Danica Patrick would be starting on the pole for the first time in her NASCAR career.

Below, NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Danica Patrick (7) follows the pace car alongside Trevor Bayne prior to the green flag of the DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway.

Nikon D700, 280mm, 400iso, f5.6, 1/4000th, Aperture Priority

Danica has shown some promise on the restrictor plate tracks so I was very hopeful that she would have a strong day and contend for the win.

Early in the race that would all go to hell as Patrick would get turned by her teammate while bump drafting and crash into the turn three wall, below.

Nikon D3S, 850mm,400iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Aperture Priority

Her Go Daddy Chevy would suffer some pretty heavy front end damage that would destroy her chances of contending for the win.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 400iso, f7.1, 1/2500th, Manual

Lots of races have their trouble spot for the drivers. For this race the problem area seemed to be in turn four. That worked perfectly for me since my shooting position high above the track was the perfect position to cover all the turn four carnage.

Below, Nationwide Series driver Justin Allgaier (31) is lifted off the ground as he crashes along with the cars of Kenny Wallace (09), Reed Sorenson (52), Michael Annett (43), Mike Wallace (01) and Denny Hamlin (18) during a turn 4 pileup during the DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway

Nikon D3S, 500mm, 500iso, f7.1, 1/3200th, Aperture Priority

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 500iso, f7.15.6, 1/3200th, Aperture Priority

A few laps later Sam Hornish Jr (12) would spin in the middle of traffic off turn four, below.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 500iso, f7.1, 1/4000th, Aperture Priority

The last lap of the race would provide us with a very interesting finish when NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers Kyle Busch (54), Ricky Stenhouse Jr (6), Cole Whitt (88), Kurt Busch (1), Kasey Kahne (38), Joey Logano (20), Trevor Bayne (60), Tony Stewart (33) and Elliott Sadler (2) would crash coming out of the final turn on the last lap during the DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway. If you look all the way on the right corner of the shot James Buescher (30) who was in 11th place in the last turn on the last lap.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 500iso, f7.1, 1/3200th, Aperture Priority

The field would all crash in the turn.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 500iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Aperture Priority

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 500iso, f7.1, 1/3200th, Aperture Priority

Allowing James Buescher to pick up his first career Nationwide Series victory.

Buescher would park his car in the infield grass below me and climb atop his car with arms raised. His shadow in the grass alongside him added to the shot.

Nikon D3S, 600mm, 500iso, f7.1, 1/1250th, Aperture Priority

Nikon D3S, 600mm, 500iso, f7.1, 1/1600th, Aperture Priority

That brings us to the final day of the weekend, the Daytona 500.

Rain was in the forecast right around race time but NASCAR always does everything to get all the pre-race festivities out of the way so that when the rain eventually stops they can get right to the racing.

Below, recording artist Lenny Kravitz performs a concert prior to the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 800iso, f5.6, 1/800th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 1000iso, f5.6, 1/1000th, Manual

Below, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson holds daughter Genevieve Johnson as he reaches out to high five a young fan during driver introductions…..

Nikon D700, 70-2000mm, 250iso, f2.8, 1/800th, Manual

….while Tony Stewart goes the other route and instead stares down his adoring fans.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 250iso, f2.8, 1/800th, Manual

A wall of fans (below) photograph driver Carl Edwards during driver introductions.

Nikon D700, 850mm, 250iso, f2.8, 1/800th, Manual

With perfect timing, the rain began pouring down within minutes of the scheduled start time to the Daytona 500.

Below, Sprint Cup driver Kyle Busch is led back to the garage with his umbrella holding PR rep.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 320iso, f2.8, 1/40s0th, Manual

When you see the NASCAR officials walking off pit road you know its gonna be awhile, below.

Nikon D700, 320mm, 320iso, f2.8, 1/640th, Manual

With rain in the forecast for the rest of the day they decided to call it a day and reschedule the race for prime time on Monday night.

Below, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Danica Patrick passes her crew members on pit road prior to the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. With her being such a big name and it being her first career Sprint Cup race I would be keeping a close eye on her all night.

Nikon D3S,600mm, 8000iso, f4, 1/500th, Manual

Below, in front of a surprisingly full Monday night crowd, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle take the green flag to begin the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

Nikon D700, 5000mm, 5000iso, f2.8, 1/640th, Manual

Usually the first half of a race like the Daytona 500 can be quite boring since the drivers realize you can’t win the Daytona 500 until the end of the race but you can lose it on the very first lap.

In this Daytona 500 there were no losers until the second lap when Jimmie Johnson (48) would get turned into the wall. In the below shot you can see his car sliding back across the track. There is always a chance the car will slide down across the track and nobody else will crash….

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 10000iso, f5.6, 1/640th, Manual

…. that would not be the case this time as Danica Patrick (10) would lose control….

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 10000iso, f5.6, 1/640th, Manual

….her car would head right to the outside wall and for a second it appeared as if she may save the car….

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 10000iso, f5.6, 1/640th, Manual

…. until the car of David Ragan (34) would slide into the crash right into the path of Danicas out of control car….

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 10000iso, f5.6, 1/640th, Manual

….. along with Trevor Bayne and Kurt Busch, Ragan and Patrick would slide into the infield….

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 10000iso, f5.6, 1/640th, Manual

….While Danica’s car was not damaged enough to be out of the race it was bad enough that she would spend many laps behind the wall for repairs and have no shot at a decent finish.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 10000iso, f5.6, 1/500th, Manual

Below, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Greg Biffle leads the field as Terry Labonte (32) spins off of turn four.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 10000iso, f5.6, 1/640th, Manual

During caution periods at Daytona I set my cameras down and run a few feet away from the photographers platform to my laptop set up where I can download, edit and transmit images within minutes of their occurrence. If I work fast I can almost always get the images of a crash downloaded, edited, captioned and posted to the wire before the field gets back under the green flag.

While editing images during a caution, as I always do, I kept my radio and headset on to hear what was going on. While editing pics I heard the MRN announcers freak out about a crash on the backstretch while the field was circling the track under caution.

While thats incredibly rare it sometimes happens. Then the announcers say how he hit a jet dryer. Thats all I needed to hear to jump up from my computer and up to the photo platform to grab my camera!

Below, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Juan Pablo Montoya (in red) runs from his car after hitting a jet dryer under caution during the Daytona 500. Note the jet fuel pouring from the truck and down the banking of the track.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 10000iso, f5.6, 1/400th, Manual

Below, Safety crews were quickly on the scene to extinguish the flames to Montoya’s car (left) but then the fuel from the jet dryer ignited and a fire quickly enveloped it….

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 10000iso, f5.6, 1/500th, Manual

…as the flames followed the jet fuel down the track in a spectacular waterfall of fire….

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 10000iso, f5.6, 1/500th, Manual

… safety crews were quickly on the scene to put out the flames.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 10000iso, f5.6, 1/500th, Manual

The safety crews did a great job of getting the flames put out but it caused some pretty big damage to the race track, below.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 10000iso, f5.6, 1/500th, Manual

After about an hour of cleaning and repairing the track we would get the race under the green once again.

Below, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Aric Almirola goes low to avoid the spinning cars of Casey Mears (13) and Marcos Ambrose (9) exiting the tri-oval.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 10000iso, f5.6, 1/640th, Manual

A few laps later the exit of the tri-oval would once again be the action spot with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Jamie McMurray (1) and Brad Keselowski (2) crashing in a shower of sparks, below.

Nikon D3S, 600mm, 8000iso, f5.6, 1/640th, Manual

And one more time there would be a crash exiting the tri-oval, below, with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers David Reutimann (93), Ryan Newman (39), Ricky Stenhouse Jr (6), Dave Blaney (36) and Tony Stewart (14) crashing in the closing laps of the race.

Nikon D3S, 600mm, 8000iso, f4, 1/800th, Manual

In the end it would be Matt Kenseth leading Greg Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr to his second Daytona 500 victory.

Nikon D3S, 600mm, 8000iso, f4, 1/640th, Manual

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 5000iso, f2.8, 1/800th, Manual

Here are a few shots of the semi boring celebration, below.

Nikon D3S, 600mm, 8000iso, f4, 1/640th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 1000iso, f5.6, 1/400th, Manual

Walking back across the track after editing I had to stop and shoot a few images as the fog rolled in over the empty track that just an hour ago had well over 125 thousand people inside.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/250th, Manual

Next up is NASCAR in Phoenix.

I have a Facebook page devoted my photography where I routinely share my favorite photos from each shoot as well as favorite photos from the past. Click the below banner to check it out. Be sure to “like” the page so you can be kept up to date on all the events I am doing!

The second race on the 2012 NHRA was my favorite stop on the circuit. Not because its a cool track or its a big race but because I get to sleep on my own bed every night. Lets get right to the action of a gorgeous weekend in the Arizona desert.

On the Thursday before the race began I was invited out to the track to participate in the NHRA media race. I had never done it before so I figured I’d give it a shot.

After a quick safety meeting with an NHRA official and “teachers” Matt Hagan and Antron Brown we received our helmet and headed to our family car looking Fusions.

The helmets they had us wear were ridiculous helmets that looked straight out of the 1950s. Don’t believe me? Check out the self portrait below!

It was a field of 16 drivers. In the first round I lined up alongside fellow NHRA photographer Richard Shute. He had beat in me qualifying on a holeshot but in eliminations when it counted I was able to defeat him as well as the next three drivers I met in the next rounds to win the race!

Below, NHRA funny car driver Matt Hagan (left) and top fuel driver Antron Brown (right) present me with a plaque recognizing the win.

Photo by Andy Willshire

That was a fun and interesting way to begin my weekend so lets hit the track for Friday qualifying.

Below is a cool shot of top fuel dragster driver Antron Brown as he mean mugs me while preparing to fuel his nitro breathing beast.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 400iso, f2.8, 1/640th, Manual

That Antron pic is just one of the many photos included in my Toyota Racing blog that I do following each race. Click the below link to check it out and see some of my best images weeks before you will see them on my blog!

Below, pro stock driver Erica Enders is all smiles as she sits in the cockpit of her car in the staging lanes prior to making a qualifying pass.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 100iso, f5, 1/250th, Manual

Below, Funny car driver Jack Beckman does a burnout in his cool looking Schumacher Electric car alongside Courtney Force.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 200iso, f5, 1/2000th, Manual

Wearing his Marilyn Monroe tribute helmet, top fuel dragster driver Steve Torrence (below) sits in the cockpit of his car prior to a qualifying pass.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 200iso, f8, 1/250th, Manual

While cruising through the pits between qualifying sessions I noticed some awesome sun light hitting the face of Antron Brown as he chatted with his crew in the pits, below.

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 400iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Aperture Priority

Below, Pro stock driver Vincent Nobile launches off the starting line during a qualifying pass at Firebird International Raceway. See that tower in the background? As a kid growing up at this track as my father Gil was on the starting line shooting pics I would hang out in that tower playing with my hot wheels cars. True story!

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 100iso, f3.2, 1/1600th, Manual

Below, 15 time funny car champion John Force does a burnout alongside 1 time funny car champion Matt Hagan.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 100iso, f3.5, 1/1000th, Manual

The staging lanes at Firebird aim right to the west so for the second session of qualifying I spent a little time trying to take advantage of the awesome sunlight shining right onto the drivers.

Below, top fuel driver David Grubnic sits in the cockpit of his Kalitta Racing dragster during qualifying in Phoenix.

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 250iso, f3.5, 1/3200th, Aperture Priority

You would think its easy to get cool shots of the drivers being lit up by the sun but nearly every driver would position a crew member to block the sun with his body or an umbrella or they’d take the route Morgan Lucas (below) took by simply attempting to shield the sun with their hand.

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 320iso, f3.5, 1/3200th, Aperture Priority

Below, top fuel dragster driver Khalid Albalooshi does a burnout in his AL-Anabi Racing car. Check out the sunlight going through his burnout smoke creating a cool orange glow on the track.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 160iso, f6.3, 1/250th, Manual

For Saturday I would spend a considerable portion at the top end of the track shooting from the bridge that spans over the track. Its the only track in the NHRA with a bridge over the track so it provides cool angles impossible to achieve at any other location we race on.

Below, NHRA top fuel dragster driver Morgan Lucas pulls off the track with a parachute out ahead of Antron Brown.

Nikon D3S, 600mm, 250iso, f7.1, 1/2500th, Manual

In funny car qualifying rookie driver Alexis DeJoria would taste the wall in her Patron Tequila Camry, below.

Nikon D3S, 600mm, 250iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Manual

Below, in one of the better looking cars on the tour, funny car rookie Todd Lesenko drives beneath me with his parachutes out following a qualifying pass.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 400iso, f5.6, 1/3200th, Aperture Priority

Members of the NHRA safety safari push the car of funny car driver Bob Tasca III (below) off the track following a qualifying pass.

Nikon D3S, 600mm, 250iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Manual

A rather large crowd filled the track during the weekend, below. In the background of the shot is South Mountain, which is one of my favorite destinations to shoot lightning photography.

Nikon D3S, 600mm, 250iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Manual

Time for the only day that matters. Raceday!

Below, I cant disagree with the hat worn by the fan in the below photo! I miss 1/4 mile racing every time I shoot a 1000ft race…

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 400iso, f2.8, 1/4000th, Aperture Priority

Below, NHRA top fuel dragster driver Doug Kalitta (left) races alongside Bob Vandergriff Jr during the Arizona Nationals at Firebird International Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 600mm, 500iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Manual

Below, Courtney Force (right) defeats father John Force in their first ever race day matchup. As you can see from Courtney’s tire tracks, it wasn’t an easy pass.

Nikon D700, 550mm, 800iso, f8, 1/4000th, Aperture Priority

Below, In a monster matchup of championship contending drivers it would be Shawn Langdon racing former teammate Morgan Lucas. Just off the starting line a fuel hose would break creating one of the bigger fireballs you will see out of a dragster…

Nikon D3S, 600mm, 200iso, f7.1, 1/1600th, Manual

The fire continued for several seconds which provided a cool mushroom cloud of fire behind the Geico car.

Nikon D3S, 600mm, 200iso, f7.1, 1/1600th, Manual

Following the fire, the NHRA Safety Safari had one hell of a messy clean up to contend with, below.

Nikon D700, 550mm, 400iso, f9, 1/200th, Manual

Below, in round two of funny car eliminations, Johnny Gray (left) would get way out of control alongside Robert Hight. Gray would slap the outside wall.

