worst performance of the season.

Granted I only had two runs in the dry, but I also didn't have the "complete n00b at this" excuse...

Oh right, _photo_blog. Disappointment on that front as well... first that I didn't have much time (but that couldn't have been helped, thank you rain) and second... I definitely got a lot better at the technical aspects of shooting cars on course. My keep-to-throwaway ratio was possibly an order of magnitude better than the last event. As I started to find at the last event, however, I still need to figure out how to take exciting/interesting photos over merely technically competent shots.

Example the first. I spent most of my time at two spots that were quite close to the course, which really helps the lack of a bazooka zoom lens. After reviewing some of the shots, they were just too bland... a car moving perpendicular across your field of view just doesn't have a lot of punch to it. You don't get a lot of context, and you don't see the car in a very dynamic state. I moved to another spot, and while I only had time to shoot a few cars, it was definitely a lot more interesting.



I also like this crop a lot, focusing on that line of slalom cones that comes down diagonally from the horizon. The first crop feels like it has better context, though...I think the additional space gives it a little more something.




If I weren't running/working an event, I definitely need to find a chance to shoot from one of the worker stations on course. I really like these wider angle shots that make the cars have such _depth_, and I imagine an action shot with that angle would be sweet...

a fitting conclusion

a fitting conclusion, originally uploaded by edfooliu.

Wow, did not realize it's been 5 days since I posted.

The DC SCCA autocross season ended as it began, with periodic downpours,
long delays, and exhausting run heats. This time, though, I actually got to
run--twice dry, twice wet, once very very lost.

Unfortunately, between losing one heat due to poor attendance and constantly
dodging showers, the day's chaos also took away some prime photographing
opportunities.

More later, but I'm exhausted.

36-Hour Mondays

It's remarkable how quickly the novelty of gadgets wear off when it's part of your job.





It's more remarkable, then, how quickly a light dose of shiny LEDs fills me will delight.

some days...

some days..., originally uploaded by edfooliu.

.this job can be _especially_ fun. woo.

You can have all the pizza you want

Before steph cries underexposure, it should be noted that taking in this sight in its full glory would instantly cause death by melting hearts. See, I was protecting you all.

It's no wonder Holly's attracted a suitor:




Tired, so all I'll say of the photomography part of things is that trying to get enough light indoors whilst shooting a black animal is _really_ difficult.

I hate computers.

I hate computers., originally uploaded by edfooliu.

Why is it that every linux distro I've tried seems hopelessly fragile
against sudden power loss/reboots? I can't count the number of times I've
hard reset a windows machine, and yet it seems like every time I neglect to
properly shut down a linux box, something gets borked.

And then there was the 3 hours spent unsuccessfully trying to load eeebuntu,
but that's aggravation I'd rather not relive.

so tired

so tired, originally uploaded by edfooliu.

and now hungry. great.

The low angle of morning sunlight makes for such nice diversity of shadows
high(er) lights.

truck passing by a music school and so forth

truck passing by a music school and so forth, originally uploaded by edfooliu.

Like steph mentioned a couple posts back, you don't always have to go out of
your way to find interesting subjects--or _make_ interesting subjects.
There's too much visual detail in the world--too many stories encapsulated
or suggested in images--to overlook the mundane and routine as subjects. If
not seriously, then at least for practice.

Every time I sit down for breakfast I find something else I want to get on
'film'.

portal

portal, originally uploaded by edfooliu.

I had intended to make that lamp the focus, and I wanted to get some of the
bands of color/trim/accent on the wall. The big mirror, however, makes for
a pretty interesting picture-within-a-picture, kinda like my other "framing"
posts before. I was fortunate that 1) the mirror was so clean and 2) I got
the right angle so that I didn't get any reflections or glare off the
surface of the glass to disrupt the effect.

ducks in a row

What is it about shots of order and structure that look so good in oblique composition with imperfect (or at least anormal) focus?

this man wants to die

Just look at him. I spent a lot of time at turn 10 on the Main circuit at Summit Point shooting the riders, and it was instantly a different game from shooting cars at an autocross. Since the corner was so wide, there weren't many of the framing challenges of cars taking wildly different lines at wildly different speeds and angles. However, the actual speeds were _much_ higher. The combination of the riders traveling across my field of vision and the distance to the track requiring max zoom made it rather difficult to track the bikes properly as I panned. It made selecting the right shutter speed a little tricky. I had trouble finding that sweet spot between motion blurred backgrounds and sharp subjects, and I was dancing around 1/400 and 1/1000+ all day. At autocrosses, I'm down at 1/150-1/250, and it's a lot easier to keep cars in frame (and often the best shooting locations are for a long 180R corner that gives me maybe 10 shots per car versus the 4-5 I was getting here).




That said, it's a _lot_ easier to make interesting, dynamic-looking shots. Well-sorted cars driven skillfully usually appear rather tame in stills without a lot of background motion blur. Bikes just naturally _feel_ more dynamic, with exposed riders and huge lean angles. Also helps that there's more than one in a shot...



I like the wide angle of this shot with one bike coming into pit while the three behind it fly by at race speed. It really gives you a sense how wide that corner is. I bet I could take it wide open in 3rd....




Obligatory shot of Alan and Bernard test riding the R6. There's quite something to be said about a company letting you test drive a vehicle on the track at full track speeds for the free. ...but I shall refrain from getting into why "sports" cars these days ought to drop the "sport" moniker.

symphony of yamaha's latest instrument

For a moment, I wish this were some sort of audio recordings blog. I might've then had the foresight to record the eyes-roll-back-into-head experience of a chorus of 600cc motors singing at 15k rpm around a track...


