May is notable for several reasons. It’s the month of my birthday (it’s the 21st, in case you were wondering), its also National Photo Month.

May also the month of the Indianapolis 500! The Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500 are synonymous and while I have yet to see that race in person, although I was able to photograph the penultimate US Grand Prix at Indianapolis a few years ago. This is how I made my favorite image (below) from that race.

How I made this shot: The photograph of Michael Schumacher driving a Ferrari F1 car was made either during practice or qualifying, I don’t remember which one, during the 2003 US Grand Prix. It was captured using an Olympus E-1 Four-thirds DSLR and 50-200mm Zuiko Digital f/2.8-3.5 ED lens. The camera has a 2X multiplication factor so the lens had the equivalent angle-of-view of a 110-400mm lens. The Shutter Priority mode exposure was 1/1000 sec at f/5.6 and ISO 200, while I was standing on the roof of one of the garages at Indy.

Schumacher won in the rain but I never got as a good of shot of him actually winning the race. So I decided to use the image I did have to create an impression of that win ala LeRoy Neiman.

I applied Photoshop’s Watercolor (Filter > Artistic > Watercolor) and then the Poster Edges (Filter > Artistic > Poster Edges) filter was used to give the image an even more artistic look.

Then I applied the Motion Blur command ((Filter > Blur > Motion Blur) but instead of using the kind of blur that follows the direction of the car, I made it more vertical with a forward slant to provide a more impressionistic touch.

If you enjoyed today’s blog post and would like to buy Joe a cup of Earl Grey tea ($3.50), click here. And if you do, thank so very much.

If you’ve looked around this website and blog you already know I love cars but I also like cool, compact cameras to keep in my pocket for pit walks and strolling around cars shows. Unlike the previous Olympus Ferrari digital camera that was based on the Stylus 400, the 2004 model was based on a camera that was not imported into the US.

To some people the Ferrari Digital Model 2004 may be an overpriced, red, 3.2-megapixel digicam but to someone attending the United States Grand Prix in Austin or an American LeMans Series race, it’s the ultimate pit walk accessory.

You may be struck by the not-so-subtle differences in overall shape between the Ferrari Digital Model 2004 and the wonderful but also now out-of-production Konica-Minolta X-series of cameras The Olympus features a 38-114mm (equivalent) optical zoom lens with a folded light path and is the slimmest, most compact digital camera the company had produced up to that time. Its flat metal body measures only 3.7”x 2.6” x .9” and weighs just 5.6 ounces. It’s based on the Olympus AZ-1 that, like Nissan’s March automobile is only available in Japan and has not yet appeared on these shores. So for many photographers this may be their only chance to see an AZ-1, albeit in red.

Instead of the red anodized finish used for the previous model, a special finishing process produces the Rossa Scuderia color that’s a perfect match to Ferrari F-1 cars. The back of the camera body has carbon fiber-like accents and the iconic Prancing Horse logo. On startup, the 2.5-inch LCD screen displays an image of a Ferrari F-1 car and sounds its engine’s roar. That  screen delivers 210,000-pixels and has a 160 degree (vertical and horizontal) viewing angle. An Album function allows captured images to be organized into 12 photo albums of 100 images each can be created for viewing on the  LCD monitor The Ferrari Digital Model 2004 docks to a cradle that’s equipped with a DC power input terminal, AV output, and a USB port. In addition, PictBridge support allows direct printing to any PictBridge-enabled printer without using a computer.

The Ferrari Digital Model 2004 is long discontinued but you may be able to pick up one on eBay. I just checked and found several starting at around $70 with one i the original, fancy packing for less than $200, which sounds like a good deal for any Ferrari enthusiast. OK, it’s only 3.2-megapixels but it’s the ultimate pit fashion accessory.

If you enjoyed today’s blog post and would like to treat Joe to a cup of Earl Grey tea ($3.50), click here. And if you do, many thanks.

It’s #throwbackthursday and I’m reminiscing about the only time, I was able to photograph in that most hallowed of racing venues: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway—aka the Brickyard

One of the most important things to keep in mind when photographing cars, either a classic car or a race car, is choosing an interesting camera angle. To make your car photos stand out from the rest be sure to explore unconventional views of the car. Low or high angles not only provide a different perspective but minimize background clutter. Many pros use twenty-foot stepladders but even a short, two-step kitchen step stool will get you higher than eye level. Or maybe just climb a hill and use a long zoom.