Nikon D3S,600mm, 200iso, f7.1, 1/1250th, Manual

Below, Jon Benshoof, a crew member for Antron Brown, runs down track alongside Shawn Langdon as he chases the down Antrons car to help guide him back to the starting line.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 100iso, f5, 1/500th, Manual

Dan Fletcher, below, launches off the starting line in his super stock Camaro in the semi finals. FLetcher would go on to win the race, his 76th career national event victory!

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 200iso, f4.5, 1/640th, Manual

Throughout the weekend, former MLB pitching great Randy Johnson was at the track working as a member of the media. Prior to making it big in baseball, Randy was a photojournalism major at USC and even worked for the school paper. Now that he is done with baseball, Randy has returned to his love of photography.

To see some of Randys photos from the race, CLICK HERE

Throughout the weekend many of the NHRA photographers would give Randy pointers and any advice he could need in regards to covering the 300mph sport. On Sunday I approached him to explain the most important thing about being an NHRA photographer, the dreaded photo bomb. After an explanation of what Photo Bombing entailed I went back to work shooting pics. A short while later while at the end of the track shooting the winners celebrations, Randy would put his lesson to work.

Below, stock eliminator driver Leo Glasbrenner is photo bombed by a smiling Randy Johnson after winning in the final round of the Arizona Nationals.

Time for pro winners.

Below, pro stock winner Jason Line.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 100iso, f8, 1/250th, Manual

Funny car winner Robert Hight.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 100iso, f7.1, 1/250th, Manual

Below, Robert Hight is a big baseball fan so after winning the race and seeing Randy down there shooting photos, Hight had to go for the fist bump.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 100iso, f7.1, 1/250th, Manual

In top fuel it would be Antron Brown taking home the Wally, below.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 100iso, f7.1, 1/250th, Manual

Below, top fuel runner up Tony Schumacher is beside himself as his winless streak continues on longer than anyone thought the multi time champion could go.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 100iso, f6.3, 1/250th, Manual

Below, a little post race photo shenanigans…

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 500iso, f5, 1/2500th, Aperture Priority

Following the winners celebrating at the top end with their trophies, the winners head up to the starting line for the winners circle festivities, below.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 500iso, f5, 1/1000th, Aperture Priority

Not sure why the below fan is on the ground handcuffed but I bet you alcohol was involved!

Nikon D700, 400mm, 200iso, f5, 1/500th, Manual

In the press room doing interviews following the race, the sunlight hits the eye of funny car winner Robert Hight.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 640iso, f2.8, 1/250th, Aperture Priority

Two races down, 21 to go in the 2012 NHRA season.

CLICK HERE to see all my images from the race weekend.

Next blog is a wrap up of the 2012 Daytona 500.

I have a Facebook page devoted my photography where I routinely share my favorite photos from each shoot as well as favorite photos from the past. Click the below banner to check it out. Be sure to “like” the page so you can be kept up to date on all the events I am doing!

After lots of football and basketball during the NHRA off season, I was more than happy to be heading to Pomona to kick off the 2012 season. Lots of new drivers, teams, paint jobs and for me clients had me super stoked for the season to begin.

This blog is about two months late due to me being behind. I have a second blog I do for Toyota Racing that is always updated the day after each race. Click the below banner to check out the Pomona Toyota photo blog.

With Pomona being an easy five hour drive from Phoenix I always opt to drive. Not only does it save money but it allows me to drive my own car instead of some lame ass rental car.

Wednesday I had a quick team shoot with top fuel dragster driver Steve Torrence.

The team wasn’t looking for anything fancy, just a few shots of the car for handouts, team shots and some portraits of Steve.

Nikon D3s, 24-70mm, 100iso, f8, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 100iso, f10 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 100iso, f10, 1/250th, Manual

Lets move forward to Thursday with the opening qualifying session of the season.

Below, rookie funny car driver Courtney Force sits strapped into the seat of her car as she practices pulling the parachutes back in the teams pit area. This is an angle I have never been able to get before, a funny car driver in the car with the body down. In this case I was able to get it since a crew member was holding open the roof hatch and the car wasn’t running. I literally leaned on the car and held the camera over the top of her open roof hatch.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 4000iso, f3.2, 1/320th, Aperture Priority

After finishing the in car practice she climbed out and I got the below shot of her reflecting off the side of her tow vehicle as she took her helmet off.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 250iso, f9, 1/1250th, Manual

Below, NHRA pro stock driver Rodger Brogdon does a burnout in his newly sponsored MAV TV car during qualifying at the Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 100iso, f6.3, 1/1250th, Manual

Not only were there new teams and drivers but for just the third time in the 61 year history of NHRA we had a new official starter. Below is NHRA starter Mark Lyle during his first day on the job as the man in charge.

Nikon D700,70-200mm, 250iso, f6.3, 1/1250th, Aperture Priority

In the below shot you can see John Force (left) looking on in his fire suit for daughter Courtney Force’s first run in an NHRA event. As soon as she made her run he ran back to his car to get strapped in for his qualifying pass.

Nikon D3s, 400mm, 200iso, f5.6, 1/12000th, Manual

While Courtney Force certainly has a lot of hype and media attention there is another female rookie funny car driver running the season. Alexis DeJoria in her Tequila Patron Toyota Camry funny car should also be a force (pun intended) to be reckoned with. With 2011 top fuel dragster champion Del Worsham working as her crew chief, Alexis should go some rounds in 2012. 

Nikon D700,24-70mm, 100iso, f7.1, 1/1250th, Aperture Priority

While roaming through the staging lanes during qualifying I spotted Supercross star James “Bubba” Stewart checking out the nitro cars, below.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 100iso, f8, 1/1250th, Manual

Below, following a championship winning 2011 at the wheel of the Al-Anabi Racing pro mod car, Khalid alBalooshi took over the seat formerly occupied by last years champion Del Worsham. With Del now retired it opened up arguably the best ride in drag racing. Should be fun to see how he adapts to top fuel.

Nikon D3s, 400mm, 200iso, f5.6, 1/1600th, Manual

When shooting on the starting line one thing that I am always hoping for but rarely get is the two cars doing their burnouts side by side. Due to each team having their own timing routines for their burnouts it rarely happens, luckily I did get the below shot of top fuel dragster drivers Bob Vandergriff Jr (near) and Terry McMillen doing their burnouts.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 100iso, f8, 1/250th, Manual

Below, top fuel dragster driver Shawn Langdon (near) races alongside former teammate Morgan Lucas during qualifying at the Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. I think we will quickly have a rivalry between these two drivers.

Nikon D700,24-70mm, 100iso, f7.1, 1/1250th, Manual

Below, the NHRA safety safari puts out a fire to the dragster of Steve Chrisman during qualifying on Friday.

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 200iso, f6.3, 1/2500th, Aperture Priority

Saturday we would be greeted with cold and cloudy conditions. Those are welcome conditions since I would be spending the day at the top end where heat waves quickly ruin images. The cold temps would eliminate nearly all heat waves.

Below, pro stock driver Warren Johnson does a wheelie in the shutdown area as the car bounces following no parachutes. Warren would keep the car under control and safely make the turn off at the end of the track.

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 640iso, f6.3, 1/2000th, Manual

Below, funny car driver Courtney Force (left) races alongside Jack Beckman during qualifying for the Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 640iso, f7.1, 1/5000th, Manual

The car of top fuel dragster driver Clay Millican aims straight at me as he slows to a stop following an engine explosion during the third round of pro qualifying, below.

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 800iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Manual

Below, top fuel dragster driver Antron Brown (near) slows to a stop in the shutdown area alongside new Al-Anabi Racing driver Shawn Langdon.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 400iso, f7.1, 1/1250th, Manual

Below is a good shot to illustrate the awesome paint job on the top alcohol funny car driven by Mark Woznichak. Mark is a professional painter so he always has the nicest looking paint jobs.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 640iso, f5, 1/3200th, Aperture Priority

During the first round of top alcohol dragster eliminations I would witness one of the wildest and certainly scariest crashes I’ve ever shot. Driver Mike Austin (below) would lose control of his car and hit the wall and fly over it!

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 640iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Manual

To see the FULL SEQUENCE and my play by play CLICK HERE!

Austin would be unhurt in the wild crash. Following a lengthy clean up, the rains would come and wash out the days activities.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 320iso, f5.6, 1/400th, Aperture Priority

Later that night during the NHRA coverage on ESPN2, I would get a little TV time courtesy of my Mike Austin Crash shot.

I didn’t get the chance to talk during the interview but it was still some solid press for me. CLICK BELOW TO SEE VIDEO.

Ok time for race day.

I was happy to see that “photo bombing” is still alive and well in the NHRA world as proven by the below shot in which Pro Mod driver Leah Pruett busts out a photo bomb as top fuel driver Steve Torrence fuels his car up….

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 3200iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

…. meanwhile the rest of the Torrence Racing crew is hard at work rebuilding the engine before the first round of eliminations.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 4000iso, f4, 1/500th, Manual

Nitro fills the air, below, as fans pack the Morgan Lucas Racing pit area while the teams warm up their cars before eliminations.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 320iso, f5.6, 1/1600th, Aperture Priority

Below, funny car driver Tim Wilkerson has a fire under the body of his funny car following a round win during the Winternationals.

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 400iso, f7.1, 1/2500th, Manual

Wilkerson would bring the car to a quick and safe stop and hopped out of the roof hatch (below) waving for the safety safari to spray some water.

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 400iso, f7.1, 1/2500th, Manual

Under threatening skies, top fuel dragster driver Tony Schumacher does a burnout during the second round, below.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 400iso, f5.6, 1/1000th, Manual

Below, super gas driver Mike Hunt waits in his car in the staging lanes during sportsman eliminations.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 100iso, f5.6, 1/1250th, Manual

Below, super gas driver Dave Pearson shows his game face as he waits to make a run.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 1250iso, f2.8, 1/3200th, Aperture Priority

Heat waves fill the air (below) as top fuel drivers Spencer Massey, right, races alongside teammate Tony Schumacher in the semi finals.

Nikon D700, 400mm, 640iso, f4.5, 1/800th, Manual

Final Round time.

In pro stock (below) it would be Greg Anderson, right, defeating Jeg Coughlin Jr in a close race.

Nikon D700, 600mm, 2000iso, f6.3, 1/1600th, Manual

Below, pro stock driver Greg Anderson celebrates after winning the Winternationals.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 100iso, f5.6, 1/250th, Manual

In the funny car final (below) it would be John Force, right, defeating teammate Mike Neff.

Nikon D700, 600mm, 2000iso, f5.6, 1/1600th, Manual

With a nice sunset in my background Force would climb from his car….

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 160iso, f5.6, 1/1250th, Manual

…. and celebrate with his first wally since last July in Denver.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 160iso, f5.6, 1/250th, Manual

Closing out the weekend would be the top fuel dragster final (below) where Spencer Massey, left, would defeat his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Antron Brown.

Nikon D700, 600mm, 2000iso, f5.6, 1/1600th, Manual

As you can see, Spencer was a happy guy!

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 160iso, f5.6, 1/250th, Manual

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 160iso, f5.6, 1/200th, Manual

Next  blog posting will be the second NHRA race of the season at my home track of Firebird Raceway near Phoenix.

Stay tuned!

To see all my images from the weekend searchable by drivers name CLICK HERE!

I have a Facebook page devoted my photography where I routinely share my favorite photos from each shoot as well as favorite photos from the past. Click the below banner to check it out. Be sure to “like” the page so you can be kept up to date on all the events I am doing!

A few months ago I was lucky enough to shoot my fourth Super Bowl game. This game would be a rematch of the 2009 Superbowl that took place in Arizona between the Patriots and the Giants. Now if only this game could be as exciting as that one!

Shooting a Superbowl isn’t one of those events you fly in the morning of the game, shoot the game and then go home. Being credentialed for a Superbowl typically means covering lots of press conferences and events for the wire.

Below is a view of the media hotel I was in for the week.

I so happened to end up at a few exclusive parties in the days leading up to the big game.

Below, First up are a few shots from the Leather and Laces party at the Regions Bank Tower which featured Playboy playmates Bridget Marquardt (left), Holly Madison (center) and Kendra Wilkinson. I was doing the shoot for USA Today so I was given very special access and was one of only two photographers in attendance to get taken into the models VIP area to get them posed together for the shot.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 1250iso, f4.5, 1/1250th, Manual

It was like most parties I attend with nearly naked models hanging from the ceiling pouring vodka into the partiers mouths…

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 2000iso, f4.5, 1/1250th, Manual

After a little while at the Leather and Laces party it was a cab ride to an old wherehouse building on the outskirts of the city to attend the Maxim party. The Maxim party is usually referred to as the most difficult ticket to get in town. With that in mind I was more than happy to attend.

As soon as we walked into the party I heard a familiar voice on a stage singing. It would be none other than rapper Ludacris.

Here are a few shots I managed to take during the last two minutes of the show.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/640th, Manual

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/640th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 2000iso, f2.8, 1/640th, Manual

After the concert there really wasn’t much to see. With the game the next day I just wanted to get back to the media hotel and pass out! With that in mind we headed out of the party and down an empty red carpet. As we were goofing around taking stupid pictures a few people walked in and down the desolate red carpet. We stood out of the way and as they walked past they stopped and posed for us. We didn’t know who the hell we were shooting but fired away and pretended we were there to shoot them.

A little while later we figured out the person we shot was super stoned looking actor Stephen Baldwin, below.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 2000iso, f5, 1/1250th, Manual

After shooting Baldwin I took a fun pic with good friend Guy Rhodes who was shooting video for USA Today.

By this point its 1:30am on the morning of the Super Bowl and I needed my beauty sleep. All that was missing was a cab. A parking attendant said his buddy was a cab driver and he called him to come pick us up. When the “cab” arrived we were quite surprised to see the below van.

We didn’t really have any other choice and I was tired so we took the risk and hopped in. The guy ended up being super cool and we got to the hotel without being mugged or raped.

Early on Super Bowl morning we had a US Presswire team meeting where we discussed strategy, positions, responsibilities and such. We had a white board with the plan drawn out and everything!

Following the team meeting it was about a quarter mile walk to the Lucas Oil Stadium. Luckily for us the weather was great.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 250iso, f4, 1/12000th,Aperture Priority

For the second year in a row I would be shooting the game from the field. The previous two times I had shot from an elevated position in the grandstands which is still a cool spot but it lacks the excitement and electricity that you feel when down on the field for the game where seemingly everyone in the world is watching.

