How much does it cost to get in to the drags nowadays, Marc? What are the times? I need to test my ... ahem... Mark III ... now that the final solution has been enacted...
Colin Ake wrote:
I'm a fireworks shooter... As in, I'll be shooting off the Dixie Speedway show Saturday night, the Sugarloaf Country Club show on the 4th, and another neighborhood in Alpharetta on the 5th. I'll maybe be shooting pictures at those, but we'll see. I think my first priority is to light fuses and not get killed.
Just remember this ol buddy
"Over in China they got smart real fast
That's where they invented the man made blast.
They lost a few fingers and some bamboo shacks,
But then they sold it to a tribe of pyromaniacs. (us)
Oh oh, it's a dangerous world.
Fire in the sky, lava in the ocean,
Sittin' round waitin' for the next explosion"
-- jimmy buffett
Colin- have fun with that- just remember not to stare into the tube when lighting the fuse :-P
When I'm at local "manual" shows I always watch the guys running around lighting the fuses. When you see them all run away at the same time you know to move the camera down:
I got to second shoot at a wedding recently and I have every intention of sharing some pictures. I really had a hard time going through them all and getting them processed! I just got tired of it .
I'll try not to get my head blown off. My boss had one of those exploding orbs go through his leg last year after a mortar blew in the tube. Dangerous, but fun
Stacy - great shots - looks like a beautiful outdoor wedding. I'm sure they'll be thrilled!
I like the colors Colin! Looks like a pyro's delight!
I tried something the other night at the Mrs. Gerogia pageant that i can't wait to try again. Sometimes the lighting was so soaked in red that you couldn't color correct some of the segments without a horrid orange color cast that wasn't visual to the eye. I tried setting the white balance all the way down to 2500 and that wasn't near cool enough. So i shot the background curtain that was evenly bathed in orange and set that as my custom WB. That did the trick and the shots under that light finally came out just how they looked.
All that to say - with fireworks - you get the same type of color cast and while mostly its wanted... i'm wondering if you can shoot an orange cloud of smoke and set it to be the WB and what kind of weird effects might become of it.
I guess trying it will determine if its a brain storm or a brain fart. At least I'll know if its working ahead and not just following along.
Geez Colin...When I look at these from a photographer's standpoint, I think, "Cool"! But when I look at them from a mother's standpoint, I think, "Does your mother know about this" Please be careful!
I thought some of you were going to shoot some cars this past weekend. Did anyone go? Where are the pics?
I shot a few baseball games Saturday between downpours. I ended up not getting to keep many of the photos I took, because I kept having to dump my cards and reuse them. I ended up with a handful I liked. They are here:
Tracey - looks like we may try a meetup either at Lenox or Duluth for fireworks on the 4th.
... and my friend Jim Wilson got his new 800mm from Canon today and is posting picts in the Mustang thread. His is supposed to be the only one in the US - the rest are going to China for the Olympics.
JonB - interesting idea with the WB. I may try that out. It'd be fun to get some nontraditional stuff, for sure. I think I may shoot in shutter priority mode this time to try and freeze action - I had far too many blurry shots with not enough light. Shutter priority is going to be the way to go, I think. I'll probably shoot 1/80 or 1/100.
Tracey - yeah she knows - she's been at a show before. Last year (I missed this show) we had a 5" mortar not make it out of the tube and explode on the ground - went through the boss' leg. It's great fun - and yes it's a little dangerous, but that's where the great shots are.
That said, it's pretty safe. Sugarloaf is definitely the biggest show out of the three (in terms of $ spent). Saturday's show had the biggest bombs (6"), but Sugarloaf will be a fun show. If you guys meet up in Duluth, I think I can get you close for behind the scenes stuff (or at least closer than the audience - there are limited spots on the Dam). Would love to have more than one photog shooting.
Nice baseball shots Tracey - 4 and 7 are my favorites! Great action you captured.
I want an 800mm - but then I'd have to find something to shoot with it. Hmm...
dibs on a good spot there Colin! just say where and when!!!
i'd think maybe a little faster shutter speed to stop action. I know on the low light grip and grins i shoot - there is a little movement blur to contend with at 1/125 or slower. You're shooting with a 30D or a 5D? Either one might make good shots bumped up to around 800 to 1200 ISO to get the faster shutter speed. Might even get some keepers at 1600 if you use something like noise ninja in post-production.
it was nearly dark the other night - well after sweet light - when this guy flew in. I was about at 1000 ISO and while it won't blow up to a 20x30 - it still works at 11x14 or smaller.