It’s a good idea to try low angles and tilt the camera to provide a dynamic image. This approach will simplify the composition by eliminating distractions seen at eye level, which is the way many people shoot cars. Some of the best shots can be made when you’re lying on the ground pointing your camera at odd angles up at the car. Tip: Be sure to wear your grungies.

One of the disadvantages of using low camera angles and wide-angle lenses is that sometimes the wheels will not be round because of a combination of distortion at the edges of the lens and the camera angles used. If that’s the kind of thing that bothers you, you will need shoot with a view camera or buy/rent a pricey tilt-shift lens. Wheels that aren’t perfectly round don’t bother me.

How I Made this Photo: The image (at top) of a Ferrari practice pit stop was captured at the 2003 US Grand Prix at Indianapolis using an Olympus E-1 with an exposure of 1/640 sec at f/4.6 and ISO 400. At that time, I was a guest in the Ferrari suite which was just above their pit area. The windows sloped outwards, allowing me to hold the camera over my head and shoot down into the pit area and I made several shots of their practice stops. While not everybody has an opportunity to make this kind of image, I could have just sipped their wine and schmoozed but instead I grabbed at the chance to make some special images.

If you enjoyed today’s blog post and would like to treat Joe to a cup of Earl Grey tea ($2.50), click here. And if you do, many thanks.

Along with photographer Barry Staver, Joe is co-author of Better Available Light Digital Photography that’s available from Amazon for $21.50 with used copies starting around eight bucks., as I write this. No Kindle version is available, sorry.

It’s #throwbackthursday and today I’m reminiscing about the only time, I was able to photograph in that most hallowed of racing venues: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway—aka the Brickyard. The Indy 500 is synonymous with motorsport and while I have yet to see the 500 race in person, I was able to photograph the penultimate US Grand Prix at Indianapolis as a guest of Ferrari.

This is how I made my favorite image from that race. The photograph (above) of Michael Schumacher was made during practice (or qualifying, I don’t remember which, sorry) for the 2003 US Grand Prix. The image was captured with an Olympus E-1 and 55-200mm zoom lens, which has a 2X factor so it produced the equivalent angle-of-view of a 110-400mm lens. The camera’s ISO setting was 200 with an exposure of 1/1000 sec at f/5.6 at 1/1000th in Shutter Priority mode. I was standing on the roof of the one of the garages at Indy, which requires a special pass, that I was lucky enough to get since, at the time, Olympus was a sponsor of the Ferrari F1 team.

When I returned home from the race that Schumacher had won in the rain I found that I never got as a good of image of him actually winning. So I decided to create an impression of that win—ala LeRoy Neiman—in the digital darkroom.

I first applied the Photoshop’s Watercolor (Filter > Artistic > Watercolor) and then the Poster Edges (Filter > Artistic > Poster Edges) filter was used to give the image an artistic look. Then I applied the Motion Blur command ((Filter > Blur > Motion Blur) but instead of using the kind of blur that follows the direction of the car, I made it more vertical with a forward slant to provide a more impressionistic touch.

If you enjoyed today’s blog post and would like to treat Joe to a cup of Earl Grey tea ($2.50), click here. And if you do, many thanks.

Along with photographer Barry Staver, Joe is co-author of Better Available Light Digital Photography that’s available from Amazon for $21.50 with used copies starting around eight bucks., as I write this. No Kindle version is available, sorry.

Because I live in Colorado, I’ve tried to get to the warmer climes of Naples, Florida in mid-February, which just happens to coincide with the annual Ferrari Club Street Show.

This is a remarkable affair with some of the best classic, muscle and sports cars in the country on display. It also poses some significant challenges for photographers trying to grab photos of these cars. The street is jammed with crowds of on-lookers, the bright Florida sunshine can be harsh, and getting a relatively clean photo requires tight cropping, patience, and grabbing the shot when just a few seconds of opportunity are presented. So here’s a few tips:

• Everyone is trying to take a photo! The cars are parked very close together (there’s one block just for red Ferrari’s) and here’s where tight cropping can help.
• Reflections abound, including your own, so be careful and wear dark clothing.
• Holding the camera over the engine bay works when you stretch when using a small camera like my Panasonic LX100. (Note from Joe: Panasonic recently introduced the Lumix DC-LX100 II, look for a review on my New Blog real soon now.)

