The Devil in the Dark

Sorry it took so long to update my blog and photo site.  I won't bore you with the details.  But that doesn't mean I haven't been photographing events at NJMP, because I have.

As you may know, the Sebring 12 Hour is by far my favorite event to attend and to shoot.  This is primarily because of the opportunity to photograph race cars at night.  This is not an opportunity that comes along often.  In fact, for me, it use to be once a year.  But now with the Devil in the Dark 12 Hour race at NJMP, I get to do it twice a year.  While it may not be the million dollar ALMS prototypes and GT cars racing at a historic facility at speed that would make your eyes bleed, the effort expended by the participants and the photographic opportunities were none the less top notch.

In covering the event, I spoke to a number of the "credentialed" photographers and they seemed to not be excited about shooting race cars at night.  And I was surprised not to see very many shooting the race after the sun set.  One photographer said, "you won't be able to get much after the sun goes down."  For me that is when the race got exciting from a photographic perspective.  While I am no expert in photographing race cars at night, the opportunity to experiment with capturing the event at night was much more interesting than shooting during the day.

Take a look at my photo gallery of the event and let me know if there are any photographs you particularly like.  Please leave comments on the photos and give it a thumbs up or thumbs down.  I value your feedback.

I will soon be posting about the Road Mod event and the Mazda/Patron Cup weekends.

2010 Sebring 12 Hour - Smaller, But Great As Always...

Just got back from attending the 2010 Sebring 12 Hour American Le Mans Series season opener.  Though it started out with near gale force winds on Thursday, the wind calmed down to a gentle breeze for perfect "Chamber of Commerce' weather for Friday and Saturday.

This years event was obviously marked by the recent declines in the economy.  Most notable this year was the size of the event in terms of entries, spectators, and sponsorship extravaganza.  This year there were only 34 entries spread across four classes.  The powerhouse, Audi, was not present leaving Peugeot to have its way with the rest of the field.

Spectator attendance was also way down.  The usually packed camping grounds had large open areas that were typically densely packed with tents, trailers, and motor homes.  Though fewer in number, those that were present were enthusiastic.

Lastly, the sponsors scaled back on the glitz, glamor and extravaganza that marked prior years.  Last year's Patron Night Club was replaced with a smaller more subdued "Tiki Bar".  Gone was the all-night disco and harem of Patron Girls.  Throughout the paddock the hospitality centers were much smaller and for some teams non-existent.

However, this down-sizing did not detract from the racing on the track.  There was plenty of hard wheel to wheel racing.  there were also numerous incidents generating full course cautions that bunched the pack up to create even more wheel to wheel racing.

My objective for the weekend was to take photographs and elevate my game over last year, and the weekend did not disappoint.  First, I am glad that I selected the 300 mm f2.8L as opposed to the 400 mm f2.8L.  From the spectator area where I was photographing, the 400 mm would have been too much lense.  As it was, I was unable to use the 300 mm in many areas because it was too long.  But in those places where it was right, it was awesome!

I was less than impressed with the 2x tele-converter.  Having used the 1.4x in the past, I was hoping to get a little more reach, without loosing too much performance.  However, I found that the 2x converter observably offend the images as compared to the 300 mm.  Though in some instances, I was able to get crisp images, the overall result was less than what I would have liked.  I think that if I were to buy a tele-converter, I would stick with the 1.4x.

Also, I learned that I must upgrade from the 70-200 f4L to the 70-200 f2.8L.  Gaining the extra f-stop is essential for the low light performance necessary to shoot endurance (night) motorsports.  Another option is to pick up an even faster prime lens. 

I will post another blog detailing the entire lens rental process with www.LensProToGo.com and performance of the lens.  I also purchased a new bag, a Think Tank Glass Taxi, to carry the lens and other gear at the track which I will review in a separate post.  In the mean time, be sure to visit my site www.KingMotorsportPhotography.com to see the photos as I post them.

LensProToGo.com A Great Way to Go...

Hello all!

