Monthly Archives: October 2011

SCCA Fall Sprints

This little excursion is courtesy of my friend Joel Love of Speed and Sport Photography.  Joel called me up the other day to tell me that the SCCA regional fall run-offs were taking place.  The location was Blackhawk Farms Raceway in South Beloit IL, about and hour and a half from me (if the traffic is clear!).  He was heading up and wondered if I wanted to tag along.

This came right in the middle of the great spell of weather that had settled over our part of the Midwest so the chance to see some racing at a photo friendly circuit with good light and fall foliage seemed like a good combination.  I decided this was a trip to make.

Blackhawk Farms is not a huge circuit.  This has a couple of advantages.  First, it doesn’t take long to get from one part of it to another.  Second, lap times are relatively low so you don’t have to wait too long for a car to come back around again after you have first seen it.  Add to that the great visibility from multiple locations (ideal throughout the day as the sun comes around) and you have all of the basics for a good day out.

There were a variety of classes running throughout the day I went.  It was the day for practice and qualifying so there was less likely to be any frantic action – although a few people tried their hand at off-roading at various times!  Some cars ran in multiple classes so showed up several times.

The types that made up the majority of the runners were modified road cars of which the vast majority were Mazda Miatas, single seaters like Formula Ford and the larger single seaters that have a more Le Mans styling to them – I’m sure someone who knows their motor racing will cringe at my categorization.

Since they could run in multiple classes and there was practice plus qualifying, there were multiple chances to shoot given cars which also meant that you could get them at different parts of the circuit without having to change location during each session.  This made for a relaxed day of shooting.  Also, you can take your car to each spot so no lugging camera gear around all day!

The multiple opportunities allowed for some experimenting.  I tried wide open shooting to try and get separation from the background.  That was a bust.  Given the distance from the cars and the background, the depth of field was still enough to see what was behind.  In the mean time, the shutter speed was very high so frozen wheels looked very unnatural.

Slow shutter speeds were a lot more productive.  Getting some blur in the wheels made them look like they were actually moving.  Then it was a case of just how low could I go.  I tried all sorts of speeds throughout the day.  The results varied a lot.  Obviously, at the low speeds, the keeper rate fell dramatically.  However, you could get some great effects of speed.  The question then becomes one of taste.  We have become very focused on sharpness in imagery.  Some of the shots were not tack sharp but they gave a great feeling of motion.  Some while like that and others will not.  What do you think?  The small size of a shot on the monitor is, of course, not a great time to judge!

Lower speeds also limit your shooting angles.  When looking at the cars head on, you can get some nice shots as they turn in to a corner.  However, at lower speeds, the turn in can blur the car.  Head on is sharp but dull.  Turn in is more dynamic but blurred.  What to do?  Of course, you see less of the wheels so maybe a higher speed is acceptable in these cases.

At the end of the day, do I like the shots?  On the whole yes.  I guess that is all that matters.  Thanks must go to Joel for letting me know about this and for providing great company during the day.  We shall have to do this again in the spring.

Waimea from the Air

For those of you following the posts closely – aren’t you all? – I previously reported on Waimea Canyon as seen from the ground, sometimes while wearing disintegrating hiking boots!  I also mentioned that we were going back in a slightly faster form of transportation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have posted already about the article I was writing about Mauna Loa Helicopters, the company that we were using for our trip.  I won’t duplicate much from the article – if you are interested, you can still see that piece here.  Instead, I will just give you a selection of shots taken from the helicopter.  We flew across the canyon later in the afternoon so the light was lower and a lot more attractive.

That time of day is also a time when clouds can start to build up so we did get some cloud cover as we flew in.  However, that did not detract in any way from how amazing the place looked.  Sometimes high overlooks provide a vantage point that doesn’t look too dissimilar from the view from a helicopter when you are flying in the canyon.  However, I can assure you that the variety of views and the sights that are inaccessible from the road are one of the things that makes the flight so worthwhile.  Having no doors only enhances the experience (and the photography!).

We spotted a number of locations we had seen previously.  The rocky outcrop we came out onto was one we could see and the full falls that we had been near the top of were so much more impressive from this angle.