Below is an overall view of Lucas Oil Stadium about six hours prior to kickoff of the game.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 1600iso, f4, 1/500th, Manual

Below, New York Giants super fan Joe Rubach displays a long line of customized license plates before Super Bowl XLVI against the New England Patriots at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/1600th, Manual

Below, New England Patriots wide receiver Chad Ochocinco warms up on the field prior to the game.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/1600th, Manual

Below, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) shakes hands with head coach Bill Belichick before the game.

Nikon D700, 400mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/1600th, Manual

Below, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell walks the sidelines prior to the game.

Nikon D700, 400mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/1600th, Manual

For the team introductions sideline photographers were supposed to stay off the field. The view from the sidelines was horrific due to all sorts of flags and banners in the way. Just prior to the Giants taking the field I spotted two photographers with vests the same color as mine out on the field feet away from where the players would be. Next thing I know my legs take over and run me out onto the field where I was able to use a wide angle lens and get low to shoot up (to clean up the messy backgrounds) and the below photo of Giants quarterback Eli Manning was the result.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/1000th, Manual

For the game I would be spending both halves on the Giants sideline. When you are restricted to a sideline its all about having good luck with the players coming to your side of the field.

Ok lets get this game going.

Below, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) is tackled by New England Patriots players including Patriots outside linebacker Rob Ninkovich (50) during the first half of Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/1000th, Manual

Below, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) drops back to pass during the first half of Super Bowl XLVI against the New York Giants at Lucas Oil Stadium. On this play he would be called for a safety.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/1000th, Manual

Below, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) celebrates with a fist to the sky after throwing a touchdown pass during the first half of Super Bowl XLVI against the New England Patriots at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 100iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Below, New England Patriots free safety Sterling Moore (29) breaks up a pass intended for New York Giants wide receiver Mario Manningham (82) during the first half of Super Bowl XLVI.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

The first half of the game went rather quick, sadly I didn’t have much for action on my side of the field.

At most other games I cover halftime is when I haul ass to media room and download, edit, caption and send my images to the wire but for Superbowl we had a whole team of talented editors being fed images by our four card runners. Instead of having to do all that work, I stayed on the field to shoot the halftime show featuring Madonna and Nicki Minaj.

Below, the stage that was quickly constructed during the first commercial break of halftime comes to life with lights shining all different directions.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 3200iso, f2.8, 1/100th, Aperture Priority

Looking like a scene from the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the Indiana Marching Band (below) came out onto the field through some crazy light shining across the field.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/500th, Manual

Then the star of the halftime show, Madonna, came out on a massive chair being carried.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/640th, Manual

Below, Recording artists SkyBlu (left) and RedFoo (right) of LMFAO perform with Madonna (center) during the halftime show for Super Bowl XLVI.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/500th, Manual

Below, Recording artists Nicki Minaj sings during the halftime show.

Nikon D700, 600mm, 3200iso, f4, 1/640th, Manual

Towards the end of the performance all the fans helped participate in the show by holding up LED lights placed on all their seats prior to the game. By shooting with a wide angle lens I was really able to illustrate the moment, below.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 3200iso, f2.8, 1/200th,Aperture Priority

As Patriots quarterback Tom Brady came out onto the field for the second half he looked up to one of the suites and pointed to them, below.

Nikon D700, 200mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Below, New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez (81) celebrates after catching a touchdown pass during the second half of Super Bowl XLVI against the New York Giants at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Below, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) throws a pass during the second half against the Patriots.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Below, New York Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw runs the ball during the Super Bowl against the Patriots.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

In the fourth quarter I had a small moment of TV time as New York Giants wide receiver Mario Manningham (82) made a catch in front of New England Patriots free safety Sterling Moore (29) running right at me.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

By this point I was pretty confident I was about to get laid out but its the Super Bowl so I stuck with the play and focused on getting the shots.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

At the last second #32 on the right would slightly push Manningham and instead of hitting me straight on he would only glance off me.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Here is a funny shot by coworker Matt Emmons from the sidelines showing me (left) bailing at the last possible second as he hits me.

Photo by Matt Emmons

Within seconds of being hit my cell phone started buzzing like crazy as text after text came in from friends around the country who had just seen me get hit. In the 10 minutes following that play I received texts from over 50 people.

The game winning play ended up being an average photo from my angle (below) as New York Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw (44) would fall backwards into the end zone to score a touchdown against the New England Patriots.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

The Patriots would get the ball back with less than a minute on the clock. It was gonna take a miracle for them to score in so little time so I stopped shooting the game and instead went to the Giants bench to be close to Eli Manning to shoot his reaction to becoming a two time Super Bowl champion.

Through some good pushing and shoving I was in a perfect spot right in front of Eli as he watched the final play of the game, below.

Nikon D3S, 14mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Just as Eli was about to celebrate I would end up getting pushed from behind and would actually have to put me arm on Eli to try not and be pushed into him. As bad luck would have it his celebration shot that I was so perfectly set up for would fail as I got distracted by the pushing at exactly the wrong moment.

Check out the below photo that was printed in the next days Indianapolis Star. I am in the bottom left of the shot with my arm on Eli completely missing the shot. #FAIL

Manning would run out to the middle of the field to celebrate with teammate Justin Tuck, below. Check out all the media running towards Eli from every direction on the field.

Nikon D3S, 14mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Within seconds Eli was completely surrounded by overzealous media doing everything they could to muscle their way to the front to get their shots.

Nikon D3S, 14mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Below, confetti falls inside Lucas Oil Stadium as the scoreboard shows the Giants as the Super Bowl champions.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 2500iso, f4.5, 1/1600th, Manual

The scrum of media around Eli continued to grow to a full on riot of photographers, below.

Nikon D3S, 14mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

I wasn’t happy with my jube shots thus far so I quickly pushed my way back through the photographers to get up close as Eli is led towards the podium with the game ball safely tucked into his arm, below.

Nikon D3S, 14mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Below, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning points into the crowd as he celebrates after the Giants defeated the New England Patriots 21-17 in Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm,2500iso, f3.5, 1/1000th, Manual

The classic shot to take after the Super Bowl is of the MVP holding the trophy with confetti falling. The below picture works perfectly!

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 2500iso, f4, 1/1000th, Manual

Can’t forget to do a super close up of the trophy with random hands hoisting it, below.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 2500iso, f3.5, 1/1000th, Manual

Here is the view inside the still photographers media room as everyone edits away to get their images to to world, below.

Nikon D3S, 14mm, 8000iso, f2.8, 1/640th, Manual

About an hour after the game I tagged along with one of our editors Kyle Terada to help him take down remote cameras high above the field in the catwalks.

The below shot gives you a good view of confetti covering a sizable portion of the field.

Nikon D3S, 14mm, 4000iso, f5.6, 1/640th, Manual

After surviving the catwalks it was back down to the field where I celebrated the completion of my fourth career Super Bowl with a nap in the confetti.

And that wraps up the game. While it was an average game for me with little action on my side of the field it was still a successful week that I can’t wait to do again next year in New Orleans!

I have a Facebook page devoted my photography where I routinely share my favorite photos from each shoot as well as favorite photos from the past. Click the below banner to check it out. Be sure to “like” the page so you can be kept up to date on all the events I am doing!

Just over a month ago I packed my suitcases and flew to West Palm Beach, Florida for a week of NHRA preseason testing. I was working for several clients so it would be one hell of a busy week for me.

Upon my Tuesday arrival in humid south Florida I headed straight out to the track to get to work shooting pics of all the new paint jobs and drivers that would be making their 2012 season debut in just a few weeks in Pomona.

Below, crew members load the car of top fuel dragster driver Antron Brown into the hauler following a day of testing at Palm Beach International Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 5000iso, f2.8, 1/60th, Aperture Priority

One of the cars I would be shooting the hell outta was the capsuled dragster of seven time top fuel champion Tony Schumacher. In the below shot in the teams pit area you can see the capsule sitting separate from the car as crew members work near the engine.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 64000iso, f2.8, 1/160th, Manual

Wednesday morning I would return to the track nice and early to begin shooting.

In the below frame, crew members for NHRA top fuel driver Antron Brown use a push dolly to maneuver the 25 foot long rocket back into the pit area following a run.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 1250iso, f7.1, 1/1250th, Manual

South Florida is full of interesting wildlife, such as this butterfly hanging out on a flower, below.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 640iso, f5.6, 1/640th, Aperture Priority

Running alongside the drag strip is a road course that was rented out to a Ferrari sports cars club. While waiting for a dragster to fire up and make a pass I heard skid marks and a loud bang. I quickly ran over to the fence separating the two tracks from each other and saw the below site. Whoops!

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 400iso, f5.6, 1/600th, Manual

Almost looking like a top fuel drag boat driver climbing into his capsule was Tony Schumacher (below) as he prepared to make a pass in his futuristic fueler.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 160iso, f8, 1/250th, Manual

One awesome thing about testing is there are no NHRA officials in attendance to prevent me from pushing the envelope on shooting positions.

In the below frame of top fuel driver Spencer Massey I knelt down on the track in front of the water box with my camera touching the ground to pick up the reflection of the car.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 500iso, f5, 1/800th, Manual

Below, newly crowned funny car champion Matt Hagan heads to his car prior to making a late afternoon run.

Nikon D700, 400mm, 640iso, f2.8, 1/600th, Aperture Priority

During testing I was doing some work for Don Schumacher Racing (DSR), which fields the largest team of pro drivers. The team wanted a portrait of the seven drivers along with team owner Don Schumacher. Everyone seemed to be in a big hurry while I was trying to do the group shot so I literally only had two minutes to get the group shot done. With it being all about speed I handed a 1600watt strobe to Megan, Dons daughter, and told her to point it at the group and I ended up with the below shot. For how incredibly simple of a setup it was I cant complain!

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 100iso, f7.1, 1/250th, Manual

One of the bigger stories for the 2012 NHRA season has to be the debut of yet another Force daughter driving a funny car, this year it will be Courtney Force driving the awesome looking Traxxas sponsored funny car.

Below, crew members put the body on her car back in the pits as they prepped the car for the season.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 100iso, f4, 1/150th, Aperture Priority

Below, by putting my camera on the ground just behind the launching car of funny car driver Jim Head, I was able to clean up the rather distracting background and fill it with cool late afternoon clouds.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 100iso, f5,1/250th, Manual

Top fuel driver Spencer Massey hams it up for my camera as he prepares to hop into his dragster for a dusk pass.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 100iso, f6.3, 1/250th, Manual

Kneeling down in between the two lanes of the track gave me a great angle to shoot the capsuled car of Tony Schumacher doing his burnout, below.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 320iso, f5.6, 1/250th, Manual

Tell me this car doesn’t look badass launching off the starting line, wheels up with header flames out of the pipes. I sure hope NHRA officials approve this car for competition. I think its the future of the sport.

Nikon D700, 800mm, 800iso, f4, 1/500th, Manual

Under moody evening clouds, Ron Capps does his burnout in the NAPA sponsored Dodge Charger funny car.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 800iso, f5, 1/60th, Manual

With the cool clouds in the sky I noticed Brandon Bernstein hanging out behind the starting line. WIth Bernstein as one of my clients this season I figured it would be a perfect time to get a cool portrait of him. Right as I go to shoot the photo we would get photo bombed by funny car driver Jeff Arend, below.  Thanks Jeff!

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 1250iso, f4, 1/50th, Manual

Ever wondered the view all the crew guys standing behind the car enjoy when it launches at night? Wonder no further as I present the view standing right behind the starting line as Doug Kalitta blasts off the starting line.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 1250iso, f2.8, 1/100th, Manual

The next car up would be top fuel rookie Khalid Albalooshi driving the car that took Del Worsham to the championship last season. This season Worsham is retired and doing the crew chief duties for funny car rookie Alexis DeJoria. For Albalooshis launch I knelt down just off the side of the groove behind the car and got some incredibly tall header flames pouring out of the engine as Khalid dropped the pedal, below.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 2000iso, f2.8, 1/60th, Manual

Below, funny car driver Jack Beckman launches off the starting line on a run.

Nikon D700, 4000mm, 5000iso, f2.8, 1/40th, Manual

During a break in the action one day I was chatting with my buddy Roger Richards about wanting to see an alligator in one of the many canals surrounding the track so we headed to one of the spots near the pro pits. Sadly no gators were to be found.

Roger then suggested another location that was usually good for gators so along with my good friend Guy Rhodes, we hopped into my rental car and drove about a 1/4 mile to another location. I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t think for a second we would actually see any gators. And if we did I figured they would be far away so I grabbed my 400mm lens to hopefully get some shots.

Within seconds of arriving at location #2 much to my surprise we saw about an eight foot gator catching some rays along the edge of the water.

Here is a shot with my 400mm, below.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 400iso, f8, 1/800th, Aperture Priority

Just above the gator was a concrete block that I instantly figured would allow me to get dangerously close to the gator at an awesome angle for photos. With my bravado in full swing all I needed was to borrow a wide angle lens for the closeup shot I desperately wanted to get.

In the below frame shot by Roger Richards you can see just how close I was to the hissing beast!

Photo by Roger Richards

And here is the view from my camera of the gator that I dubbed with the fitting name “Chompers.”

Nikon D3S, 10.5mm, 400iso, f5.6, 1/1000th, Aperture Priority

Ok, enough risking of my life shooting wildlife. Back to work!

Below, top fuel dragster driver Steve Torrence races down track in his CAPCO Contracting sponsored car.

Nikon D700, 400mm, 640iso, f4, 1/400th, Manual

Below, funny car driver Mike Neff launches off the starting line in his Castrol GTX sponsored Mustang.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 1600iso, f4, 1/50th, Manual

Below, following a portrait shoot of Jeff Arend for Toyota Racing, I had to hop in the shot for a fun pic with one of the more fun drivers on the circuit.

Photo by Guy Rhodes

With two more days of shooting left in the week long trip I began running out of ideas for cool shots. I had already shot all the cars from numerous angles so I decided to try something I have wanted to do for over a year now. Renting a helicopter and doing aerials of nitro cars!

With a regional airport containing a helicopter rental company just a few miles from the track there was no better time and place to try out my idea.

With 9 dollars a minute (starting when the rotors start spinning and ending when the rotors stop spinning) being charged to my debit card it would certainly be an expensive shoot. But as long as I got some cool pics I wouldn’t care!

Below, I always have to pose for a shot in the helicopter so that when it crashes and I die, there will be a good in memorial photo for my funeral. My coffin of choice for this day would be a four seater R-44. (I’m dead serious about that being the reason I always take a pic in the chopper!)