Both of these shots are shot with the Mark III, 300 2.8 and a 1.4 TC hand held.
1000 ISO 1/320 ƒ 4.0
Smoov: Thanks for the complement on the fireworks shot- thats great stuff on the wedding.
Jbear is showing off that MkIII, and you say it can't focus- bah! Those pictures at iso800 look stunning to me.
I was trying to get some people together over at potn for fireworks on the 3rd in Duluth and/or the 4th at Lenox.
The Duluth fireworks are held at Scott Hudgens Park, off of River Green Parkway. This is about 1 mile north of Pleasant Hill on PIB. The traffic and the signs will get you there once your in the area. Its a good show with a moderate crowd, the Duluth PD makes it a little harder to get out of there then necessary. They have a concert and other activities starting around 6pm I think.
The Lenox show is a traffic diaster- they start being closing the roads around 6pm and leaving by car can take hours. I've never had a problem parking for the Lenox fw show, there always seem to be plenty of space at the Dunwoody or Sandy Springs marta stations Its only a two block walk from the Buckhead station to the parking lot of the Mall where you pick a spot to setup.
I just wait 20 minutes before even packing up, then pretty much walk right onto a train and go home.
Colin- when I was a younger man I had evenings like that- enjoy it while you can. Tlong this is what males are supposed to do when we are twenty-something and immortal!
Here are a few of the shots from Atlanta Dragway last Saturday night:
6000hp Jet Dragster running on 70% BioDiesel and 30% JetA fuel: http://www.lowbyte.com/pix/web-NoF_28300.jpg
That was my tune-up for the shows coming on the 3rd and the 4th. Colin is that show in Sugarloaf on the 3rd? Sounds like Jbear is first in line anyway.
Sweet bird pictures JonB - they look good to me! Impressive for hand holding - I never get great hand-held shots.
Marc - love the school bus shot! And your fireworks shots came out a lot prettier than mine - I got more the hand-held harsh too-fast shutter speed feel. What sort of setup do you have and what shutter speed are you shooting?
The Sugarloaf show is the 4th. I'll be shooting that off as well as shooting off another show on the 5th at The Manor, I believe. I believe I can get people "into" either show - meaning near the behind the scenes stuff, just probably not in the "any bomb that doesn't clear the tube may send a bomblet through my leg" zone. You get that close and it is dangerous, and you do need to know what to look for and when you may need to duck and cover. I just have to know you prior to the shoot. PM me if you want to shoot. A couple/few people should be able to do it.
I believe I was shooting 1600/3200 on AV mode (f/2.8) but now I want to try shooting at 1/125 or 1/200 and see what I get. I'll probably get fewer keepers, but the ones I get may be better exposed. Problem is, in this light (completely dark) the camera wants to do a 1/2 second or 1 second exposure, even at ISO 1600 and f/2.8. Some of the shots from the back (like the one with the dude running) were with the 50/1.8 manned by my girlfriend. It's interesting how much more light gets in on that lens - though you have to stand farther back and thus have less ability to change angles.
Here is a thought Colin, how about using flash... off camera if possible? I tried it at Oahu for New Years Eve and I liked the results. You leave the shutter open as long as you need and then just have someone manually trigger a hand held flash to light up whatever you want to show up. Expose for the fireworks and front fill in spots with the flash... dialed way back so it doesn't blow everything else out.
Tlong - Excellent baseball shots. Man those are good.
Marc - Enjoyed shooting the fireworks with you at Stone Mt last year...but I have family coming in so I am out for any fireworks shooting...love your drag shots. Lots of motion shown in them. You can tell the cars are hauling ass.
Colin - Man that looks like fun. I think your shots came out pretty good. Maybe some 2nd curtain flash??
JB - The 800 mm would be killer. I know the 200 2.0 that came out with it is. His shots look great. Your bird shots are real nice. What the heck is that thing though? Man it is ugly....I have seen a couple of your shots like the last one you posted. I think the ones on POTN are better. This one looks like a little too much light got in. What is the squiggly lines at the top? Some one run through with a sparkler? That is pretty cool.
smoov - As I have already told you in chat....your weddign shots are excellent! It is a lot of fun eh?
. 
Great colors in these!
Its only a two block walk from the Buckhead station to the parking lot of the Mall where you pick a spot to setup.