If money and time were no object, I would try this trip a number of times and at different times of day.  There must be an ever changing variety of effects to see given the chance!

Waimea Canyon

The Grand Canyon of the Pacific – that is one of the names that is given to Waimea Canyon on Kauai.  It is a dramatic geological formation that runs through the middle of the island.  The drive there is not a short one but it certainly is worthwhile.  The scenery is dramatic and there are plenty of good locations close to the road from which to take it all in.

Over and above the easily accessible areas, there are plenty of hiking options available to take advantage of and, despite the fact the peak of the tourist season had passed, there were still a lot of people taking a walk through the wilds.

Our hiking activities did not necessarily go according to plan.  We had picked a couple of trails that we wanted to explore, one before lunch and one after.  We got to the first trail quite early as a result of starting out from the hotel promptly.  There was an option to drive the first section if you had a 4×4 but we skipped that and trekked off.  After the track ended and we were on the trail itself, we descended the hillside.  All of this descending is one of those things you can’t help but be aware of when you know you are going to be coming back up the same way!

A little while later one of my boots suddenly felt like something was stuck on it.  Unfortunately, that was not the case.  Instead, the sole of the boot was coming away from the rest of the boot.  No option but to turn around and head back to the car.  The climb back up was just as I had imagined it would be.  Meanwhile, the second boot was starting to disintegrate as well.  These were boots I had owned for many years but hadn’t used for a while.  I guess the material had aged and couldn’t hold together any longer.  The separation of the sole got worse and we headed back up and one sole was gone by the time we reached the car and the other was almost done.

A change of shoes and we now went for a second effort.  The time we had taken meant the sun was a bit higher in the sky and the temperature was a bit higher.  We passed bits of the sole of my boots as we went and then got into new territory.  Eventually we came out on an exposed area of rock with some excellent views of the surrounding canyon.  A bit more of a descent and we came to the top of some waterfalls.

The return trip was a bit more effort than we were really ready for.  The climb up was a steady effort but the higher sun was now making us a lot warmer.  That, combined with having already made a round trip for part of the hike, meant we were feeling absolutely wiped out by the time the car came into welcome view.  A short drive to a cafe and we ate and drank like we hadn’t seen food and drink for days!  Needless to say, our enthusiasm for the second – harder – hike had waned and so we spent the rest of the time checking out overlooks closer to the road and enjoying the views from there.

Some of the overlooks had been bypassed on the way up but checking them out as we went back down the roads was very worthwhile.  Some stunning scenery and some better views than from the very top of the canyon.  We also watched a few of the touring helicopters which was part of our plan for the following day.  I shall tell more about that in a coming post!

Global Aviation Magazine

The team that has been bringing you Global Aviation Resource for over two years has been working on an additional product to bring aviation themed material to a wide audience. The launch of Global Aviation Magazine is the result of their hard work.

The first issue is now available here and I recommend you take a look if aviation is an interest of yours. I might also suggest you take a peek at a piece on helicopter lifting operations written by someone with a familiar name.

Check it out and let us know what you think.

Evil Frigates

Early in our visit to Kauai, we paid a visit to the lighthouse and wildlife refuge at Kilauea Point.  We were there to see the lighthouse and the surrounding coast but the wildlife element was an interesting addition.  There were tons of birds in the area.  Along the cliffs we saw a lot of Red Footed Boobies.  These are a pretty decent sized bird that is akin to a small albatross.  The boards also mentioned the presence of frigate-birds.  These weren’t close in but appeared to be out towards the lighthouse.

Once we got out on the peninsula on which the lighthouse sits, we became a lot more familiar with the frigate-birds.  It turns out that they are something I have seen on one of the TV nature programs that the BBC produces in great detail every five years or so.  Frigate-birds are a prehistoric looking creature.  Their wings make them look like a pterodactyl and their beaks have a most evil looking hook on the end.