Photo by Guy Rhodes

Below, the shadow of the chopper can be seen on the ground as we lift off from the airfield to make out way to the track.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 400iso, f5.6, 1/2500th, Aperture Priority

Below, an aerial view of Palm Beach International Raceway during the PRO Winter Warmup.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 400iso, f4, 1/1600th, Aperture Priority

I thought I had timed it well to arrive above the track just when the top fuel cars would begin racing but unfortunately they were running about 15 minutes behind schedule. Oh thats fine,  the delay only cost me 135 dollars as we hovered above the track wasting fuel!

Below, the view from above the shutdown area as a pair of top fuel dragsters race down track towards me.

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 500iso, f4, 1/1250th, Aperture Priority

Tony Schumacher (below) pops a parachute in the shutdown area following a 300 mph pass.

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 1000iso, f4, 1/1600th, Aperture Priority

The biggest mistake I could have made in the air was to shoot every car from similar angles. The whole purpose of renting the chopper was to be able to show off a unique view of the sport everyone is used to seeing from ground level.

As each car ran I would instruct the pilot to move to a different location around the track.

Below, the view from behind the starting line as crew members watch top fuel driver Hillary Will as she launches off the starting line.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 2500iso, f2.8, 1/2000th, Aperture Priority

Courtney Force does a long burnout in her funny car as a full grandstand of spectators look on, below.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 2500iso, f4, 1/640th, Aperture Priority

Here is another overall view of the track as the sun sets over the flat surface of Florida.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 2500iso, f4, 1/5000th,Aperture Priority

Below, funny car driver Johnny Gray races downtrack in his Tire Kingdom sponsored Charger.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 50000iso, f2.8, 1/800th, Manual

The last race of my flight would be John Force against Tim Wilkerson. I talked the pilot into being nearly directly over the racing surface (something he absolutely did not wanna do) to get the below shot as the two funny car veterans raced off the line, below.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 5000iso, f2.8, 1/640th, Manual

That wrapped up my first attempt of aerial NHRA photography. It only cost me about 800 bucks! It was worth it though as I got some pretty cool pics but even more importantly, I had fun!

Below, jet dragster driver Marisha Falk shoots flames out of the back of her 300 mph jet on wheels prior to making a run.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 200iso, f4, 1/4000th, Aperture Priority

Being back on the ground shooting the following day was nowhere near as fun as I had being in the air so finally I decided to rent the helicopter one more time and see what I could come up with at some higher altitudes.

On the way to the airport I spotted a raccoon running across the road in front of me. I nailed the brakes and jumped out with my camera to try and get a shot of it. The raccoon climbed a tree so now I would have a cool view of the more than likely rabies infested creature, below.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 250iso, f4, 1/250th, Aperture Priority

Below, late afternoon shadows make what would typically be a boring shot of the stationary dragster of Clay Millican look cool.

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 800iso, f5, 1/2500th, Aperture Priority

Crew members, below, push the dragster of Terry McMillen out of the pit area prior to towing up to the staging lanes to make a pass

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 1600iso, f4, 1/2500th, Aperture Priority

Here is a shot taken by Guy Rhodes from the backseat of the helicopter as I fire away up front.

Photo by Guy Rhodes

Below, the car of Hillary Will is towed to the staging lanes alongside trees and swamps.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 4000iso, f4, 1/1600th, Aperture Priority

After the 15 minute delay to racing the previous day I contemplated taking off later than normal just to prevent money from being wasted hovering around again but earlier in the day I had seen the run order for the evening and noticed the first pair to race would be John Force racing alongside daughter Courtney Force for the first time ever. With that in mind I had us flying above the track right at 5pm when the first pair was supposed to race.

Of course they started even later this time, 20 minutes late (180 dollars wasted).

Below, funny car driver John Force (black car) races alongside daughter Courtney Force.

Nikon D3S, 4000mm, 4000iso, f4, 1/5000th, Aperture Priority

Even starting 20 minutes late there was a massive line on fans waiting to get into the track, below.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 1250iso, f4, 1/400th, Aperture Priority

The previous day we flew at about 300 ft off the ground. While some of the shots were cool, overall I was unhappy with the images. For the second flight we took the chopper up to 1000ft which gave a much cooler vantage point.

Below, Tim Wilkerson races alongside Johnny Gray.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 100iso, f4, 1/50th, Manual

Below, funny car driver Bob Tasca III races alongside Jeff Arend. (Note the flash from the photographer firing on the right)

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 3200iso, f2.8, 1/1000th, Aperture Priority

Below, Mike Neff races alongside Ron Capps.

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 5000iso, f4, 1/1000th, Manual

As soon as the cars launched I instructed the pilot to try and follow along the cars going down the track. Of course they quickly passed the helicopter but we were able to catch back up with Ron Capps in the shutdown area to get the below parachute shot.

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 5000iso, f4, 1/1000th, Manual

The pilot I had for this flight was like the previous days pilot in that he wouldn’t hover directly over the track for me due to safety concerns if the engine of the helo failed.

For the below shot of Robert Hight (left) racing alongside Cruz Pedregon we positioned behind the starting line. The resulting shot came out pretty cool as it reminded me of playing with my electric slot cars as a child and driving them up walls.

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 5000iso, f4, 1/800th, Manual

My last run before heading back to the airport was the below frame of Matt Hagan racing downtrack. Just off the edge of the track was a chain link fence with several fans up against it for the closest view you can possibly get of a car going 300mph next to you. Not exactly sure why security would let spectators stand in such a dangerous spot but I guess thats not my problem!

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 6400iso, f4, 1/800th, Manual

And that wraps up a productive week of NHRA testing in Florida.

To see ALL of my images from testing CLICK HERE

I have a Facebook page devoted my photography where I routinely share my favorite photos from each shoot as well as favorite photos from the past. Click the below banner to check it out. Be sure to “like” the page so you can be kept up to date on all the events I am doing!

At the beginning of January I made my first flight of the year up to Indianapolis to shoot portraits of the 2012 Aarons NHRA drivers.

The two NHRA drivers for Aarons in 2012 are Antron Brown in top fuel and Matt Hagan in his funny car. The two drivers are both teammates at Don Schumacher Racing so the location for the shoot would take place in the DSR shop in Brownsburg, IN.

During my flight to Indianapolis we would fly right past the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I always try and carry a camera onboard with me just for situations like this.

In the first pic, below, you can see the Speedway at the bottom and up in the top left of the shot you can see downtown Indianapolis.

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 100iso, f4, 1/1000th, Manual

As luck would have it the plane would bank again and give me an even closer angle as we prepared to land. That pic looks like I was actually in the air to shoot aerials of the track. I love dumb luck!

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 100iso, f4, 1/1000th, Aperture Priority

Day One:

The first objective of the shoot was to shoot some car shots where Aarons graphic designers could easily cut the car out of the shot for use in advertising. While it was reassuring to know I didn’t have to worry about the backgrounds as much, I still wanted the shots to look cool outta the camera.

Shooting something as big as a car requires a good lighting tech. Luckily I was referred to a local photographer named Matt Bowen, who would be on hand to help make my shoot go smoothly.

Below is a view of what the setup looked without the strobes firing.

Photo by Matt Bowen

By turning on the strobes on the white wall but none on the car I was able to produce the below silhouette shot of Matt Hagans Aarons funny car.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 100iso, f6.3, 1/250th, Manual

With all the strobes on this was the look of the shots, below.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 400iso, f8, 1/250th, Manual

With all the lights off except a soft box held directly over the car this is what the shot looked like…

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 200iso, f5.6, 1/250th, Manual

The next day we would have to shoot drivers with their cars so we tested our lighting setup with a person in it. I am not afraid to be in front of the camera so I pretended to be Hagan (below) so we could get the setup ready for the drivers.

Photo by Matt Bowen

After finishing up the car shots with the funny car it was time to shoot the much longer and harder to shoot dragster.

Going into the shoot I thought it would be impossible to light a 25 ft car with just a few lights but its amazing how little light you need when the room you’re shooting in is nearly all white with plenty of bounce lighting going on. Below, Matt makes an adjustment on the main light.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 400iso, f7.1, 1/250th, Manual

Below, a rear three quarter view of the Aarons dragster driven by Antron Brown.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 320iso, f8, 1/250th, Manual

With all the car shooting occurring on Sunday while the shop was closed it was up to us to get the cars moved around for the various angles I needed to shoot. I got a nice trial by fire on how to operate a top fuel dolly for moving the nose of the car around. Without that dolly it would be like the scene in Austin Powers where he tries to do a u-turn in the golf cart in the hallway…

Photo by Matt Bowen

At the end of day one I would put the two cars close together and fire off a couple overall shots with both cars.

Nikon D3S, 12-24mm, 320iso, f8, 1/250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 12-24mm, 250iso, f8, 1/250th, Manual

Day Two:

Day two would begin bright and early with Antron Brown in the house.

The day two objective was to get a few shots of each driver with their car followed by shots of them on a white backdrop for use in life sized cardboard stand ups.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 100iso, f8, 1/250th, Manual

Shooting Antron is always easy… and more importantly fun. Fun photos are easy to come by with Antron, below.

Nikon D3S, 24-700mm, 100iso, f8, 1/250th, Manual

After some of the standard lit shots of Antron, we switched up the light set up to do some artsy shots.

In the below photo of the setup it looks like a normal shot but with the lights powered up and my exposure turned down it would produce some cooler looking shots.

Photo by Matt Bowen

Here are a few examples of the moody dark shots…

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 100iso, f9, 1/250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 100iso, f11, 1/250th, Manual

In the corner of the shop we set up a small full length studio to accomplish the main objective of the shoot…

First up was Antron solo for some shots.

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 100iso, f5.6, 1/250th, Manual

After all of Antrons solo shots we brought Hagan in for some group shots, below.

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 100iso, f5.6, 1/250th, Manual

At one point we did a few shots of the two drivers face to face. It looked like a fight was about to break out so I jumped in the middle to prevent bruises on my two models…

Photo by Matt Bowen

Below is one of my favorite shots of the shoot as in the middle of shooting Antron turned to the sized and let out a big yawn as Hagan looked on.

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 100iso, f5.6, 1/250th, Manual

Below, Matt bends down for a shot to allow Antron to be the tall one.

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 100iso, f5.6, 1/250th, Manual

After finishing up the group shots it was time to shoot Matt Hagan by himself, below.

Photo by Matt Bowen

The 2011 funny car champion smiles for the camera, below.

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 100iso, f5.6, 1/250th, Manual

Here is a wide photo of the corner of the shop where we did the portrait stuff, below.

Nikon D3S, 12-24mm, 100iso, f5.6, 1/250th, Manual

The last objective of the shoot was to get some shots of Hagan with his car.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 100iso, f14, 1/250th, Manual

I ended up shooting several poses with Matt and his car…

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 100iso, f7.1, 1/250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 100iso, f7.1, 1/250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 100iso, f7.1, 1/250th, Manual

That wraps up the shoot.

Prior to landing home in Phoenix I was able to get the below photo of downtown Phoenix (bottom left) with mountainous terrain all around.

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 250iso, f3.5, 1/3200th, Aperture Priority

That wraps up my first travel shoot of what will surely be a busy 2012!

I have a Facebook page devoted my photography where I routinely share my favorite photos from each shoot as well as favorite photos from the past. Click the below banner to check it out. Be sure to “like” the page so you can be kept up to date on all the events I am doing!

My last shoot of 2011 was up in Vegas where I shot UFC 141 at the MGM Grand. The main fight of the evening was a heavyweight matchup between Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar but it would be upstaged by the prior fight between Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz.

Since I am so far behind on blogging (this post is only a month and a half late!) I am just gonna throw captions on these pics instead of providing my random thoughts on the shoot…

Below, Manvel Gamburyan vs Diego Nunes

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/1000th, Manual

Below, Jacob Volkmann vs Efrain Escudero

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Below, Dong Hyun Kim vs Sean Pierson

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Below, Anthony Njokuani vs Danny Castillo

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/12500th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/12500th, Manual

Below, Ross Pearson vs Junior Assuncao

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Below, Jimy Hettes vs Nam Phan

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f3.2, 1/12500th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 3200iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Below, Johny Hendricks vs Jon Fitch

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/200th, Manual

Below, Nate Diaz vs Donald Cerrone

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f3.2, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 4000iso, f3.2, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f3.2, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 3200iso, f3.2/1250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f3.2, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f3.2, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f3.2, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f3.2, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/1000th, Manual

Below, Brock Lesnar vs Alistair Overeem

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f3.2, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f3.2, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/1000th, Manual

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f3.2, 1/1250th, Manual

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/500th, Manual

I have a Facebook page devoted my photography where I routinely share my favorite photos from each shoot as well as favorite photos from the past. Click the below banner to check it out. Be sure to “like” the page so you can be kept up to date on all the events I am doing!

I have been shooting NHRA drag races for over 22 years (since I was 10 years old!) and thought I had seen and shot it all. With all the wild rides I have seen over the years, nothing really surprises me. During the first round of eliminations in the top alcohol dragster category at the NHRA Winternationals, driver Mike Austin got my attention as he went for quite possibly the wildest ride I have ever seen in my life.

Below, In his first round matchup against Jim Whiteley, Mike Austin (left) would get close to the center line…

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 640iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Manual

Austin would get off the throttle but it was too late. At this point his dragster was traveling close to 200mph….

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 640iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Manual

The car began would go on two wheels as Austin would try and counter steer the car….

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 640iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Manual

Unfortunately, when all four wheels are off the ground you are no longer a driver, you’re a passenger…

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 640iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Manual

At this point I figured the car would hit the wall and slide on its side…

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 640iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Manual

Instead, the front end of the car barely cleared the concrete wall, ripping off one of his front wheels…

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 640iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Manual

With the front end of the car over the wall the only thing that was gonna keep him on the track were the giant rear wheels…

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 640iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Manual

The impact into the wall seemed to cause Austins foot to hit the throttle (judging by the tire growth and heat waves from exhaust)…

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 640iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Manual

Note the front wheel taking off as if shot out of a cannon…

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 640iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Manual

Once the spinning rear wheels hit the wall, the car powered forward….

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 640iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Manual

And launched on top of the wall…

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 640iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Manual

And WAY over the wall…

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 640iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Manual

As I was shooting this sequence I literally couldn’t believe my eyes…

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 640iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Manual

The spinning rear tires seemed to provide a gyroscopic effect and the car rotated over in the air…

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 640iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Manual

While it looks like his car is about to go into the crowd its just an illusion. The crowd is safely behind the action looking on…

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 640iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Manual

What goes up must come down and it was about time for Mike Austins flight to come to an end…

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 640iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Manual

Sadly it would be a rough landing as the car would land nearly inverted…

Nikon D3s, 600mm, 640iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Manual

After that shot the car would disappear behind the wall.

