Pictures from Texana Raceway Park

[LouDoggsRuca]

Looking for some C/C on these pictures. I have no formal training but am always looking to improve my work. No thin skin here and I'm sure I broke all the rules of photography.

http://JBHotShots.smugmug.com/photos/175812863-M.jpg

http://JBHotShots.smugmug.com/photos/175812874-M.jpg

http://JBHotShots.smugmug.com/photos/175812883-M.jpg

http://JBHotShots.smugmug.com/photos/175812894-M.jpg

[RandySmugMug]

Looking for some C/C on these pictures. I have no formal training but am always looking to improve my work. No thin skin here and I'm sure I broke all the rules of photography.










cool pix...neat backgrounds...distracting watermark tho

[mercphoto]

Cars are well centered and consistently placed in the frame, which is real good. Novices (me included at one point) are all over the frame with that. Good panning, nice crisp cars with motion-blurred backgrounds. I've never done oval/circle racing before (it bores me) but I would imagine it would be very difficult to get shots other than profiles like that. In road racing you open up a whole set of possibilities with profiles, head-ons, etc. Only thing I can think of is get a place where you can see some counter-steering or possibly a location where an inside tire tends to lift.

That watermark might be a touch distracting but I wouldn't mess with it too much. I learned the hard way if you don't watermark these things people (i.e. racers) will lift the images from your website.

[xtnomad]

:agree :thumb Nice shoots,Keep shooting.

[LouDoggsRuca]

Thanks for the posts and input. I always try to improve everytime I go and shoot. As far as the watermark, I passed these on to some "questionable" people and just wanted to make sure nothing funny would go on. I don't watermark prints.

[apexonephoto]

Nice shots, try and shoot more in the corners. Also if these cars are not hooking up too great yours pictures will be boring.(not just yours, anyones would be) Also don't be afraid of turning the camera, so the car is tilted. I have never shot in Texas, but that dirt seems to be pretty dark. So you may
be stuck with so real dark shots.

Also there isn't many people who post in threads about oval dirt track racing, but don't be discouraged. Your wheel spin looks great, and the cars are crisp.

James
www.apexonephoto.com

[Bud1880]

Jamie,

Excellent profile shots of modifieds. As good as any I've seen from the photographer's here in Indiana where modified racing is a big deal.

I agree though with James that the pics can get boring if you don't try for something unique. I realize you have to give the drivers what they want but from a photographer's standpoint that unique view is exciting and rewarding.

Last year I took hundreds of shots from just outside the first turn at Bunker Hill Speedway here in north central Indiana. Just so happened that the first turn has a track vehicle access point and there were no fences in the way so, as a spectator, I got as close as legal and just kept snapping all year. Unfortunately all I had was a 3 megapixel Fuji and the pics are not great but you can see how a perspective like that changes the way modified racing is viewed. http://picasaweb.google.com/Bud1880/BH2006

Keep up the good work and know that there are a few more people on here who are interested in dirt track racing than you might think. They might just lurk and not post. :D Looking forward to seeing more of your shots.

Bud

[mercphoto]

I realize you have to give the drivers what they want but from a photographer's standpoint that unique view is exciting and rewarding.
That brings up a good point with regards to C&C on a photography forum. There are the things that photographers will tell you to change because it makes the photo more artistic or whatever. There are things the customer wants to see in the photo before they will shell over their money. The two are often not the same. Keep that in mind if you want to sell photos. :) My MX customers, for exampled, wanted the crisp appearance that extremely high shutter speeds gave, even though no self-respecing photography buff would call that a good photo. :D But its the type of shot you see in the MX magazines, which is the type of shot they wan to buy.

A guy I used to shoot MX with some time ago (and why have I let the day job interfere with this???) told me he spends the first part of the day getting the shots that sells. When he has enough of those he gets the shots he wants to see. They seldom sell, but it keeps him happy and from becoming too bored.

[LouDoggsRuca]

That brings up a good point with regards to C&C on a photography forum. There are the things that photographers will tell you to change because it makes the photo more artistic or whatever. There are things the customer wants to see in the photo before they will shell over their money.

First of all, thanks for the replies. You are right artistic photos and what the customer wants photos are hard to find that "Happy medium". The racer's wants and needs, to me, are way more important than anything else. Yes it's important to supply a good picture but good to photographers and good to racers are totally different as I am finding out.

I just want to reinterate that fact that I don't have any training in photography or business but I am so wanted to learn as much about both as possible.

If it ever stops rainning here and the can race again, I will gladdly post. Thanks again.

[Bud1880]

If it ever stops rainning here and the can race again, I will gladdly post.
Looking forward to the racing photos. I know what you mean about the rain. My daughter and son-in-law live in San Antonio, they're getting the same and getting very tired of it. Bill (mercphoto) has to be feeling the pain too since I see he's from Austin. Texas is gonna be one big swamp before long. :D

Good luck.

Bud