Friday night, the sunset was gorgeous. Things were shaping up for a great weekend.
Then, first thing Saturday morning shooting practice…things took a turn for the worst.
…FML! Basically, in terms you gear-heads will understand, my camera threw a rod, mulched the crank, and my exhaust packing blew out at the same time. Needs a new motor, frame, and rider. Haha!
Like I was a princess and he was a knight in shining armor, he came, swept me off of my feet, put his camera in my hands….Dave Stanton came to my rescue.
If it wasn’t for Dave, only about 15 people would have 1 pic each from turn 2 from Saturday morning practice. He generously entrusted me with his $6000 camera body and $2500 lens. Thanks, Dave!
There was light at the end of the tunnel!
I will admit though, the rest of the weekend didn’t go without hiccup… Considering that that camera body I typically use was made circa 2004 (as there’s not enough money in this motorcycle-racing-photography-biz to upgrade like I’d want!), I wasn’t used to how awesome his camera is…
//begin photography jargon for nerds like myself…
The ISO handling on the Mark III is far different than it is on my Mark II. My normal settings that I’m used to while shooting in manual didn’t seem to be working quite the same as on his camera…and his LCD didn’t reproduce accurate exposures when I’d chimp shots…soooooo…
//end photography jargon for nerds like myself…
I pretty much fucked up a ton of shots… :( Meh.
But I did get a few keepers… :D My girlfriend is always annoyed cause she’ll tell me something, and I’ll go “what?” cause I didn’t hear her… well, you can blame it on me being in spots like this, where literbikes like Dave Stanton’s BMW S1000RR are just hitting their brake marker from ~140mph about 15 inches from my face…
Or the thunder of a big twin, such as GoGo’s RC8 blazing by me WFO. That’s why I’m half deaf. :P
Siggy hacks it into T7
Terminal lean angle thru turn 2. You ever seen Jovan’s eyes? If I were a chick, I’d rape his face… hell, I’ll prolly end up raping his face anyways.
Ari Henning racing the “Mighty CBR250” for Cycle World
Speaking of Ari, Kevin and I did some video work for Cycle World over the weekend. I’ll let you guys know when it’s live!
Watching Brian Parriott chase Ricky Corey down was damned impressive! Brian is a freggin STUD!
Dave Raff…racing “just for fun” and spoiling everyone elses points, considering he finished on the podium! w00t!
Rory running up front with Dan! I’ve known Rory since he first started doing trackdays, and I must say, his riding/racing career is like that of a fairy tale. Congrats, dude, on being awesome!
These guys were a hoot to watch! The top 4 novice dudes were BATTLING!!!
I’m tired of writing this blog now (and I’ve still got 3000 more pics to sort…I’m sure you guys would rather I sort than type!)…so I’m just going to end it with one more shot…
I’m totally looking forward to seeing GoGo’s panoramic shot of pretty much the entire paddock on the front straight! :D
Share this post if you enjoyed reading it! :) And if you want to see me taking more pictures, BUY YOUR PICS SO I CAN BUY A NEW CAMERA! Hahaha! Thanks guys!
BUH-BYE!
I was shooting T1 from the balcony of the Audi building while you were on the wall in T1… and I had a 7D if you wanted to try it. What lens did you end up using? Glad your weekend worked out.
i used the 70-200L and the 400L. i’ve used a 7D before…that’s why i really want one. :D
Awesome Joe! Hope you get a new camera in time for Round 7 or whatever it is called. LOL!
haha! me too!
looks great! You should get a mkIII you can get them for like $1400 now :D would pair great with your 70-200… and maybe an extender :D
i’ve got a 70-200L and a 400L…and a 1.4 TC that i never use. haha! really, i want a 7d next.