It was a tense few minutes listening to the broadcast before they would finally come over the PA system and announce that Mike Austin was unhurt.

I could go to the drag races another 22 years and will probably never see anything as wild and crazy as this!

Here are a few other blogs with some of my crash photos.

Best crashes of 2011

Best crashes of 2010

Best crashes of 2009

Best crashes of 2008

I have a Facebook page devoted my photography where I routinely share my favorite photos from each shoot as well as favorite photos from the past. Click the below banner to check it out. Be sure to “like” the page so you can be kept up to date on all the events I am doing!

It is finally time to bring my “Best of 2011″ series to an end with everyones favorite category (except those who appear in these pics) with my Best of Crash and Burn. Not many years ago many of the crashes you see in this post would have resulted in injuries for the drivers but thanks to todays safety technology every driver seen in this blog would walk away. The same can’t be said for their race cars!

Below, Feb 12, 2011; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; ARCA Racing Series drivers Maryeve Dufault (12), Steve Blackburn (68), Steve Arpin (25), Milka Duno (63), Nick Igdalsky (23) and Bryan Silas (11) crash during the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway.

Nikon D3S, 850mm,4000iso, f5.6, 1/640th, Manual

Below, Feb 17, 2011; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Joey Logano flies through the air after hitting the inside wall during race two of the Gatorade Duel at Daytona International Speedway.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 500iso, f5.6, 1/2500th, Aperture Priority

Below, Feb 17, 2011; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Gordon (right) goes low as David Ragan (6) and Trevor Bayne (21) crash on the last lap during race two of the Gatorade Duel at Daytona International Speedway.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 800iso, f5.6, 1/2000th, Aperture Priority

Below, Feb 18, 2011; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers Travis Kvapil (5), Ron Hornaday (33), Brendan Gaughan (62), Jason White (23), Shane Sieg (93), Todd Bodine (30) and T.J. Bell (50) are involved in a multi truck crash during the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway.

Nikon D3S, 600mm, 6400iso, f4, 1/500th, Manual

Below, Feb 18, 2011; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers James Buescher (31), Austin Dillon (3), Chris Fontaine (84), Kyle Busch (18) and Parker Kligerman (29) crash during the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway.

Nikon D3S, 600mm, 6400iso, f4, 1/500th, Manual

Below, Feb 19, 2011; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; Grass flies as NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Brad Keselowski crashes through the infield grass during the DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 400iso, f6.3, 1/2000th, ManualAperture Priority

Below, Feb 20, 2011; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Brian Keselowski (92), Andy Lally (71), Joe Nemechek (87), Jimmie Johnson (48), Matt Kenseth (17), Greg Biffle (16), Mark Martin (5), Brian Vickers (83), Marcos Ambrose (9) and David Reutimann (00) are involved in a multi car crash during the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 400iso, f5.6, 1/3200th, Aperture Priority

Below, Feb 20, 2011; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Greg Biffle (16) crashes during the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 200iso, f5.6, 1/1250th, Aperture Priority

Below, Mar. 5, 2011; Las Vegas, NV, USA; NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Josh Wise goes airborne after sliding into the infield grass during the Sams Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 200iso, f5.6, 1/1600th, Aperture Priority

Below, Mar. 19, 2011; Chandler, AZ, USA; LOORRS limited buggy driver Bruce Fraley loses a tire as he flips over during round one at Firebird International Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 200iso, f4, 1/6400th, Aperture Priority

Below, Mar. 19, 2011; Chandler, AZ, USA; LOORRS pro four driver Josh Merrell flips over a wall as he crashes during round one at Firebird International Raceway.

Nikon D700, 260mm, 320iso, f4, 1/2000th, Aperture Priority

Below, Apr. 2, 2011; Las Vegas, NV, USA: NHRA funny car driver Brian Thiel blows an engine in flames during qualifying for the Summitracing.com Nationals at The Strip in Las Vegas.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 400iso, f7.1, 1/1600th, Manual

Below, May 7, 2011; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Supercross rider Mike Alessi crashes hard during the AMA Supercross Series Championship at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/800th, Manual

Below, May 20, 2011; Topeka, KS, USA: NHRA top fuel dragster driver Terry Sainty explodes an engine during qualifying for the Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka.

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 5000iso, f4, 1/400th, Manual

Below, May 28, 2011; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indy Light driver Anders Krohn (9) spins alongside Jorge Goncalvez (4) during the Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Nikon D700, 550mm, 640iso, f4, 1/3200th, Aperture Priority

Below, May 30, 2011; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indy Car Series driver Ryan Briscoe (6) and Townsend Bell (99) crash into the turn one wall during the 95th running of the Indy 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 250iso, f4.5, 1/2500th, Aperture Priority

Below, Jun. 18, 2011; Bristol, TN, USA: NHRA top fuel dragster driver Troy Buff blows an engine during qualifying for the Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 400iso, f6.3, 1/1250th, Manual

Below, Jun. 18, 2011; Bristol, TN, USA: NHRA pro mod driver Roger Burgess crashes in a ball of fire during eliminations at the Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 800iso, f5, 1/1250th, Manual

Below, Jun. 19, 2011; Bristol, TN, USA: NHRA funny car driver Cruz Pedregon has a fire during eliminations at the Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 400iso, f5.6, 1/2000th, Manual

Below, Jul. 1, 2011; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers Steve Wallace (66) and Brian Scott (11) crash as they take the checkered flag during the Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona International Speedway.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/500th, Aperture Priority

Below, Jul. 1, 2011; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers Elliott Sadler (2), Steve Wallace (66), Danica Patrick (7), Tony Stewart (9) and Mike Wallace (01) crash on the last lap during the Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona International Speedway.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 6400iso, f5.6, 1/500th, Manual

Below, Jul. 1, 2011; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Mark Martin (5), Martin Truex Jr (56), Travis Kvapil (38), Clint Bowyer (33), Joe Nemechek (87), Landon Cassill (51), Regan Smith (78), Tony Stewart (14) and Brian Vickers (83) crash as Dale Earnhardt Jr (88) goes low to avoid during the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 6400iso, f5.6, 1/500th, Manual

Below, Jul. 2, 2011; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Jimmie Johnson (48), Dale Earnhardt Jr (88), Jeff Burton (31), A.J. Allmendinger (43) and Ryan Newman (39) crash on the last lap during the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 6400iso, f5.6, 1/500th, Manual

Below, Jul. 23, 2011; Morrison, CO, USA: NHRA funny car driver John Force blows the body off his car after an explosion during qualifying for the Mile High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 3200iso, f3.5, 1/1000th, Manual

Below, Aug. 6, 2011; Kent, WA, USA; NHRA funny car driver Jack Beckman exits his smoking car after having an engine explosion and fire during qualifying for the Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways.

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 500iso, f6.3, 1/2500th, Aperture Priority

Below, Aug. 20, 2011; Brainerd, MN, USA: NHRA funny car driver John Force has a fire as he explodes an engine during qualifying for the Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 500iso, f7.1, 1/1600th, Manual

Below, Aug. 20, 2011; Brainerd, MN, USA: Detailed view of oil spilling from the engine of the car of NHRA top fuel dragster driver Scott Palmer during qualifying for the Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 3200iso, f5.6, 1/2500th, Manual

Below, Sept. 3, 2011; Claremont, IN, USA: NHRA pro mod driver Chip King crashes into the wall during qualifying for the US Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway.

Nikon D700, 550mm, 250iso, f6.3, 1/2000th, Aperture Priority

Below, Sept. 5, 2011; Claremont, IN, USA: NHRA top fuel dragster driver Terry McMillen explodes an engine in a ball of fire during the US Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 400iso, f7.1, 1/1250th, Manual

Below, Oct. 1, 2011; Mohnton, PA, USA: NHRA top fuel dragster driver Terry McMillen explodes an engine in flames during qualifying for the Auto Plus Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.

Nikon D700, 550mm, 500iso, f5, 1/1000th, Manual

Below, Oct. 1, 2011; Mohnton, PA, USA: NHRA top fuel dragster driver Brandon Bernstein (right) blows a tire alongside Doug Kalitta during qualifying for the Auto Plus Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.

Nikon D700, 850mm, 1000iso, f5.6, 1/1600th, Manual

Below, Oct. 14, 2011; Chandler, AZ, USA; NHRA top fuel dragster driver Cory McClenathan leaves a trail of fire on the track after breaking a fuel line during qualifying for the Arizona Nationals at Firebird International Raceway.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 1250iso, f4.5, 1/250th, Manual

Below, Oct. 23, 2011; Talladega, AL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (18) is hit by Juan Pablo Montoya (42) during the Good Sam Club 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 640iso, f7.1, 1/4000th, Aperture Priority

Below, Oct. 28 2011; Las Vegas, NV, USA: NHRA top fuel dragster driver T.J. Zizzo explodes an engine in flames during qualifying for the Big O Tires Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Nikon D3S, 600mm, 8000iso, f4, 1/500th, Manual

Below, Oct. 28 2011; Las Vegas, NV, USA: NHRA pro mod driver Khalid Balooshi blows an engine in flames during qualifying for the Big O Tires Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Nikon D3S, 600mm, 1000iso, f4, 1/500th, Manual

Below Nov. 11, 2011; Pomona, CA, USA; NHRA top alcohol funny car driver Brian Smith crashes into the sand trap and net containment system after his parachutes failed to deploy during qualifying at the Auto Club Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Nikon D3S, 600mm, 500iso, f6.3, 1/2000th, Manual

Below, Nov. 12, 2011; Pomona, CA, USA; NHRA top fuel dragster driver Dom Lagana explodes an engine in flames during qualifying at the Auto Club Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Nikon D3S, 850mm, 800iso, f6.3, 1/2500th, Manual

Below, Nov. 13, 2011; Pomona, CA, USA; NHRA funny car driver Melanie Troxel crashes into inflatable signage after a stuck throttle in the second round during the Auto Club Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Troxel would be ok in the incident.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 400iso, f5.6, 1/1000th, Aperture Priority

Below, Dec. 9, 2011; Chandler, AZ, USA; LOORRS pro four unlimited Liam Doran crashes and flips during qualifying for round 15 at Firebird International Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 200iso, f4, 1/2000th, Aperture Priority

Below, Dec. 10, 2011; Chandler, AZ, USA; LOORRS pro 2 unlimited driver Robby Woods flips during round 15 at Firebird International Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 640iso, f24.5, 1/3200th, Aperture Priority

Below, Dec. 10, 2011; Chandler, AZ, USA; LOORRS pro 2 unlimited driver Rob MacCachren (1) crashes after contact with Brian Deegan during round 15 at Firebird International Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 640iso, f4.5, 1/500th, Aperture Priority

Below, Dec. 10, 2011; Chandler, AZ, USA;  LOORRS pro two unlimited driver Phil Bollman (65) rides over Nick Tyree (91) during round 15 at Firebird International Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 640iso, f4.5, 1/400th, Aperture Priority

Below, Dec. 11, 2011; Chandler, AZ, USA; LOORRS super lite driver Chad George (42) crashes into the catch fence during the Lucas Oil Challenge Cup at Firebird International Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 400iso, f4.5, 1/2500th, Manual

Below, Dec. 11, 2011; Chandler, AZ, USA; LOORRS pro two unlimited driver Rodrigo Ampudia (right) crashes as Rob Naughton avoids on the outside during the Lucas Oil Challenge Cup at Firebird International Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 400iso, f4, 1/2000th, Aperture Priority

Below, Dec. 11, 2011; Chandler, AZ, USA; LOORRS pro two unlimited driver Kent Brascho crashes during the Lucas Oil Challenge Cup at Firebird International Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 400iso, f4, 1/1000th, Aperture Priority

And that wraps up my Best of 2011 series. Hopefully you guys enjoyed viewing the pics as much as I loved shooting them!

I have a Facebook page devoted my photography where I routinely share my favorite photos from each shoot as well as favorite photos from the past. Click the below banner to check it out. Be sure to “like” the page so you can be kept up to date on all the events I am doing!

Nearly all my life I have been covering drag racing but never have I covered near as many events as I did in 2011. With that said lets jump right into the second to last “Best of 2011″ blog with my best drag racing photos of 2011.

Below, Feb. 26, 2011; Pomona, CA, USA; NHRA funny car driver John Force (left) nearly collides with Bob Bode during qualifying for the Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 400iso, f6.3, 1/1600th, Manual

Below, Feb. 26, 2011; Pomona, CA, USA; The car of NHRA funny car driver Cruz Pedregon is towed back to the pits after Predregon took the top qualifying spot with the third quickest run in funny car history at the Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 160iso, f2.8, 1/12500th, Aperture Priority

Below, Feb. 26, 2011; Pomona, CA, USA; NHRA top fuel dragster driver Larry Dixon (left) races alongside Spencer Massey during qualifying for the Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Nikon D700, 724-70mm, 800iso, f5, 1/2000th, Manual

Below, Feb. 27, 2011; Pomona, CA, USA; NHRA top fuel dragster driver T.J. Zizzo is surrounded by pictures of NHRA legends during driver introductions at the Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 100iso, f9, 1/250th, Manual

Below, Feb. 27, 2011; Pomona, CA, USA; Auto Club Raceway at Pomona reflects in a rain puddle prior to the start of eliminations for the NHRA Winternationals.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 100iso, f5, 1/1250th, Aperture Priority

Below, Feb. 27, 2011; Pomona, CA, USA; Light shines on the eye of a competition eliminator driver in the staging lanes during the Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Nikon D700, 4000mm, 200iso, f5, 1/500th, Aperture Priority

Below, Mar. 11, 2011; Gainesville, FL, USA; NHRA comp eliminator driver Vinny Barone reflects in his side mirror during qualifying for the Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 1000iso, f2.8, 1/2000th, Aperture Priority

Below, Mar. 12, 2011; Gainesville, FL, USA; NHRA funny car drivers Johnny Gray (left) and teammate Jack Beckman do burnouts during qualifying for the Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 250iso, f5, 1/8000th, Aperture Priority

Below, Apr. 1, 2011; Las Vegas, NV, USA: NHRA pro stock driver V. Gaines during qualifying for the Summitracing.com Nationals at The Strip in Las Vegas.

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 1000iso, f5, 1/2500th, Aperture Priority

Below, Apr. 1, 2011; Las Vegas, NV, USA: NHRA funny car driver Johnny Gray hits the centerline timing blocks during qualifying for the Summitracing.com Nationals at The Strip in Las Vegas.