Getting ready to start my photography/racing season for 2010 with my annual trek to Sebring Florida for the 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race.  This year, I am stepping up my game and joining the Big Boys with the BIG GLASS.  Last year, I got some good shots with my Canon 70-200 f/4L lens.  This year, in addition to that lens, I have rented a Canon 300mm f/2.8L from www.LensProToGo.com.  I also rented a Canon 2x tele-converter.  That will give me a 600mm f/5.6 equivelent lens.  Combine that with the crop factor of my Canon 7D and the result will be a 960mm lens!!!!

I lamented over the decision of renting a 400mm vs. the 300mm.  Bigger is better, right?  But not necessarily.  First I had to consider carrying that extra weight around the 3.7 mile circuit for 3 days.  Also, the 300mm is definitely "hand-holdable" while the 400mm definitely needs a monopod to get tack sharp shots.  Lastly, I considered the use of a tele-converter.  With the 2x tele-converter, I substantially increased the focal length without a significant increase in weight.  Plus it gives me a more flexible "kit."  Of course I could use a tele-converter with the 400mm and get even more reach, but then the flexibility starts to diminish because you get too close to the action.  So I think I made the right decision to go with the 300mm and the 2x tele-converter.

I will post a review of the Canon 300mm f/2.8 and the Canon 2x tele-converter after I return form Sebring.

Check out my portfolio at www.KingMotorsportPhotography.com.

2010 Atlantic City Gambler's Classic

This past Friday night my friend Kevin Brown (thanks for the ticket) and I made the annual pilgrimage to Atlantic City for the Atlantic City Gambler's Classic at the Convention Hall.

This race is a resurrection of the of the midget racing they use to have in the Convention Hall back in the 60's.  Now they run TQ Midgets and 600cc Micro Sprints in the featured races and in support races they run the Slingshots and Champ Karts.

After having the best cheese steak sandwiches in the world from the famous White House Sub Shop we walked down to the Convention Hall.  This year it was frigid as usual.  That, plus the economy made for a much smaller than usual crowd turn out.  But there were 100 cars entered for the event which lead to a lot of action on the track.

This year they also reconfigured the track by widening the back straight three feet and making turns 3 and 4 more open and sweeping.  This lead to two racing lines and eliminated a lot of the bottle necking that occurred in years past.  That white line on the track in the shot below is where the inner guard rail use to be.  So you can see they had a lot more racing room this year.  They had two racing lines coming off turn four which lead some great last lap last corner pass attempts.

However, even with the added room, there were a ton of yellow flags.  It is amazing how quick the midgets are around this track.  Though I do not know the exact length of the track, maybe an 1/10 mile, the fastest times were in the 8.8 second range.  Mix that in with 24+ cars on track for the main events and you are in for a night of actions.  There were cars literally climbing the walls.

Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the Saturday night features.  But Friday's show was great.  Checkout some more of my photos here www.KingMotorsportPhotography.com.  Next year I may try to get a photo pass and get down on the floor.

Getting Ready for the New Season....

It is still winter, but I am looking forward to the upcoming season.
I am adding new features to my motorsports photography coverage starting with this blog.  In as much as this is my first blog, I am still developing how to work it into my workflow.  I will post some of my best shots here, but be sure to visit my web site, www.KingMotorsportPhotography.com as I will be posting all my work there.


I have added a brand new Canon 7D to go with my XTi to allow for double fisted shooting.  I cant wait to start clicking off shots at 7 frames per second!!!!


I am currently making plans to make the annual trek to Sebring for the 12 Hour www.sebringraceway.com. This event is my unofficial start to the racing season.It is a 72 hour immersion in the spectacle that is motorsports.


This year I will be renting some "pro-glass" from my friends at www.LensProTogo.com.  Last year I got some great shots with my 70-200 f/4.  But this year I will be shooting with either a 300 f/2.8 or a 400 f/2.8 with  1.4x and 2x tele-converters.  This should get me right in the cockpits with the drivers.  I can't wait  :-)!