The thing that the TV show explained and that we got to see in action is their preferred method of getting food.  The boobies head off out to see to catch fish.  They bring the fish back in a pouch in their throat and then use it to feed the chicks.  The frigate-birds are not so interested in making much of an effort so they hang around and wait for the boobies to return.  They then attack them trying to make them spit out their catch.  Nice, huh?

Anyway, we got to see this at close range.  The frigate-birds would pick a target and go for them, sometimes in pairs.  The attack would continue for some time as the boobies tried desperately to get out of the way.  If they got close enough to the shore, that seemed to be good enough and they could get back to their roost.  Otherwise, the frigate-birds would be pretty tenacious.  Quite something to witness at close quarters!

Surfing in Paradise

If I were to ask you what sport you would associate with Hawaii, it might depend on your age as to what you choose.  If you are a bit older, it might be ocean going canoeing (is that how you spell it?) that you think of, perhaps accompanied by the theme to a 70s TV police show.  However, if you aren’t in that group, your choice is more likely to be surfing.

Did I go surfing while in Hawaii?  Ah, no.  Did lots of other people go surfing while we were there?  Oh yes.  Half the vehicles we passed seemed to have a board on the roof or so it seemed.  There were plenty of places to try your skills since most beaches seemed to have breaking surf in some areas.  The large numbers of reefs might, of course, make some of those areas a touch risky.

Anyway, I didn’t spend a lot of time tracking down the surfers.  Instead, we saw a bunch of people closer inshore not always on full surf boards.  Here are some shots of the action we saw.  One day I will have to make more of an effort to go out and shoot some surfing since it makes some great shots!

Global Aviation Resource Piece

Realized that I haven’t been totally comprehensive in plugging one of my pieces.  If you don’t follow Facebook or Twitter (and in that case how do you even know that this is here?) then you won’t have seen a piece show up on Global Aviation Resource’s site that I wrote about Mauna Loa Helicopters.

 

Click on this link and you can see the article.

Na’Pali Coast

One of the most stunning areas of the island of Kauai is the northwest coast, known as the Na’Pali coast.  Unfortunately, (or fortunately depending on your point of view!) this part of the island is really hard to access.  There are no roads that go out to the coast.  There are hiking trails to get you there but these do require a fair amount of commitment on your part if you want to get there.

You can get boat trips to take you along the coast.  These trips are not particularly cheap but they do appear to provide an interesting experience.  We chose not to take one on this trip.  Originally it was part of the plan but the week was starting to get a little overloaded and this was supposed to be a vacation.

We did, however, have a plan for seeing the coast and this, I would suggest, is probably the best way to see it.  Go by air!  There are many helicopter operators on the island that provide sightseeing flights.  You can research which ones are of interest to you and why.  We went with Mauna Loa Helicopters.  They have smaller aircraft which we could charter for just ourselves.  No need to share the ride with anyone else.  Also, they are one of only tour operators that provide flights with the doors off.  This certainly makes for a better photographic experience.

The tour covered the whole island but here I shall focus on the Na’Pali coast.  You can choose the time of day for making the trip and this coast was the primary reason for me choosing a later afternoon flight.  We had a 4:30 departure from Lihue and the flight lasted a little over an hour.  Sunset was about 6:30 so, by the time we reached the Na’Pali coast, we were well into the gorgeous light.

The time of day can be a bit of a lottery since clouds can build up later in the day.  Indeed, while we were further inland, there was a lot of cloud around that flattened out the light in some areas.  Once, we reached the coast, however, the sky was clear and the light was gorgeous.  To drop across the coast and see the beautiful scenery was a stunning experience.  While I was shooting a lot on this trip, I did make the effort every once in a while to put the camera down and just soak in the outstanding views.

We ran along the coast and explored some of the deeper canyons and valleys that were on the coast.  We saw the rock formation known as the Cathedrals.  There were isolated beaches accessible only from the water and lots of cave along the rocky coastline.  We even saw one of the tour boats.  That was great because it reminded you of the scale of everything you were seeing.

Kauai is a beautiful island and the Na’Pali coast is one of the most beautiful parts.  If you are there, I strongly recommend and aerial tour.  It may be expensive but, if you have made the effort to go that far, don’t miss out on this experience.