Nikon D700, 400mm, 320iso, f5.6, 1/4000th, Aperture Priority

Below, Apr. 29, 2011; Baytown, TX, USA: NHRA fans in the grandstands are silhouetted by the setting sun during qualifying for the Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 100iso, f5, 1/2500th, Aperture Priority

Below, Apr. 29, 2011; Baytown, TX, USA: NHRA top fuel dragster driver Morgan Lucas does a burnout during qualifying for the Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway.

Nikon D700, 24-700mm, 500iso, f5, 1/400th, Manual

Below, Apr. 30, 2011; Baytown, TX, USA: NHRA pro stock motorcycle rider Hector Arana pushes his bike as a helicopter lands behind him during qualifying for the Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 250iso, f5, 1/2000th, Aperture Priority

Below, May 1, 2011; Baytown, TX, USA: NHRA top fuel dragster driver Morgan Lucas (left) goes sideways alongside Terry McMillen as they both smoke the tires in the first round of the Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 320iso, f6.3, 1/2000th, Manual

Below, May 1, 2011; Baytown, TX, USA: A member of the NHRA safety safari dives over the wall to avoid a parachute at the turnoff road during the Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 100iso, f8, 1/250th, Manual

Below, May 1, 2011; Baytown, TX, USA: NHRA funny car driver Jeff Arend celebrates with daughter Jenna after winning the Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 320iso, f2.8, 1/800th, Manual

Below, May 13, 2011; Commerce, GA, USA: NHRA funny car driver Jim Head prepares to do his burnout as his car reflects in the waterbox during qualifying for the Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 1600iso, f3.2, 1/250th, Aperture Priority

Below, May 13, 2011; Commerce, GA, USA: A photographers flash illuminates the car of NHRA top fuel dragster driver Spencer Massey during qualifying for the Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 3200iso, f2.8, 1/400th, Manual

Below, May 14, 2011; Commerce, GA, USA: NHRA funny car driver Brian Thiel throws his gloves in anger after blowing an engine and failing to qualify for the Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 500iso, f6.3, 1/4000th, Aperture Priority

Below, May 20, 2011; Topeka, KS, USA: NHRA top fuel dragster driver Morgan Lucas during qualifying for the Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka.

Nikon D3S, 24-700mm, 100iso, f8, 1/250th, Manual

Below, Jun. 17, 2011; Bristol, TN, USA: NHRA pro mod driver Leah Pruett sits in her car during qualifying for the Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 3200iso, f2.8, 1/400th, Aperture Priority

Below, Jun. 18, 2011; Bristol, TN, USA: NHRA top fuel harley motorcycle rider Steve Dorn slows down with his parachute out during qualifying for the Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 400iso, f7.1, 1/2000th, Manual

Below, Jun. 18, 2011; Bristol, TN, USA: NHRA top fuel dragster driver Shawn Langdon turns off at the end of the track during qualifying for the Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 400iso, f6.3, 1/640th, Aperture Priority

Below, Jun. 19, 2011; Bristol, TN, USA: The car of NHRA funny car driver Jack Beckman reflects in a rain puddle during eliminations at the Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 320iso, f5, 1/320th, Aperture Priority

Below, Jun. 20, 2011; Bristol, TN, USA: NHRA pro mod driver Leah Pruett poses for a portrait at Bristol Dragway.

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 100iso, f4, 1/250th, Manual

Below, Jul, 8, 2011; Joliet, IL, USA: NHRA funny car driver Jack Beckman launches off the starting line as the sun sets during qualifying for the Route 66 Nationals at Route 66 Raceway.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 1000iso, f2.8, 1/6400th, Aperture Priority

Below, Jul, 8, 2011; Joliet, IL, USA: The cars of NHRA top fuel dragster drivers Larry Dixon (right) and Terry McMillen sit in the staging lanes prior to running during qualifying for the Route 66 Nationals at Route 66 Raceway.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 3200iso, f2.8, 1/250th, Aperture Priorityl

Below, Jul, 22, 2011; Morrison, CO, USA: NHRA funny car driver Melanie Troxel launches off the starting line as the sun sets during qualifying for the Mile High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway.

Nikon D700, 24-700mm, 640iso, f6.3, 1/250th, Manual

Below, Jul, 22, 2011; Morrison, CO, USA: NHRA top fuel dragster driver Dom Lagana launches off the starting line at sunset during qualifying for the Mile High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 1000iso, f5.6, 1/250th, Manual

Below, Jul. 23, 2011; Morrison, CO, USA: A pair of NHRA pro stock drivers race downtrack during qualifying for the Mile High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 250iso, f4, 1/1600th, Aperture Priority

Below, Jul. 23, 2011; Morrison, CO, USA: NHRA funny car driver Matt Hagan does a burnout during qualifying for the Mile High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 400iso, f6.3, 1/1600th, Manual

Below, Jul. 29, 2011; Sonoma, CA, USA; NHRA top fuel dragster driver Shawn Langdon does a burnout during qualifying for the Fram Autolite Nationals at Infineon Raceway.

Nikon D700, 24-700mm, 2000iso, f2.8, 1/250th, Manual

Below, Jul. 31, 2011; Sonoma, CA, USA; NHRA funny car driver Ron Capps (right) jokingly grabs Bob Tasca III during the Fram Autolite Nationals at Infineon Raceway.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 500iso, f3.5, 1/2000th, Aperture Priority

Below, Jul. 31, 2011; Sonoma, CA, USA; NHRA top fuel dragster driver Tony Schumacher takes in oxygen as he waits in the staging lanes prior to the first round of eliminations during the Fram Autolite Nationals at Infineon Raceway.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 500iso, f3.5, 1/3200th, Aperture Priority

Below, Aug. 7, 2011; Kent, WA, USA; NHRA top fuel dragster driver Del Worsham poses for a portrait during the Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 100iso, f9, 1/250th, Manual

Below, Aug. 7, 2011; Kent, WA, USA; NHRA top fuel dragster driver Shawn Langdon signs an autograph on a fans artificial leg during the Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 100iso, f4.5, 1/250th, Manual

Below, Aug. 7, 2011; Kent, WA, USA; The pit area of NHRA funny car driver Bob Tasca III is seen behind the fans during the Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways.

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 1000iso, f2.8, 1/8000th, Aperture Priority

Below, Aug. 19, 2011; Brainerd, MN, USA: NHRA top fuel dragster driver Cory McClenathan does a burnout during qualifying for the Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 1600iso, f3.2, 1/3200th, Manual

Below, Aug. 21, 2011; Brainerd, MN, USA: Crew members stand alongside the car of NHRA top fuel dragster driver Morgan Lucas as the national anthem plays prior to the Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 100iso, f8, 1/250th, Manual

Below, Aug. 21, 2011; Brainerd, MN, USA: NHRA top fuel dragster driver Del Worsham launches off the starting line during the Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm,100iso, f6.3, 1/250th, Manual

Below, Sept. 2, 2011; Claremont, IN, USA: NHRA top fuel dragster driver Antron Brown is seen through the front wheel of his dragster as he refuels his car prior to qualifying for the US Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 1600iso, f4, 1/400th, Manual

Below, Sept. 2, 2011; Claremont, IN, USA: The sun reflects off the tower suites as NHRA funny car driver Mike Neff does a burnout during qualifying for the US Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 640iso, f5.6, 1/1250th, Manual

Below, Sept. 3, 2011; Claremont, IN, USA: NHRA top fuel dragster drivers race down track during qualifying for the US Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 5000iso, f4, 1/3200th, Aperture Priority

Below, Sept. 4, 2011; Claremont, IN, USA: NHRA top fuel dragster driver Terry McMillen takes out the centerline timing blocks alongside Doug Kalitta during qualifying for the US Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 500iso, f5.6, 1/1250th, Manual

Below, Sept. 5, 2011; Claremont, IN, USA: NHRA top fuel dragster driver Antron Brown poses for a portrait with his trophy after winning the US Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 400iso, f5.6, 1/250th, Manual

Below, Sept. 5, 2011; Claremont, IN, USA: NHRA pro mod driver Eric Dillard poses for a portrait after winning the US Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 320iso, f7.1, 1/125th, Manual

Below, Sept. 9, 2011; Rockingham, NC, USA; ADRL extreme motorcycle rider Ashley Owens sits on his bike in the staging lanes during qualifying for Dragstock 8 at Rockingham Dragway.

Nikon D3S, 24-700mm, 100iso, f9, 1/250th, Manual

Below, Sept. 9, 2011; Rockingham, NC, USA; ADRL pro extreme driver Bubba Stanton sits in the cockpit of his car during qualifying for Dragstock 8 at Rockingham Dragway.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 100iso, f2.8, 1/800th, Manual

Below, Sept. 9, 2011; Rockingham, NC, USA; ADRL pro extreme driver Todd Tutterow launches off the starting line during qualifying for Dragstock 8 at Rockingham Dragway.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 800iso, f5, 1/1000th, Manual

Below, Sept. 10, 2011; Rockingham, NC, USA; ADRL pro nitrous driver Greg Godwin does a burnout during eliminations at Dragstock 8 at Rockingham Dragway.

Nikon D3S, 550mm, 3200iso, f4, 1/640th, Manual

Below, Sept. 18, 2011; Concord, NC, USA: NHRA funny car driver Matt Hagan poses for a portrait after winning the O’Reilly Auto Parts Nationals at zMax Dragway.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 1000iso, f5, 1/250th, Manual

Below, Sept. 23, 2011; Ennis, TX, USA: NHRA crew chief Dean Antonelli signals funny car driver John Force prior to staging during qualifying for the Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex.

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 500iso, f5.6, 1/2000th,Aperture Priority

Below, Sept. 23, 2011; Ennis, TX, USA: NHRA funny car driver Matt Hagan during qualifying for the Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 100iso, f5, 1/3200th, Manual

Below, Sept. 18, 2011; Ennis, TX, USA: NHRA top fuel dragster driver Morgan Lucas during qualifying for the Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex.

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 500iso, f5.6, 1/1000th, Manual

Below, Sept. 23, 2011; Ennis, TX, USA: A crew member for NHRA top fuel dragster driver Rod Fuller makes an adjustment to the engine during qualifying for the Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex.

Nikon D700, 400mm, 100iso, f2.8, 1/1250th, Aperture Priority

Below, Sept. 18, 2011; Ennis, TX, USA: NHRA top fuel dragster driver Larry Dixon launches off the starting line during qualifying for the Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex.

Nikon D3S, 70-200mm, 500iso, f5.6, 1/1000th, Manual

Below, Sept. 24, 2011; Ennis, TX, USA: Close up view of NHRA pro stock motorcycle rider Angie Smith in the staging lanes during qualifying for the Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 1000iso, f3.5, 1/800th, Aperture Priority

Below, Sept. 30, 2011; Mohnton, PA, USA: NHRA top fuel dragster driver Morgan Lucas launches off the starting line during qualifying for the Auto Plus Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 400iso, f2.8, 1/250th, Manual

Below, Oct. 1, 2011; Mohnton, PA, USA: The body from the car of NHRA funny car driver Cruz Pedregon is taken back to the pits after Pedregon suffered a flat tire during qualifying for the Auto Plus Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 2000iso, f4, 1/640th, Manual

Below, Oct. 14, 2011; Chandler, AZ, USA; NHRA pro stock crew members are enveloped in burn out smoke on the starting line during qualifying for the Arizona Nationals at Firebird International Raceway.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 400iso, f5.6, 1/6400th, Aperture Priority

Below, Oct. 14, 2011; Chandler, AZ, USA; NHRA funny car driver Matt Hagan (near) races alongside Robert Hight during qualifying for the Arizona Nationals at Firebird International Raceway.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 800iso, f6.3, 1/400th, Aperture Priority

Below, Oct. 14, 2011; Chandler, AZ, USA; Header flames come from the engine of NHRA top fuel dragster driver Mike Strasburg as he smokes the tires during qualifying for the Arizona Nationals at Firebird International Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 4000iso, f2.8, 1/2000th, Aperture Priority

Below, Oct. 14, 2011; Chandler, AZ, USA; NHRA jet dragster driver Elaine Watson does burner pops prior to making a nearly 300mph pass during the Arizona Nationals at Firebird International Raceway.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 5000iso, f2.8, 1/8000th, Aperture Priority

Below, Oct. 16, 2011; Chandler, AZ, USA; NHRA top fuel dragster driver Antron Brown sits in the cockpit of his dragster as he warms it up in the pits during the Arizona Nationals at Firebird International Raceway.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 1600iso, f3.2, 1/640th, Aperture Priority

Below, Oct. 16, 2011; Chandler, AZ, USA; View from the bridge looking down on NHRA funny car driver Robert Hight as he slows in the shutdown area during the Arizona Nationals at Firebird International Raceway.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 320iso, f5.6, 1/2500th, Aperture Priority

Below, Oct. 16, 2011; Chandler, AZ, USA; ESPN cameraman runs out of the way as NHRA pro stock driver Vincent Nobile slides in the dirt after winning the Arizona Nationals at Firebird International Raceway.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm, 100iso, f5.6, 1/250th, Manual

Below, Oct. 16, 2011; Chandler, AZ, USA; NHRA top fuel dragster driver Larry Dixon celebrates after winning the Arizona Nationals at Firebird International Raceway.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 320iso, f2.8, 1/8000th, Aperture Priority

Below, Oct. 27, 2011; Las Vegas, NV, USA: The car of NHRA funny car driver Alexis DeJoria on display during the fanfest at Fremont Street.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 3200iso, f5, 1/160th, Manual

Below, Oct. 28 2011; Las Vegas, NV, USA: An NHRA top fuel dragster is towed back to the pits during qualifying for the Big O Tires Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Nikon D700, 70-200mm, 320iso, f4, 1/800th, Aperture Priority

Below, Oct. 29, 2011; Las Vegas, NV, USA: NHRA pro stock motorcycle rider Michael Phillips pushes his bike up the return road during qualifying for the Big O Tires Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Nikon D3S, 600mm,250iso, f7.1, 1/2500th, Manual

Below, Nov. 10, 2011; Pomona, CA, USA; NHRA top fuel dragster driver Terry McMillen launches off the starting line during qualifying at the Auto Club Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 1000iso, f5, 1/1600th, Manual

Below, Nov. 11, 2011; Pomona, CA, USA; NHRA top fuel dragster driver Mike Ashley (left) nearly collides with Pat Dakin during qualifying at the Auto Club Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Nikon D3S, 400mm, 400iso, f7.1, 1/3200th, Aperture Priority

Below, Nov. 13, 2011; Pomona, CA, USA; NHRA top fuel dragster driver Del Worsham (left) and funny car driver Matt Hagan celebrate after winning the 2011 championship in their classes at the Auto Club Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 100iso, f5.6, 1/250th, Manual

Below, Nov. 13, 2011; Pomona, CA, USA; NHRA funny car driver Matt Hagan celebrates after winning the 2011 world championship during the Auto Club Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 100iso, f6.3, 1/250th, Manual

Below, Nov. 13, 2011; Pomona, CA, USA; NHRA pro stock driver Greg Stanfield gives a close up angle to an ESPN cameraman as he celebrates after winning the Auto Club Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Nikon D700, 24-70mm, 2000iso, f6.3, 1/250th, Manual

And that wraps up my best drag racing images of 2011. As I finish this blog I am on a layover in Atlanta, heading to West Palm Beach to shoot NHRA testing for the 2012 season. Up next is my final “Best of 2011″ blog with everyones favorite (excluding the people in the photos) my Best Crash and Burn photos of the year!