Keys in the ignition...



Power Rangers check out their new rides


Despite my predilection for 4 wheels and cornering/braking performance, I was pretty eager to tag along with a couple buddies (I will temporarily suspend my usual jabs about the ratio of a biker's brain size to his... other sizes.) to check out the 2008 update of the Yamaha R6. Any pistonhead would geek out at bikes like this... I don't need to actually like bikes to soak in all the engineering. Whereas in cars, most of the interesting bits are hidden under hoods and body panels, the ruthless minimalism and focus of bikes mean that all these mechanical details lay exposed. There's a sort of architectural beauty here that, at least for me, is rather exquisite when one can appreciate it for the ingenuity and refinement of engineering as well as the purely aesthetic qualities.


I just love the patterns and shapes in those two-piece rotors. And look at the detail on the caliper pistons...


I found this visually interesting as well... I like the contoured surfaces separating the busier details like the chain drive peeking through at the bottom. I like the combination of angular and curved features, of the dark colors against the bright yellow or the brushed metal finish. I'm also still geeking out about that awesome monoshock with what appears to be an adjustable spring perch and an external reservoir. Suh-wheet.


I wish I redlined at 16.5. I don't care how little torque that is. The sound alone when it comes on cam makes up for it.

I wonder how my guitar (also a yamaha) would look next to this bike. They have a similar aesthetic... complex surfaces, lots of attention paid to mechanical details, fantastic blue paintjob, etc

court's indulgence...

long week after an exhausting weekend. beg pardons for the lack of daily photomoblogography.

more sky

more sky, originally uploaded by edfooliu.

I really need to try some HDR one of these days. While this exposure
succeeded in getting the clouds and rays, it loses all the gorgeous warmth
and brightness of the actual scene.

still recovering...

still recovering..., originally uploaded by edfooliu.

so haven't really gotten back on the photoblog horse yet.

mmm...rubber...

at dawn:



by late afternoon:


..and utter exhaustion.

rainy

Here we have two standbys of rebelyang and bokehed: tons of bokeh and underexposure (respectively). Hannah passed through the region this morning, and while I waited for my food to heat up, I saw some interesting opportunities. This shot was inspired by steph's latest post. After attempting a few times to shoot through a rain-speckled portion of glass, it occurred to me to make the glass the subject and crank the aperture. I like the effect. There's also this subtle vignetting...I think just from coincidence from darker colors or shaded areas, but I think it adds an extra bit of focus to the center of the frame.

Bonus pic since I may be late/missing tomorrow...



Yes, it's underexposed. Yes, the white balance is off. When I imagine a well-exposed version of this in the correct white balance, though...I'm not sure it'd be _better_. It's raining...it's _supposed_ to be dreary.

morning person convert

morning person convert, originally uploaded by edfooliu.

Since steph's got all the night shots covered, I suppose I'll take mornings.

Nothing (intentionally) special about this--just a view of my new morning
hangout. I've never (as in ever) been a 'morning person', but I've been
trying out an early start for almost two weeks. I've always loved the
feeling of being out in a fresh world yet untainted by busy-ness, and this
may very well permanently usurp the eternal 'ten more minutes' struggle
(well. not so much a struggle as a formality). Quick workout at the gym,
hot shower, then a quick hop over for coffee and breakfast while working
through my huge backlog of readings and writings. Invigorating. And, for
once, it feels like I've stolen time in a good way (as opposed to stealing
it from the other end of the day, which always leaves lingering guilt and
physical debt).

so begins a season of woe and frustration.

so beings a season of woe and frustration., originally uploaded by edfooliu.

In other news, I wonder if there's a way to intentionally compose lens flare
without blinding yourself in the process.

gotta mess around with more of these...

gotta mess around with more of these..., originally uploaded by edfooliu.

lazy post today.

more wide(ish) angle tomfoolery

more wide(ish) angle tomfoolery, originally uploaded by edfooliu.

I'm really starting to like how short focal lengths can make some.ugh, note
to self: I need to find more subtle/specific ways to describe what's
happening in photos besides 'dramatic'. I really like the detail on the
pipe.the splotchy, rusted dirtiness of it is a nice contrast to the trim,
uniform lines that otherwise dominate the rest of the shot. For some reason
it just felt a better subject than the row of cars. I made a few attempts
to shoot the cars, but they just made for lousy subjects. For one, black
cars are impossible to get proper exposures of. but for whatever reason, the
cars seemed to work much better as part of the background.

perspective

I'll try not to milk my autox photos for the next whole week, but these are two I really like. So far all I've used the zoom for on my kit lens has been to get my lens where my feet can't go. With these next two shots, taken at 18mm, I've discovered this perspective thing (sue me, I only have time for one or two obsessively-studied/read interests, so most of my photography knowledge comes from stumbling/bumbling..or steph.).



Ok, so the nose is out of focus/motion blurred, but I still like this shot. The wide angle combined with the point-of-view looking down on the car really bring out the size of the car (well, lack thereof). It kinda squeezes the greenhouse in as the roof recedes into the background. I just think it fits the character of the car...



Now this may be my favorite shot of the entire day. That evo's just got _presence_, and the wide angle, low-height shot makes it really punch off the 'surface' of the photo. In stark contrast to the shot I posted yesterday with FedEx Field filling the background behind the Miata, this is more a juxtaposition of peers. It's just a brute.

UPDATE: per steph's suggestion, a fairly aggressive crop of the evo... I think it loses some of that low-angle/looking-up-at-the-car feel that I wanted. There's a lot more focus on the car/stadium, though. Don't know which I prefer...