This week I wanted to share another monotone photograph that was taken back in college. At that time, there were active weekly contests on the AccessPhoto.com forums, each with a theme to guide the entries. The theme for that particular week was “patterns,” so I decided to head over to the library’s stacks to see what I could come up with. I brought along what was at the time my brand new Canon EF 85mm f1.8 lens to give it a thorough testing in different conditions also. Happily, both the lens and the photograph that it produced were well accepted. It is a lens that I continue to use often today, especially in low light conditions such as concerts.

The above image was originally shot in color, but like the sunset I felt it just worked better in this blue tone. All of the books were different colors, easily distracting ones eye to bounce around from place to place. In the singular tone, it is simplified into the light and dark contrasts, and helps the eye not get so lost with one single focal point in order to take in the whole image.

If you have not done so, give monotone colors like this a try on some of your own photographs. Save it as a different file name, and look at both back to back. You might be surprised what it can do to the feel of the image!

With all the work surrounding the recent Formula Drift event at Wall, NJ, I didn’t have time to post a ‘From the Archive’ yesterday as planned. So, a day belated, here is a shot from my time at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. I haven’t shot many sunsets with the intention of using them in black and white. Generally, sunsets have such vibrant colors that it seems like a shame to hide them. On this occasion, I set out to capture one, but the angle of the sun and the light just wasn’t cooperating as planned. I didn’t want to give up outright on the photograph though, and gave this monochrome look a try. I like the way that it brought out the texture of the clouds surrounding the sun as it descended, a texture that was otherwise invisible in the original image.

As I gear up for this coming weekend’s Formula Drift event at Wall, NJ I decided to take a look back at the first year that I shot the event in 2007. Not a lot has changed in terms of the track, but the driver lineup sure has. Anyone in attendance that year will recall the exciting battle between Chris Cook and Samuel Hubinette. Samuel was trying his luck in a Dodge Charger that had been fitted with a V10 V8 engine, while Chris Cook was still getting used to the V8 V10 power of a Viper. What unfolded was a tandem fight too close to call after just one round, and shockingly in the second runs, Cook sped away from the crazy Swede, something that not many can accomplish. It was one of the best races I have ever seen in the sport, so who knows what might happen this year.

Happy Memorial Day everyone.

This week I couldn’t help but post this second shot from the same morning. There are enough spots to park on the side of the canyon roads North of Malibu, C.A. that finding a good one with an overlooking view wasn’t an issue. Is it a landscape photograph, or one of a beautiful automobile? I would argue that it is both, when the location both compliments and interests the viewer.

During my short time residing in sunny California, I was privileged enough to have a 350Z to drive for a weekend. The car was a fairly new 2006 model, with all the options one could ask for – including the navigation system. And, being new to the LA area, I decided to ask some friends where the good driving roads were. A few carefully placed taps on the navigation and I found myself in the spaghetti-like strings of tarmac that make up the hills just North of Pacific Coast highway. Somewhere between Stunt, Las Virgenes, and Mulholland I pulled off to admire the scenery, or more the billows of fog that were piping their way over the sides of the cliffs. It was there that I found the unique view for the shot above, and another that astute readers will recognize from my automotive portfolio. The shot was done originally in color as all of my work is, but the mood just seemed to work better in this monotone. It feels very still, with only the large highlight by the top of the headlamp drawing your eye closer, making you remember that this is a photograph of a car, and not a landscape. A car that was quite a lot of fun to stomp on through what are still the best curves I’ve ever experienced.

Oh, and a quick P.S. for this week. Make sure you tune into tonight’s season finale of House on Fox (preferably in HD). The whole episode was shot using a Canon 5D Mark II. Being a Canon user myself, I’ll be interested to see what they have been able to accomplish with this next step forward for the medium.

The 2010 Formula Drift event at Road Atlanta just wrapped up this past weekend, and as always I had a blast. The above photo is from 2008 (my last before we move into this year’s hard earned cheddar) and shows Kenji Yamanaka having a little fun during the driver introductions. At each event, the top 16 drivers that make it to the final bracket of competition are brought out in front of the crowd, and as each name is called, they give a wave or jump on their car. Kenji decided to take this to the next logical extreme, and instead jumped right up onto the barrier beside the fencing to snap a photo of himself with the fans. You rock, Kenji.

From the archive is a series that I plan to run every week on Mondays from here on out. It will help to fill the blog when there is some down time, and also allow me to reflect on past photos or events. I thought I would start things off with a short reflection on Formula Drift at Road Atlanta as I gear up for the upcoming 2010 event this weekend. Unlike ALMS style racing, you have to pick your vantage points wisely when it comes to drifting. If you are at the wrong spot, you’ll catch the car as it transitions, wheels facing forwards instead of slanted at full lock the way they are above. You want to look for the areas that give the car time to build speed, and with it a nice smoke trail. Drifting is all about style, and the courses are setup to allow the fans a clear view of each lap. As a photographer, we have to put ourselves as close as we can, exaggerating a still image into something that is mobile the way spectators and youtubers alike will relate.

The above, and below shots were taken at the 2007 FD event. The angle of Tanner Foust’s now retired 350Z car carried on entry into the horseshoe was always a sight to behold. To capture it like this took the longest focal length I had at 280mm (the EF 70-200mm f2.8L lens with 1.4x extender), and maybe a slight crop for good measure. The idea is to compress the car’s overall length, getting it pointing head on to really see how the front wheels are pointing. It’s an angle that is typical of the Long Beach Formula Drift event as the cars launch into the sweeping left-hander past the crowd. With any luck, and a little recollection of where I stood to take this, I should be able to edge out a few more on Friday.

The second shot below is one of my other favorite areas of Road Atlanta to photograph that the general public is not allowed to see. This is the staging area at the top of the hill which leads down to turn 10, where cars start and end each run. Here you can see Ken Gushi’s old Ford Mustang lining up for one of the last practice runs for the evening. This area is different from many of the other tracks on the calendar because of its seclusion. At Wall Speedway in NJ, fans can see the cars just to the left behind a barrier as they change tires or the driver grabs a drink of water before the battle. In Atlanta it’s private, a restricted space that breeds both excitement and tension. The only sounds are the rumblings of exhausts, and the periodic burn outs the cars do to break in a set of rubber.

Stay tuned for more from the track this weekend, and keep your feeds locked in here for future ramblings in the archive series.