I may be the only person who left Pennsylvania's Maple Grove Raceway happy, last Saturday night. You can be pretty sure that most of the racers, crews, officials, and fans who were on hand for the American Drag Racing League's [ADRL] Penske Inaugural Northeast Drags were singing the blues. Rain had delayed the race for about four hours, late in the afternoon, and the track's 11:00 PM curfew stopped it. No champions were crowned. Nobody earned first-place points and, just as importantly, nobody picked up the winner's paycheck.
On the other hand, I was as happy as a clam, because I'd manage to prove that you can shoot motor sports with an iPhone -- at least, that is, with an iPhone that has the amazing little QuickPix app installed. Sure, it was something of a stunt. But what I was able to do with the iPhone absolutely stunned me. (You can read a full account of using the iPhone at the track and see lots of "iPhotos," here.)
On the other hand, the iPhone has its limitations. For instance, the photos below are some of my favorites from the Maple Grove race. I shot them with my Nikon DSLRs, and only one of them could have been (and was) made with the iPhone.
Extreme Pro Stock driver Cary Goforth performs a burnout, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011. [All photos copyright John Edwin Mason, 2011. Click on any image to see a larger version.]
The QuickPix app gives you much more control over the iPhone's camera than the factory-installed software. But it can't do everything, so here's the first example of what you can't do with an iPhone. You can't drag the shutter. That is, you can't use a slow shutter speed to radically blur the background and foreground, as you pan the camera to follow a speeding car. As you'll see, it's one of my favorite effects.
Another burnout. This one by Extreme 10.5 driver Todd Moyer. Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.
If you had asked me, the day before the event, what I thought about black race cars, I would have told you that I hate them. They make for bad photos. Give me something orange or red or blue or all three, I would have said.
So, here are four black cars in a row, and, you know what?, I really love the look.
A burnout by Pro Extreme driver Jay Diedrich, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.
Yes, another burnout. Can you blame me? Smoke is cool, especially at slow shutter speeds. You can almost see it swirl.
Pro Nitrous driver John Hall, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.
Catch it right, and the blur creates a powerful sense of motion.
Pro Extreme driver Frankie Taylor proves that these cars can also go from left to right. Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.
Pro Extreme driver Frankie Taylor had a terrific qualifying session, setting a new world record elapsed time for his class. He and his supercharged '05 Corvette covered the 1/8th mile course in 3.581 seconds, at a top speed of 210.11 miles per hour.
You should be amazed by that time and speed. Let me try to put them in context. Suppose you won the lottery and decided to buy yourself a quarter million dollar Ferrari, one of the fastest road cars on the planet. It would take the Ferrari more than twice as long to cover the 1/8th mile and, at the end, it would be going less than half as fast.
Pro Extreme drivers J.R. Todd, left, and Alex Hossler, right, Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.
There are two things to say about this photo. First, it's not a burnout. Second, I shot it with my iPhone. If you click on the photo to see a larger version, you'll notice that it doesn't have the detail or tonal range of the other photos. On the other hand, it ain't bad. Considering what I was asking a cell phone camera to do, the result really is wonderful.
Exteme Pro Stock driver Richie Steven, Jr., launches. Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.
Back to my Nikons, now with a telephoto zoom lens attached.
This is a standard drag racing shot -- the wheels-up launch. But there's nothing wrong with the classics, especially when they capture something of the human drama of motor sports. (By the way, the young woman in the sunglasses is Erica Enders, one of the most popular drivers on the National Hot Rod Association [NHRA] drag racing circuit. She was on hand to support and crew for Richie Stevens, Jr.)
Extreme Pro Stock driver Richie Stevens heads down the track. Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.
I like this kind of shot as much as the slow shutter burnouts. You make it with a telephoto zoom lens, zooming out and panning as the car approaches. The result is a blurred background and an elongated car. Very cool. (And you can't do it with an iPhone.)
Back to burnouts with Extreme Pro Stock driver Steven Boone. Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.
The night time is the right time. Darkness, track lights, smoke, and a flash make for great theater. By the way, you also can't do this with an iPhone. (Sounds like I'm knocking the iPhone, but I'm not. I'm just reminding myself why I'm not selling my Nikons on Craigslist.)
Top Sportsman driver Marco Abruzzi burnsout. Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.
Maple Grove was the first ADRL race to feature the Top Sportsman class. Fine with me. Top Sportsmen are entertaining, and Marco Abruzzi's car is gorgeous at night.
ADRL Pro Extreme Motorcycle World Champion Kim Morrell performs a burnout. Maple Grove Raceway, 7 May 2011.
I'll end with what might be my favorite photo from the weekend. It was late, cold, and the air was still damp. (Although the track was dry, of course.) Most of the crowd had long since fled. But there we were, racing and shooting. In a strange way, it was fun.
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For full coverage of the race, surf over to Drag Racing Online.
Great stuff !, I like those sports car. I saw the video during the race. Awesome performance of each racer with their cool cars. I like the style of the red one.
Posted by: Jail Break | 07/28/2011 at 01:00 AM