DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

Thanks for the triple thumbs up Bill!

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

I'm glad you enjoyed them merrytexan. Thank you for commenting.

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

I just posted the final set. Thanks for commenting Frank. FORZA!

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

Thanks for the nice comment photophly.

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

I'm glad you liked them cdayton. I know they should be red, but they DO sell them in other colors.

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

Thanks for the comment Pixljockey. Wandering around a race track with my camera is something I enjoy a lot, and I'm fortunate to live close to two world class tracks (the other is Sears Point/Sonoma Raceway). I've got a couple of good friends who like to do the same that I usually go with. If you can make it to a track, bring a medium-short lens for the paddock and a long lens for the track, a lot of memory cards and fire away. Don't forget to pause to watch the races too.

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

Thank you Earnest.

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

Thank you for the kind comments FL Streetrodder; I just posted the final set in this series. I've been going to Laguna Seca since 1962 (before I was old enough to drive), so I know my way around the course very well. Laguna Seca is one of my favorite places on the planet. I'm planning on going to the Rolex Historics there in August, and have my camping reservations and race ticket for the IMSA Weathertech Sports Car Race race in September, as well as my race tickets for the IndyCar race the following weekend. More photos to follow!

dick ranez

Thanks for the answers. While equipment isn't the key to consistent great photos, it looks like you've mastered what you have and produce great results. I'm looking forward to your next posts. Dick

srfmhg Loc: Marin County, CA

Great shots Dennis.

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

Thanks for the kind comments Dick. Like everything else, photography equipment is a matter of getting what works best for you and involves trade-offs. When I made the move from a bridge camera to a DSLR 2 1/2 years ago, low light and racing photos were among the considerations. I usually go to the races with a good friend who is a Nikon shooter and carries a huge telephoto zoom lens. I resisted going to a DSLR because I didn't want to carry that much around, as we typically walk 4-6 miles a day at the track, and both Laguna Seca and Sears Point are hilly (and I'm heading into geezerdom). I did some research and found that I could do very well with the 80D and the EF 70-300 which was a reasonable size and weight (the 70-300 is about 1 1/2 pounds). I needed about a 400mm reach, and the 70-300 FF lens gives me the equivalent of 112-480. I'm very happy with the combination, and the EF-S 18-135 covers what I need in the paddock and is my normal "walking around" lens. I also got an EF-S 10-18 for when I need to go wider than the 18-135.

I posted the final set of this series this morning. I'm working my way through post processing photos from a recent trip to Charleston, Savannah and Manhattan, as well as a cruise we took last July to Norway, Scotland and London.

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

Thanks for looking and your comment Mark; I'm glad you liked them.

Kuzano

I was stationed at Fort Ord in 1964 for basic training and Light Truck Driver schooling. During the driving school we used to take Jeeps (M151) 3/4 ton light trucks, Deuce and a half, and occasionally 5 ton tractors out on to the Laguna Seca track for racing. The Corkscrew was particularly tricky for the "new" IRS jeeps that replaced the M38 A1. The IRS was noted for rollover risk. In fact when they were shipped to Germany they were immediately "moth balled" in storage. You could buy them surplus with almost zero miles.

Laguna Seca was a kick for me in the military, although I never rolled over ONE M151, and survived the three I did.

No pics were allowed. It was the Army you know.

(Download)

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

Great story! I can imagine going through The Corkscrew in a top heavy ill-handling truck; scary. I remember the signs on the fences around the track perimeter that warned you to keep out due to possible unexploded ordnance. Before Fort Ord closed, they were only allowed to hold two events a year, usually May and October. The May races were primarily the top tier U.S. races, like the USRRC and Trans-Am and SCCA national races, while the October race was an international professional race that evolved into the Can-Am series. The October race was after the Formula 1 season was over and many F1 drivers raced there then.

It was probably October 1964 or '65 that I spent 4 hours in a tree in the rain at The Corkscrew. It was a great vantage point, I got totally soaked and I didn't care. The tree is still there, but tree climbing is not allowed now.

PAR4DCR Loc: A Sunny Place

Good actions shots DJ.

Don