Few Talladega pics - Oct. 07

[adrenalnjunky]

Apologies for screwing any protocol up here, just wanted to post a few pics to see what others thought - I'm very green and just now getting out of the "evil green square" mode on my Rebel XT. These shots were taken with a borrowed Tamron 70-300 f/4-5.6. The lens seemed very soft at the 300mm range needed to reach into turns 3&4 - although I'm sure there are some basic setup changes I could make to get better results. Any C&C would be appreciated.

The fence didn't help - but this shot was after Junior's motor grenaded - I managed to manual focus and get some of the chainlink to blur out.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2254/1801963648_04c9a74e33_o.jpg

Next,
Kyle Busch in "the big one".
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2024/1802022658_68794e14e5_o.jpg

This shot was an accident, wasn't meaning to focus on this side of the fence, but when I took a good look at it- I kinda liked the different perspective it gave.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2372/1801120687_149fe898bb_o.jpg

The 24 after the win -- it's soft, but the best burnout shot I had cause the last shot shows how far away I was sitting.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2377/1801118819_c1b47f79c0_o.jpg

This was my first trip to Talladega - amazed at how big the track really is - I was sitting as close as you can get to turn 4 - and the dogleg in the track is only halfway down the frontstretch:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2177/1801965674_dc06824db3_o.jpg

[Woolburr]

Welcome to POTN...we have a regular motorsports section that these would fit in...or they won't hurt anything right here. Dega, Pocono, Indy and Daytona just boggle the mind...people think the mile and a half tracks are huge...until they see one of these places in person.

[adrenalnjunky]

Hadn't stumbled upon the motorsports forum yet. Moderator can move if needed eh?

[Woolburr]

Yep...if they deem necessary.

Motorsports is here..... http://photography-on-the.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=90

[Ballen Photo]

You got some nice action shots here, in particular, #2, 3, & 4. ;)Hadn't stumbled upon the motorsports forum yet. Moderator can move if needed eh?
Yup, We can do that. ;)
-Bruce

[techlab2k]

As pictures go they really tell a story. I think the copper watching the crash is great but the second is tops, it makes me feel like an eye-witness struggling to get a view of something happening. Whilst the last does show how big the track is I think it detracts from the 'story' given in the other three - maybe if it was first it would have fitted the 'story' better but that's just me being picky. Nice work.

[medicdude]

the tamron lens is pretty soft at 300mm, but fiddling with the settings ive made it work until i can afford a 2k+ zoom. nice job.

[adrenalnjunky]

As pictures go they really tell a story. I think the copper watching the crash is great but the second is tops, it makes me feel like an eye-witness struggling to get a view of something happening. Whilst the last does show how big the track is I think it detracts from the 'story' given in the other three - maybe if it was first it would have fitted the 'story' better but that's just me being picky. Nice work.

Thanks, yeah I have to work on the storytelling aspect a bit I think.

[DegasGoneDigital]

What, no flying beer cans????? Back in April when we were there, they threw beer cans when Gordon won.....I love the wreck shot..

[adrenalnjunky]

I saw 1 or 2 on the TV replay, but nothing like April was. A buddy of mine was down near the start/finish line and he said a lot of people had cans in hand, but there was a lot of security staring up at them from the bottom of the bleachers. The crowd had been warned that anyone caught throwing anything onto the track would be arrested.

About the wreck shot - I was zoomed in watching the cars come out of 3, ready to take a few, and then Bobby Labonte's car took the uncommanded left turn to start the chain-reaction. I dropped my camera to watch it, and then my brain kicked in saying "You want to be shooting pictures right now!" So I missed the first second or so of the incident, or I might have caught the initial impact of the 43 and the 5.

[ddphoto]

I feel your pain with the Tamron, also have that one and the slow speed is what drives me nuts.

[DDCSD]

I'm drawn to the cop looking at the wreck, just pulls me in for some reason. Sometimes its better to be lucky than good!

Really good job on the rest of them too, great when you can get the smoke and some sparks in there.

[adrenalnjunky]

Thanks all. The tamron is borrowed, and to some degree, I enjoy working with it and learning the shortcomings of the equipment. I just got tickets to the Matrinsville spring race, so between now and then I'll have to win the lottery to buy a 70-200 2.8 L IS.

I did just order the Sigma 24-70 2.8 in my sig - and at a half-mile track like Martinsville, the 70 might not be too bad a setup.

Oh, and the shot of the officer - for some reason makes me think that he's concerned. Like he has some sort of conditioned response to be helping people in an accident, regardless if they are competitors in a race. I have a wider shot where another officer standing to his left is using a cell-phone to take a picture of another wrecked car - it ruins the whole perception. I guess it's all part of making the pictures tell the story you want them to tell.

[DDCSD]

You can always rent a lens for that race. And the IS wouldn't help you much except when the cars are standing still.

[Woolburr]

I shoot Martinsville every year...you will want at least a 300mm. Bigger tracks usually call for a 400 or 500mm lens.

You can always rent a lens for that race. And the IS wouldn't help you much except when the cars are standing still.

IS is always helpful. Especially with longer telephotos. There are two modes for the IS...and the panning mode does help, especially newer shooters and marginal lighting conditions.