I have a Facebook page devoted my photography where I routinely share my favorite photos from each shoot as well as favorite photos from the past. Click the below banner to check it out. Be sure to “like” the page so you can be kept up to date on all the events I am doing!

©Vincent Laforet/The New York Times

THIS BLOG HAS FOUND A NEW HOME–TO READ THE MOST CURRENT VERSION OF THIS POST AND TO LEAVE COMMENTS PLEASE GO TO:

http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/2008/09/01/last-minute-advice-for-those-covering-gustav/

One of the first big decisions I had to make upon returning home from 18 days in Beijing – was wether or not to pack right back up and go cover Hurricane Gustav.   A major news magazine was asking me to go – and they gave me overnight to make a decision.   While the newsman in me definitely wanted to go, I knew that A. I just didn’t have the mental energy to live through another Katrina after an Olympics and B. it just wouldn’t be fair to my wife who had just spent 18 days alone taking care of our son.

So I passed on the assignment – which is never an easy thing to do for any photographer –  but I’m now confident that it was the right move (I’ve been catching up on a LOT of sleep these past few days – your body and mind know when to decompress and let go…)

So I thought I’d throw a few last minute thoughts together for those to covering the storm:

I. Even though the current headlines are stating that the storm will miss New Orleans or move to the West – never write off a storm.   Similar things were being said about Katrina – and some people put their guard down.  The levees, not the storm, are the story for New Orleans.

©Vincent Laforet/The New York Times

II. Make sure you have plenty of:  Fuel, water, snacks, baby wipes, maps, quarters (for payphones if they work) a fair amount of cash, extra batteries and a power converter for your car to charge laptops, cameras etc – and have a second power adapter for your laptop as it can fry easily when plugged into power converters.  Buying a few extra car fuses for the fuse box is not a bad idea either – as those blow rather easily when you plug too much into the car’s AC port(s).   Boots, bug spray, sunblock, first aid kit, and one of those cans to re-inflate your tires.

III. Remember that having all of this makes you a huge target – always watch your back.   Always have an exit strategy.   Your first consideration whenever you drive into anywhere is:  can I get out of here 15 minutes from now or a few hours from now.  Always think things through before you take any action – or it can literally be your last… don’t depend on anyone else to come rescue you – try to be entirely self-reliant at all times.  Never walk too far away from your car:  it’s your only way of getting out -and there are too many valuable things in it – to let it sit unattended.  Remember – there are no tow trucks, no police cars coming, no ambulance on their way – and likely no one manning the 911 switchboard.

©Vincent Laforet/The New York Times

IV. If you have any cell provider other than Verizon – you might want to consider picking up a disposable Verizon phone – they have the contract with the federal government and agencies – and will be the first to put emergency towers up should cell coverage become a victim to the storm or it’s aftermath.

V. Travel light – at least in terms of camera gear.   Having a backup camera and lens in a Pelican case is a good idea in case your main camera gets dunked in the water.

©Vincent Laforet/The New York Times

VI.  Don’t lose perspective:  the big story here in my opinion – is not necessarily the storm.  We’ve already seen that in Katrina… the story here is:  how much better prepared are we as a nation and how will our government deal with the aftermath this time… has any real progress been made since the horror of Katrina?

©Vincent Laforet/The New York Times

VII.  If you want to get into a helicopter – make sure you’re working with experienced people… most of the “good” pilots and helicopters were booked days – if not weeks – ago – by the oil companies to get their crew off of the oil rigs in the Gulf (and they are holding the helicopter – paying them to stay safely on the ground at the ready – to go back and put those men back on the rigs ASAP – for repairs and to resume work.)  So getting one now is close to impossible.  But keep trying.  I left my name at a local airport at their front desk – and pilots ended up finding me in the end… you never know.  And sharing a helicopter with someone else is always a good option in these situations.

VIII. Obey law enforcement – and especially the National Guard – in times like these.  This is not the time to argue.  If the storm does happen – they will be stressed out, and mentally and emotionally exhausted.  Not the time to argue with people on edge who have guns at their disposal.  In fact – it’s safe to assume most people out there have guns – so be careful.  You will be entering the Wild West.   I made friends with the national guard last time because I had extra (empty) fuel tanks – which they needed.

©Vincent Laforet/The New York Times

I’m hoping this storm fizzles out – for the people in New Orleans and the Gulf area.   No one deserves to go through this again.   To all of the photographers, journalists and other rescue workers out there (not to mention the citizens of course!)  - Good Luck!

This shot confirming Michael Phelps victory in the 100 M butterfly took years or planning. ©Heinz Kleutmeier/Sports Illustrated

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http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/2008/08/31/assistants-should-you-use-their-photos-under-your-name/

I finally got one of the issues of Sports Illustrated today from the Olympics (a good friend of mine had mailed it to me because I was “lucky” enough to make it into the Leading Off section – no – not a photo that I made, but a photo of me – in the scrum of photographers covering Phelps getting a hug from his mother after the race…) and I saw something extremely refreshing:  the credit read: Photo by Heinz Kluetmeier and Jeff Kavanaugh.

Why is that special?  Because Jeff is Heinz’s long time assistant and it’s incredibly rare for photographers to give their assistants any credit for the images they take while on assignment with them.  I thought this was an incredibly classy move by Heinz and SI.   Jeff is also a great guy and deserves the accolade – he was one of the guys I spent more than 13 hours with waiting for the fireworks on the Great Wall and was intricately involved in getting that remote camera working.

“So you mean that even if someone else shoots a picture, as in an assistant, the main photographer generally gets to take credit for the image?” you ask.   Traditionally – yes.  More on that in a bit.

As it turns out – Jeff was instrumental in making sure the remote worked, working out how to splice the ethernet cable going from his seated position from the side of the blocks, all the way down to the remote underwater camera below.  He was able to have the same ethernet cable both trigger the camera – as well as send the images back to his laptop on his lap – LIVE.   And yes: he did actually push the button to trigger the camera.   And man was the timing perfect – sure he let the camera wail away at 9 frames per second and he and Heinz got the defining image of the Beijing Olympics in my opinion.   No other image or clip of video shows as definitively that Phelps won the race – and this is easily one of the most, if not the most – impressive Olympic records of all time.  Not too shabby.  You can read an interview with Heinz about this image here.

So where does Heinz fit into this?  Well actually – he played the key part.   I was staying at the same hotel as the SI crew – and I had breakfast with Bob Rosato, another SI staffer, the day after this shot was taken.  He told me that Heinz had stated the following to him at breakfast two days prior to the race:  if Phelps loses or wins the epic 8 gold-medal record – it will be on the 100M butterfly race – and it will be close.   And that’s why Heinz is who he is – and was one of only two people to perfectly position his camera in this position showing both lanes with the #1 and #2 finishers of the race…  MASTER.   More often than not – great photography is made by people who THINK… (at other times it’s luck, people who just “see” better, or made by people who “feel.”  There’s no golden rule or approach.. in fact Henri  Cartier-Bresson says the last thing you want to do when making pictures is to “think.”

So it’s only fitting that Heinz gets most of the credit – as truth be told he was one of the first to ever put a remote camera in a pool at the Olympics (he might even be the first – Barcelona if I’m not mistaken – but don’t quote me on that) but I think it’s incredibly classy of him to share credit with his long time assistant.

So back to taking credit for an image that your “assistant” took.   It’s actually been pretty common practice throughout photographic history.   It’s not uncommon for a photographer to go to a big event, and shoot from one location with his/her assistant(s) shooting from another vantage point.  After all – the main photographer can only be at one place at a time – and more specifically with sports, the action is too unpredictable and moves to fast for remote cameras to be effective.   If s/he tells the assistant what lens to shoot with, at what settings, where to point the lens, how to frame the shot and when to fire off the frame – one can arguably state that is indeed his/her image…

Legally though – unless the two have a signed contract where the assistant relinquishes all rights to those images to the photographer – that assistant technically owns the copyright btw – or so a series of NYTimes lawyers told me a few years ago.  So beware… always have your assistant sign a contract if you’re going to do this – otherwise THEY technically own the image’s copyright… doesn’t matter who’s gear their using, who told them to do what etc.

That being said – I’ve never been a big fan of the practice.  It just feels a little icky to me – and that’s just a personal preference of mine – not a judgement on others at all.  I have had others helping me at times doing the exact same thing – but I’ve had the following agreement with them:  if they are clearly shooting under my specific instructions, the image will run in the publication with my credit (and perhaps theirs if I chose) but that assistant is also free to run the image in their own portfolio with their sole credit underneath it – that feels more fair than most other agreements – and it never hurts to help someone else jump start their careers.

I’m totally expecting to have some people disagree with me on this one (from both sides of the issue)… so go ahead and share you thoughts…

©Damon Winter/The New York Times

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Off to a crack-o-dawn shoot this morning…. so here’s an early post:  If you haven’t done so already – check out Damon Winter’s Neighbors Lens series – something that I think truly separates Damon from most newspaper photographers out there.  It’s absolutely inspirational – not only is it old school – but man does the guy have … well … you know…  cojones.  Double exposure on 8 X 10 sheets of film – two exposures on one single sheet of film over a 4-8 hour period – an entire day’s work… wow.

I’m just humbled by the attempt and result.  I mean, I just shutter at the idea of showing up early in the day, setting up a clunky camera on a heavy tripod – and stressing out the entire time about having a single person (or myself) bump the camera prior to my second exposure… as they show up to see the movie that night.  (Damon – tell us:  are you really exposing only one sheet of film for the entire day… or a few just to be safe?)

Simply fantastic – and what photography should be all about.  I particularly love “Metropic”  ”Double Take” and well – frankly – every single one of those photos from his series…. (make sure to click on “previous lens series” towards the bottom of the page to see every double-exposure Damon has made.  It’s well worth it!)

Here is another slideshow of his  produced by The New York Times – it’s of Damon’s coverage of Barack Obama over the past few months.  It’s one of the strongest slide shows on politics I’ve seen by a single photographer on the nytimes.com site.

Kudos to Damon (you can see his personal site here), and Michele McNally for making this hire – one of many excellent hires the Times Photo department has made in recent years.  Damon previously worked at the Dallas Morning News, and the The Los Angeles Times – and now New Yorkers are lucky to have his work land on their doorsteps every day.

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http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/2008/08/28/to-delete-or-not-to-delete-that-is-the-the-question/

One of the most common questions that have been posed by people on this blog is:  Do you delete your images in camera and do you delete images on your server or in your Aperture Library?

I think it’s a very important question, and my answer for the most part is: No – I don’t.

Why?  Well here it is:  I’ll point to the following events in specific:  My coverage of Hurricane Katrina, and my coverage of (actually pretty much any) Olympics.  In all of these events – I was often rushing to make a deadline and under severe pressure.  I had a clear idea of what the “news of the day” was and what images I needed to get out first, and I was all too often sleep deprived – in that state, I become pretty close to being my own worst editor.

And here’s a big lesson: once you make that initial edit – you almost NEVER MAKE a second edit of that work – EVER.   All too often you move on to the next event or day – and never get the luxury of looking back.

And why is that dangerous?  Because editing on deadline, or frankly editing your own stuff is like playing Russian Roulette for most photographers…

Simply put: Photographers are all too often their own worst editors – add to that a little stress, exhaustion or deadline pressure, and you’re playing with fire.

I can tell you that I borrowed someone else’s eyes – even complete strangers’ eyes – throughout the Olympics almost every day, to help cut down my 15 images down to the top 5.  That is the hardest thing to do when you’re editing your own stuff.

Why?  Because a photographer is always attempting to achieve a certain result with their photographs, they have their mind dead set on a specific goal or result – and they do not always achieve it.  It takes someone else to tell them either: A. hey – I don’t really see the picture at all – I think you didn’t quite make it…it’s “not quite there mate” as one of my favorite Allsport editors Darrell Ingham used to say or B. hey – what about that picture (you haven’t even tagged) that I see over here?

In fact, my mark of a good photo editor, is not one who can pick between pictures A or B – but the one that sees photo Z – one that you never even knew was there yourself.  I’ve met only a few editors who can do this throughout my career- but when you do, know that you’ve found a gold mine.  These editors can literally help shape both your vision and career.  They are the ones that see things in your work that you may not yet see – and they can help you shape the way you see and capture images.

I kind of skipped on this – but having a photo editor by your side is always (well almost) always,  a good thing.

As with any profession – some are good and some you need to steer clear of.   What you need to do is to form a relationship with an editor – let them know what you are trying to accomplish with your photography – and hopefully the two of you can go from there (and perhaps they can help you get there.)  Some editors I actually go to to find out which photograph NOT to pick – I’m serious.  I’ve worked with some that I can go to on a consistent basis – and when I offer them up photo A or B – if they pick B – I’ll go with A every time.  While this might lead to a chuckle or two out there – it’s not necessarily because they’re bad editors – it’s because you know your style is just the polar opposite of theirs.

Something to always be aware of as both a photographer and editor: over the years, people become conditioned to edit in a certain style – often their publication’s style.  You edit because you know what type of images your publication will likely run – and don’t give them ones you know will never make it in (even though you, and perhaps even your editor knows – that image is a significantly better image.)

This is one of the most dangerous aspects of working at the same publication or for the same client for too long – or for your entire career- it truly limits your growth, and the development of your vision.  It can stunt your growth as a photographer.  I can say that because it’s happened to me a number of times already in my career.  I equate it to shooting with “your blinders on.”  You stop seeing images – and are just on the lookout for the ones you know your publication will run.  And that’s the death of you photographically in my opinion.