Above all, respect the cars, go early if you can, and enjoy some of the worlds finest automobiles.

In the early 1970’s my father thought it would be a great idea to bring my younger brother and I to Mosport for the first time to watch an international race. We all enjoyed ourselves so much that Dad brought us back annually to the Canadian Grand Prix while it was held at Mosport and eventually to Watkins Glen, New York.

Earlier this summer, in what I can only describe as being in the right place at the right time, I was fortunate enough to be the series photographer for the Masters Historic Formula One series when they visited Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, previously known as Mosport Park.

My access allowed me to wander in their exclusive paddock area while the mechanics and drivers worked on their cars and track side to cover the cars at speed. I was thrilled to watch, listen and take photos of these rare Formula One cars at a track where most of them had previously been driven in the hands of such greats as Jackie Stewart, Francois Cevert, Graham Hill, Ronnie Peterson and the crowd favorite, Gilles Villeneuve. In fact, some drivers in the series even have their helmets painted to replicate the originals.

Given that most of the drivers and car owners could be described as gentlemen racers I was pleasantly surprised at the speed and skill that they had since this was the first time driving this historic race track. When the racers would return to the paddock after each session it was fun to see the enthusiastic chats that they would have with each other-along with a little teasing. While I was taking photos of the cars in the paddock, Allan de la Plante was standing beside me admiring the Ferrari 312 T4 that was driven so many years ago by the late Gilles Villeneuve. De la Plante photographed Villeneuve’s rise from Formula Atlantic to the Ferrari in Formula One and knew him very well. Much to my surprise Gille’s widow, Joanne Villeneuve, accepted the offer to climb into the car once driven by her late husband.

The drivers and crew were very engaging with the spectators and were more than willing to share stories of the history of the cars they were working on. Needless to say the Masters Historic Formula One series was a crowd pleaser-both off and on the track.

John Larsen is this blog’s Senior International Travel Correspondent John Larsen, whose website is www.photograffics.com.

On Saturday, Oct 7 the final Cars & Coffee at First & Main in Colorado Springs was held with the host club being the Alpine Region of the Porsche Club of America with many new and older Porsches on display. Most notable to Mary and I were a pristine, 100-point Concours-quality Speedster and a lovingly restored Sand Beige 1966 Porsche 911, whose owner told us a great story on how the car came to painted that color. It is one of the many reasons that I love Cars & Coffee.

The highlight for Mary was when she was parking her 2006 Mercedes Benz SLK 350 and one of the organizers asked—he practically demanded—that she move the car into the show area. Fortunately we had recently cleaned the car and its silver paint sparkled in the dappled sunlight. WE were both surprised that people not only liked the car but actually took photographs.

On the other hand, we didn’t take many pictures but Mary brought her Nikon DSLR and had fun making pictures, including the one of me talking to the owner of a pristine Datsun 1600 roadster.

The organizers of the First & Main Cars and Coffee event have not announced their schedule for 2018 but as soon as it’s available I’ll post it here. Mary and I hope to see you there next year, but you can join us at the Second Tuesday Cars and Coffee that are sponsored by the Vehicle Vault and held in Parker, CO. The next one is this Saturday October 14 and we hope to see you there.

• Starts: 9:00 am
• Ends: – 12:00 pm
• Location: Vehicle Vault 18301 Lincoln Meadows Parkway Parker, Colorado 8013

Last year, the Automezzi Italian Car Show celebrated its 25th year of exhibiting Italian cars, motorcycles and scooters to benefit Denver area charities. This year the event is being held on Sunday August 14th at Anderson Park in Wheat Ridge, CO. While I’m a confessed Anglophile both Mary and I love Italian cars but it’s been a while since I’ve owned one, my last being a (brand new) 1970 Fiat 850 Sypder.

2016’s Celebration Of Italian Motoring will feature over 125 Italian cars and vehicles from the Italian Exotic Car, Motorcycle and Scooter Clubs of the Denver/Rocky Mountain Region. Marques displayed at the recent Sunday show include Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, DeTomaso Pantera, Lancia, Ducati, Moto Guzzi. Aprilia, Lambretta and Vespa.

This show is typically a time when I bring  new gear to test for Shutterbug magazine for this and my other blogs. This year, my plan are to bring the new Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 12mm f/1.4 ASPH. lens, which as I write this is not quite available but should be real soon now.

