You know the old saw about hindsight being 20/20? I'm feeling it right now. In fact, I felt it the moment I saw the proof prints from the one and only roll of Ilford Delta 3200 that I shot, last weekend, at the American Drag Racing League's Dragstock X.
ADRL Dragstock X, Rockingham Dragway, 7 September 2013. [Click on any image to see a larger version.]
When I drove down to Rockingham Dragway, in North Carolina, for the race, I knew that I was going to have fun. I love the entire motorsports scene and the people who inhabit it. The revitalized ADRL puts on terrific events. The owner and staff at "The Rock" make it a great place to watch a race. And there's almost nothing I'd rather do with my free time than make pictures at a race track.
ADRL Dragstock X, Rockingham Dragway, 7 September 2013.
I took three cameras with me: my iPhone (yes, you can shoot motorsports with an iPhone); a panoramic camera (if all goes according to plan, I'll spend part of the afternoon scanning the negatives, and I hope to post the pics on Sunday or Monday); and a Rollei TLR (which is my favorite camera, by far). It's the Rollei photos that you're looking at here.
ADRL Dragstock X, Rockingham Dragway, 7 September 2013.
On Saturdays, the racing at ADRL races extends well into the night. In the past, I've only used a digital SLR for nighttime action, usually with a flash.
But from the first time I photographed a drag race, I knew that you get better shots at night with film and without a flash, especially if it's the human element at the track that interests you most.
ADRL Dragstock X, Rockingham Dragway, 7 September 2013.
So, along with the Rollei, I packed a few rolls of Ilford Delta 3200, an ultra high-speed film. I'd need a film this fast, if I wanted to shoot with it at night, because the Rollei has a relatively slow lens.
I had no idea what kind of results I'd get. In the past, when I've shot film at a race track at night, I've been using a 35mm camera with a fast lens, which allowed me to use slower, more conventional, and more predictable film.
ADRL Dragstock X, Rockingham Dragway, 7 September 2013.
As it turns out, I got some shots that I like a lot on that solitary roll of film. They make me happy. So I've spent the last few days wondering, Why the heck didn't I shoot more?
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Love these. I'm nowhere the fan of motorsports as you are, but someone whose beginnings were in dark spaces shooting music like CBGBs, the Living Room, etc. I love b&w film & the dark. That third one, wow!
Posted by: Willbragg | 09/14/2013 at 03:29 PM
@Willbragg Thanks very much.
Posted by: John | 09/14/2013 at 03:50 PM
Gorgeous! Did you shoot the film at box speed or pull it to iso 1600? These images are truly breathtaking and cinematic.
Posted by: Josée | 09/16/2013 at 10:52 AM
@Josee 3200 and developed normally. With a 3.5 lens, I needed all the speed I coul get.
Posted by: John | 09/16/2013 at 11:19 AM
Great stuff! I'm going to have to shoot a roll or two myself.
Posted by: Joe Geronimo | 09/16/2013 at 11:33 AM
For sure! Thanks.
Posted by: Josée | 09/21/2013 at 10:36 AM