Is it me, or has the month of May roared by at 200mph? It’s almost June! I don’t know about you guys, but this month is a busy one for me and my family. My youngest son’s birthday is May 6th, his girlfriend’s birthday is May 5th, MY birthday is May 5th, and my twins’ birthday is May 10th. And that’s just in the first two weeks. All the birthday bashes are quickly followed by Mother’s Day. Just when you catch your breath…school is ending for the year.
Did I forget to mention Memorial Day? I’m writing to you from Indiana…America’s Heartland. You would have to live under a rock not to know that the most important thing in May to many people ‘round here is the Indy 500…or as we like to call…the official start of summer. I first went to the race as a spectator in 2012. Five years later I would be given press access as part of my work for Indiana University.
To be honest, I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy the Indy 500. It’s hot. It’s loud. It’s packed with people. There is lots of food with questionable health benefits.
And it’s *&%$-ing exciting! Sensory overload. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an interesting place. It just dawned on me as I was preparing this post that the track itself and the surrounding grandstands are rather stark and grey. Lots of metal and concrete. The neutral backdrop offers a wonderful contrasting palette against which you can capture all the amazing color and pageantry of the race itself.
I enjoy being around anyone who is good at what they do. And the men and women who work in and around the Indy 500 are no different. Everyone has a job to do…from the pit crews and the drivers to the “yellow shirts” who keep the spectators informed (and safely out of the way). It’s really one giant family. The veteran photographers who shoot the race are no different. When you photograph any of the days leading up to and including race day…you MUST be at the early morning media check-in. This is when you receive your photographer “bib” and get the safety and info briefing for that day. For practice days that basically means you can go pretty much anywhere you want to…just don’t get run over. There are photographers’ pits on the outside of each turn with little openings in the fence where your lens can poke through. The veteran photogs get first dibs on those spots. To be honest, I had no interest in photographing cars moving directly towards me at 200mph with not much more than a spider’s web of safety cable and a “SAFER” barrier between me and certain death. (In case you were ever wondering…it stands for Steel And Foam Energy Reduction Barrier.)
For you photographers out there…I don’t usually use zoom or telephoto lenses. I prefer to work close to my subjects. And when that isn’t possible, working to find an interesting yet clean composition with a 40mm lens is fun! This does present a bit of a creative challenge at times, however. These photos are from 2017. I’m super proud of my race work. I feel comfortable moving around the cars with my little “pancake” lens and one camera body. Lightweight and stealthy. Although I do get some quizzical looks from some of the other photographers. If anybody wants to hire me to shoot future Indy 500 races…my bag is ready to go!!! Thanks to the folks at Mastin Labs for the Ektar film profile. You can purchase prints of these images here.
Next on my race bucket list…behind the scenes at a Formula 1 race. Enjoy your Memorial Day!!!!