The lens is a 24mm equivalent lens designed for Micro Four-thirds digital cameras that uses a pair of aspherical elements, two ultra extra-low dispersion elements and one extra-low dispersion element to control spherical and chromatic aberrations for sharpness and clarity from edge-to-edge. Its all metal construction is weather-resistant and there’s a manual AF/MF switch for, you know, those people who want to focus themselves. (Not me.)

The 2016 the Automezzi Italian car show should be lots of fun. If you attend, please say “Hi” to Mary and I.

• Location: Anderson Park, Wheat Ridge, Colorado (44th/Field)
  Show hours: 9AM to 1PM

Recently Automezzi celebrated its 25th year of exhibiting Italian cars, motorcycles and scooters to benefit Denver area charities. Marques displayed at the recent Sunday show include Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, DeTomaso Pantera, Lancia, Ducati, Moto Guzzi. Aprilia, Lambretta and Vespa.

While I am a confessed Anglophile both Mary and I love Italian cars but it’s been a while since I’ve owned one, my last being a (brand new) Fiat 850 Sypder. At Automezzi I brought along a Samsung NX1 to capture the event and would like to offer some impressions of the camera in this kind of outdoor car show environment. (For a more detailed look at the NX1 visit Mirrorless Photo Tips.)The NX1 has a tilting but not fully articulated flip-out screen that is nevertheless useful for Hail Mary overhead shots that help minimize the inevitable crowds at outdoor car shows. The screen is hard to move because Samsung didn’t provide a small tab on it to easily pop the screen out.

Similarly removing an SD card from the side-mounted receptacle (thankfully not in the bottom battery compartment) requires the use of your finger nails not fingertips as in every other mirrorless—or otherwise—camera I’ve used. If you care about your manicure, be careful out there.

There is no doubt the 16-50mm f/2-2.8 S ED OIS (24-75mm equivalent) lens is impressive for low-light photography but the less expensive kit lens—the 16-50mm Power Zoom—weighs 3.92 ounces. 16-50mm f/2-2.8 S ED OIS weighs 1.32 pounds.

Even though the 16-50mm f/2-2.8 S ED OIS equivalent maximum focal length falls short of a more portrait-like 85mm, it makes a great portrait lens and while testing Rotolight’s NEO LED lighting system, photographer Cliff Lawson used it to make a nice—I think—portrait of me for the Bio page of my website. I plan to use that lens for a model shoot with these clever LED lights and expect to be posting images on Mirrorless Photo Tips real soon now.

These few quibbles aside the Samsung NX1 was a friendly companion during the Automezzi car show and produced images of startling clarity that are only hinted at by these images that appear here. If the name on the camera said “Canon” instead of Samsung, it would be the best seller it deserves to be.

If you enjoyed today’s blog post and would like to treat Joe to a cup of Earl Grey tea ($3.50), click here.

My high school art teacher, who in the 60s drove Alfas and Porsches and shot using Leicas and Hasselblads, got my brother and I started on the right track. My brother went on to run a Ferrari, Porsche, Alfa and Mercedes Benz for dealer that at one point had nine cars racing in SCCA competition and in international events such as Sebring and Daytona. While I went to college and grad school, I spent my spare time as a mechanic on sports racing cars and amateur photographer attending many races, including SCCA, Can Am and the US Grand Prix. I always had my Leica M2/Summilux 35/Elmarit 90 with me and shot thousands of photos.

In 2002, as we were preparing for a move from Boston to Southern California, I began to think about all those photos and all the books I had collected on cars and racing. I had three boxes, almost 100 books, just on racing technique, covering racing sprint cars in the 1930s to brand-new books.

I had been racing vintage Alfas for more than a decade and had met the founders of the new Watkins Glen Racing Library. When I offered them the books, they were delighted to have them. They also asked about old photos. I had already scanned hundreds of the the photos from the 60s and 70s and posted them on my website.  I was often asked to contribute to magazine articles, books and websites like this one.

Since then, I have convinced others to make similar donations to the Library. As we get older, we all wonder what will happen to all those photos and other “junk” that we have collected. Finding them a good home like at the Watkins Glen library ensures that they will not get tossed in the trash by someone who wonders “who would want all those old car photos?”— Jim Hayes