So back to deleting – sorry – I’ve gotten off target a little here.   Without exception, every time I’ve gone back to do an edit – whether it’s after a 15 minute break, a 15 hour brake, a 15 day break or a 15 month break – my view of what images matter has dramatically changed.  So much so – that I just can’t justify deleting images (unless they’re completely out of focus, or over exposed or under exposed beyond recovery (but hey – who knows what software they’ll write in 20 years that could potentially fix those images – you see where I’m going…???)

Think about a lot of the classic images we look at that were shot 20, 50 or 100 years ago – while some are true classics, let’s be honest: some of them really weren’t that spectacular at all when they were shot.  But with time – even the most banal image – is fascinating to look at.   I love to look at what people were wearing in the 1920s or what the streets looked like in New York City, how the signs in front of stores were hand painted etc.  And the same will be true of what you’re photographing today – that’s a lesson my father taught me very early on – and one that I’ve never forgotten – and a big part of why I don’t delete anything if I can help it.

Sure you may think an image of an umpire walking in the background that your AF jumped to by mistake (instead of the star player in the foreground) is something you should delete immediately.  But what if we don’t have umpires anymore 20 years from now (due to instant replay)… what if, that umpire happens to become one of the most famed umpire in history over time… or worse – gets into a car crash and dies that evening.  You NEVER know – and keeping the frame is often the best thing to do in my book.  The fact that we never really know what images will become valuable or relevant over time – is one of the magical parts of photography for me.

When I look back at the Beijing Olympics I can already see images now that I missed in my initial edit (and I might do an edit of “images that didn’t make it” at some point soon and post it on this blog) – or images that I did not chose to edit and transmit because of news value.  Even more so – when I look back at my images from Katrina, I can see an entirely different edit of that event – mostly because my shooting style has changed quite a bit since then.  Given that I have kept every frame – I will have the option of going back through these and every event, 10-30 years from now and / or having a great editor do the same for me.

Don’t forget: your shooting style will change with time- and the images you like now are not necessarily the ones you’ll like 20 years from now… in fact some of your current “rejects” may become your selects as your style changes…

What is the downside?  Obviously, you have to buy more CF cards so that you can keep more images as you shoot, it takes longer to copy them off of the cards and import into your editing software, and you need more hard drives to store these things.  But given the cost of hard drive space – it’s pretty much a non-issue for me.  Look at these stats for example:

The cost of hard drive data storage seems to drop by a factor of 10 every three or four years. This means that in two years, a terabyte hard drive should cost about $20.

Here’s the cost of 1GB of Storage over the past 22 years:

1986: $100,000

1990: $10,000

1994: $1,000

1997: $100

2000: $10

2004: $1

2007: $0.20

Kinda makes you think doesn’t it?  So is it worth deleting that 1 Terabyte of images?  Isn’t there a chance that a single one of those might sell for over $20 in 3 years???  Remember I shot about half a terabyte of images in Beijing – if these price predictions above are true – isn’t it worth $10 for me to hold onto every single frame given the historic nature of these Olympics?

Look at Dirck Halstead – a former Time Magazine photographer.  His illustrious career of fantastic images has come down to one image – that was buried in a slide sheet deep in some abyss.  Remember the Monica Lewinsky photograph – her embracing Bill Clinton?

“When the Lewinsky story broke, all these organizations started to go through their files, and found nothing.

I hired a researcher, and she started to go through the piles of slides in the light room. After four days, and more than 5,000 slides, she found ONE image, from a fund-raising event in 1996. “

Well – needless to say, Dirck never would have known that his career would come to be in many ways defined by that one image – one that many of us would have likely “thrown in the bin” had we wanted to save slide sheets, or in our days hard drive space…   I’d be surprised if not every single one of you hasn’t already regretted deleting an image at some point already in your careers.

Lastly – I can’t tell you how dangerous it is to delete images on the fly on the back of your camera.  First – you miss hundreds of images – subtle  (sometimes not so subtle at all!)  images – that are happening right in front of your as you are  ”chimping” on the back of your LCD screen   And then – you’ll also delete good images because you’re rushing, and because you just won’t see them on that small LCD screen – remember, the mirror was up when the action was happening,  and there’s a strong likelihood your eye never saw THE moment as you shot that last series of frames…   so why rush to deleting those images instants after you shot them – don’t they deserve a second look?

I can tell you that using software such as Aperture has also been a game changer for me – I have over 400,000 images in my main library – and the app still zips through for the most part.  So keeping all of my images is not a big consideration for me.  I also chose to render large previews for each image/project in my libary- this allows me to travel with my large library and make edits on my laptop – even though the raw files are back on my server and offline.

I also won’t tell you the number of “famous photographs” that have come to define certain photographer friend’s careers – that I know for a fact they completely missed during their initial edit – and someone else saw on the light table or monitor and said: “Hey – did you see this one?”   I won’t mention names out of respect, but that alone should make you think twice.  I’m talking “classic” single images that you associate with this one photographer or another… World Press Winners in fact…

So the next time you’re about to delete images – ask yourself: out of the thousands of sub-”1 Star” images that I’m about to delete – am I absolutely sure that there’s not a single image on there that will ever sell or become more relevant throughout the rest of my career (or after I’ve passed on.)   Wouldn’t it be wise to keep them for now – just to be safe?   Given how cheap the cost of hard drives is – and how it will continue to drop – shouldn’t I just be conservative and store them?

At some point soon – I will be putting up some more information on my workflow – and long term strategies for backing up all of my images – and how you can keep the “best ones” stored in your library on your expensive redundant RAIDS – and how to put the “outs” on cheaper long-term media stored externally.  While keeping every single image is something that I’m preaching – there IS a smarter and more practical way to do this with the software out there today.  More to come…

Nikon D90

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http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/2008/08/27/the-cat-is-out-of-the-bag-slrs-now-shoot-hd-video/

So – IT happened – Digital SLRs can now shoot HD Quality video – and the repercussions this will have on our industry are going to be pretty fascinating to watch in the upcoming years. While most newspaper photogaphers will be thrilled not to have to carry both SLR and video camera systems to perform their new duties, sports photographers may find that these cameras create serious headaches for them going into venues with broadcasters who own exclusive rights to the video content being broadcast from that very venue.  These will be very interesting times that will lead to some very precedent setting debate.

I had a very strong feeling that this was coming down the pipeline and mentioned it in several previous articles over the past few years, including  the “Cloud is Falling” article that I wrote a few months ago.  I should mention that never had I heard anything coming out of either a Canon or Nikon rep about video – it was kept TIGHTLY under wraps – until Nikon revealed the Nikon D90 yesterday.   The buzz about this upcoming announcement was circulating amongst a few people “in the know” at the Olympics – I hadn’t heard any solid information on the details of this camera but did know something was coming out  – and I was expecting it to be announced at Photokina in about a month from now.  The rumour going around was that one or more manufacturers might be releasing a camera that could shoot both video and still images – but not simultaneously.  This first amateur camera can neither autofocus, nor simultaneously shoot stills and video.   That – my guess is  – will be what the professional cameras will do – and soon.

Here are a few more details from Gizmodo:

“It shoots 1280x720p video at 24fps with a 16:9 aspect ratio for up to five minutes, producing around a 600MB file. It’s essentially recording the Live View feed (which gets its own button) so focus is locked because the mirror has moved out of the way, and you get mono sound. The major appeal is that it’ll work with any of your lenses, so you can do wacky HD clips with a fisheye lens on the (relatively) cheap or be artsy and use a shallow depth of field.”   And the price is only: $999 which is kind of a bombshell in it’s own right.  That price is an industry changer in my opinion – very much in the same way that the RED camera sells for 5 to 10 times less than it’s competitors.

And a little more of the same from Nikon: “For the first time in digital SLR photography, Nikon introduces the addition of the D-Movie mode, allowing consumers to create their own HD movie clips (1280 x 720) with sound from their D-SLR camera. Photographers will appreciate the cinematic qualities that come from the 24fps frame rate, which matches theatrical film, whether producing vacation clips or creatively melding stills with video. Additionally, the large size of the D90’s DX-format sensor, combined with the optical superiority and broad selection of NIKKOR lenses, provides shooters with the ability to capture amazing perspectives not possible with typical camcorders. D-Movie clips also benefit from Nikon VR image stabilization, which is automatically activated during recording to aid the low-light capability that trumps many other hybrid devices. Users can record movie clips onto an inserted SD / SDHC card, created as Motion JPEG AVI files that are easily edited with widely available video editing software. The D90 also features an HDMI terminal, allowing viewing of both pictures and movies on High Definition television”

So – here we are at a crossroads.  I see this as all positive – I’ve always wanted to shoot more video/film – but didn’t want to make a new investment in lenses and gear… now I no longer have to… think about it.  Although I have no insider knowledge on what Canon is working on at this time – common sense would lead me to believe they’ll have an answer to this soon enough.   I say this, because the rumors being traded back and forth at the Olympics, from non-Nikon or Canon people – was that Canon was going to be the one making this type of announcement first… we all in fact knew that some big announcement was coming from Nikon on Monday (this past Monday – it came out Tuesday as it turned out)  so who knows…   The reason we are at a crossroads is the following:  TELEVISION and their fear of the traditional print media tresspassing on their turf.  A turf they have paid for – and are unlikely to share for free.

Given that all of these rumours were going around quite a bit in Beijing – I sat down with two very influential people who will each be involved at the next two Olympic Games.  Given that NBC paid more than $900 million to acquire the U.S. Broadcasting rights to this past summer games, how would they feel about a still photographer showing up with a camera that can shoot HD video?

I got the following answer from the person who will be involved with Vancouver which I’ll paraphrase:   Still photographers will be allowed in the venues with whatever camera they chose, and shoot whatever they want – shooting video in it of itself, is not a problem.  HOWEVER – if the video is EVER published – the lawsuits will inevitably be filed, and credentials revoked etc.

This to me seems like the reasonable thing to do – and the correct approach.  But the person I spoke with who will be involved in the London 2012 Olympic Games had a different view, again I paraphrase: “Those cameras will have to be banned.  Period.  They will never be allowed into any Olympic venue” because the broadcasters would have a COW if they did.   And while I think this is not the best approach – I think it might unfortunately be the most realistic.  Do you really think that the TV producers and rigths-owners will “trust” photographers not to broadcast anything they’ve paid so much for.  Unlikely.  Remember that every two years – photographers are allowed to go and see the dress-rehearsal for the Opening Ceremonies at each Olympics and every time we have to sign releases promising NEVER to publish those.  We are granted access so that we can better prepare to shoot the actual thing.   Nonetheless, someone did publish these pictures in Athens for example… and once those promises are broken, it gives TV the excuse to shut us down (although they haven’t – and did let us shoot dress rehearsals this year.)  But do we really trust all of our breatheren to ahere to these “restrictions” – forever?   Well – I don’t.  And that’s why I think we’ll have problems – big problems – coming down the pipe with these cameras for the photographers who shoot in “closed” events where someone has bought rights to said event.

So tell me what you think in the comments below – I’m quite interested in starting a bit of a back and forth on this topic – and it will very likely change the face of our industry more quickly than anyone expected, and continue to blur the distinction between a still photographer and videographers/filmakers.

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http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/2008/08/27/how-much-did-i-shoot-in-beijing/

Well, I just got done copying the files from my trusty 17″ MackBook Pro and 3 External Hard Drives over to my server overnight… and here are the facts:

In Beijing, with a total of 6 cameras, I shot: 28,444 files for a total of a whopping 480 Gigabytes of Images!  That’s INSANE!  Even I am shocked.

So I looked into at what Sports Illustrated shot during the Olympics with their ten staff photographers there – SI shot over 300,000 images of which their staff kept 17,000.   One of their editors took that down to 1046 “super selects” and then their director of photography Steve Fine, edited his selection down to 135 images.  That means their “best of” turned out to be 0.045% of what they shot.

These numbers may – and should – look crazy to most of you.  But truth be told – it’s what happens when you have cameras that now shoot bursts at 10 frames per second – and when you’re likely firing not one – but two or three cameras at once (via remotes.)  In fact mon ami Bill Frakes had more than 18 cameras firing at once each time someone crossed the finish line at the Athletics (Track & Field) venue for example-  so imagine the volume coming out of the track venue.  Hallucinating.

With simple arithmetic, it looks like I shot just a little under what the SI shooters did – but there is one important distinction:  I saw many of them editing their images live on the back of their cameras.  In other words – they would look at every series of images after they’d shot them (either during events or in between each rotation for example) and delete the poor or out of focus images – this to make sure that a “bad” one didn’t make it into the magazine – as someone else would end up editing their images.  I on the other hand – never deleted a single frame – and that’s because I would be the only one editing my take each day (and not have to explain myself for missing a key frame to any editor.)  I don’t believe in deleting images on the back of the camera myself – I’ve deleted quite a few keepers out of “sleep deprivation” or just by rushing in the past, and in fact missed more moments that happened right in front of me because I was “chimping” (term used for looking at back of one’s camera, and jumping up and down and howling like an ape, when one finds a good image, often showing it off to the person to the left or right of you.)  So I keep everything.  Given that those guys tended to mount a few more remote cameras thanI did – I’m sure it evens out things a bit further.

My next step will be to open my Aperture library from the Olympics back up here in New York – and start to select thousands of “rejects” from these takes – all of the duplicate remote files, out of focus frames,  files that have no potential for future re-use.  And purge those.  I assume I’ll get rid of more than 50% of the volume.

So out of the 28.444 frames that I shot, how many of them had “one star or better?” 1,509.   Of those how many were transmitted?  273 – that’s just under 1%.  Yikes…

Finally – just to give you perspective, shooting this much volume equates to shooting 790 rolls of 35mm 36 exposure rolls of film.  If you assume that while we commonly had 15-18 hour days in Beijing, we generally got to shoot only for 6-10 hours on average (let’s say 7 hours of total shooting on average) that means we pressed the shutter: 1,777 times per day, 253 frames per hour, or 4.23 images per minute – which sundenly makes this seem a tad bit more reasonable – that with the goal of the Newsweek crew to produce 4-10 good frames per day.

My ultimate goal will be to put every image with one star of better into one project in my Olympics Aperture library – I will then export that project and re-import it into my main library.  That way I can always have access to the important images – without having to bog down my large main library with images I’ll likely never go back to.  If a strange request comes down the line – I can always go back to my Olympics library and see everything there – that Aperture library is 36.31 GB by the way – as each image has a large preview generated within it for example.  Having these large previews embedded within the library would allow me to travel to future speaking engagements/workshops and show people raw takes of each shoot for example – without needing to travel with the close to 500GB of RAW images.

So there it is – we’ve veered far off of the path of shooting one sheet of film at a time haven’t we?