The Eyes Have It In ARCA

ARCA Driver Natalie Decker said it all with her eyes at Nashville

William Shakespeare is quoted as having said "The eyes are the windows to your soul." I happen to believe that is a true statement and I will regularly shoot photos which concentrate on a subject's eyes for exactly that reason. If you were at Nashville's Fairgrounds Speedway last weekend for the ARCA Racing Series Music City 200, then you know that the driver's eyes were about all we could see most of the day. The weather was so cold that everyone was bundled up in hats and coats, or just plain hiding out, so getting candid driver photographs was a huge challenge. That got me thinking about the driver's eyes, and whether I could catch them in appropriate lighting to help tell the story of the event. I don't know if I was successful with the story element, but seeking photos of eyes became my mission for the day prior to the start of the 200 lap race that night.

An ageless wonder, team owner 79 year old Wayne Peterson waiting his turn to qualify

The best place to get these photos turned out to be during ARCA qualifying late in the afternoon as the drivers were in their cars waiting their turn to establish their starting position. I can imagine that these moments are their most serene during the day as the teams have done everything they can to get the car ready for their qualifying attempt, and it's just the driver's and their thoughts before they roll off to take the green flag. Then a few minutes later their qualifying attempt is over, they are back in the pits and they have to start thinking about race strategy. They know there's no more time to work on their cars prior to the race as ARCA employs an impound after qualifying so nothing can be done once the checkered flag has flown on their qualifying run. This time they even got an extra lap to warm up before they qualified due to the cold track and I'm guessing that just magnified each driver's trepidation before going out. Of course it doesn't work out for everyone as some will spin and hit the wall, which is exactly what happened to Wayne Peterson.

Travis Braden was all smiles before qualifying

One of the things I try to tell the ARCA drivers when I am working is to ignore me - pretend I am not even there - so I can capture those unposed, candid moments. Some drivers are better at that than others and sometimes I will sort of sneak up on them to get a photo. Other times, there's no denying them an opportunity to pose and put on their happy face. I don't blame them for that. After all, they are in their happy place and on this weekend with the frigid temperatures, the drivers were probably the warmest people around when they were in their race cars. One of the biggest challenges in getting these photos is simply getting the exposure correct, especially for me since I prefer to shoot with available light and not use flash. I think skin tones are more realistic without using flash but the interior of the cars is always several stops darker than the outside but I've been doing this long enough now to know generally how to set my camera before I more in for a photo. Sometimes I will experiment with camera settings but this weekend I didn't really need to for these kinds of photos as Saturday's skies were uniformly gray without the harsh lighting contrast you can get on a bright sunny day.

Youngster Christian Eckes before qualifying

Once qualifying was over, then everyone was ready to concentrate on racing. It was by far the coldest race day I can ever remember being a part of. There were times in the afternoon when there were actually snow pellets falling! From pre-race driver introductions through the Victory Lane celebrations, there was no chance to warm up and my fingertips were numb by the end of the night, even though I was wearing my leather baseball batting gloves so at least I didn't have bare skin touching my cameras.

Michael Self is the season points leader after the first two races of 2018

The race itself was highly competitive and was another great ARCA race among the "kids", the youngsters who seem to thrive in the ARCA RAcing Series. Zane Smith was in charge most of the night, but he had significant challenges from his teammates at MDM Motorsports to overcome en route to his first ARCA win. Sheldon Creed took second ahead of Harrison Burton. Daytona winner Michael Self took fourth ahead of another youngster, 15 year old Chandler Smith who had won the pole. The series moves on to Salem Speedway next weekend and I will be there again. It will be the 103rd ARCA race at the old Salem bullring and I'd bet everyone is praying for warmer weather. I know I am! I think I have only missed one of them since the fall race in 2006 and I am excited to be going back again. I've got a signature photo spot at Salem so stay tuned for more photos next week. Here's a few more from Nashville's Fairgrounds Speedway to tide you over, or you can click on this link for a photo gallery.

Sheldon Creed won a Trans Am race in the rain at Road America last summer so an ARCA win is coming

It was great seeing Zane Smith (41) get his first ARCA win after racing for two different teams last season

The Fairgrounds Speedway oval is a great venue for the ARCA series and MAV TV showed the race live

On the Road Again: Back to ARCA Racing

My third Rolex 24 was a great experience

I haven't felt like I've had much racing related news to write about lately but that's all coming to an end since I am going back on the road this weekend. While I haven't been to a race since the Rolex 24 at the end of January, I've been busy with my full time job as a teacher and planning out the rest of this season. I've also been looking for new photography opportunities to fill some gaps this summer. In the meantime, I've continued to update and expand my redesigned website, I shot some games in a girls travel volleyball tourney in Indy a couple of weekends ago, and I I had planned to shoot the open Indy 500 test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last week while we were on spring break. But alas, spring weather here in Indiana is notoriously volatile and we've had snow this week followed by predictions of a week of rain for next week so the test was postponed.

The ARCA short track racing at Nashville's Fairgrounds Speedway is intense

This weekend, however, I will be back in the saddle at the ARCA race in Nashville, and I recently got confirmation from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that I will be shooting for French media company MPS Agency at Indianapolis in May, so those developments make me excited to get back to work at my racing photography. This off season has seemed especially long for some reason, and the schedule for my ARCA racing work currently only includes 10 races right now but more could be added. The MPS Agency has been recently created by principals of the former Vision Sport Agency (who I shot for last year and who helped me get access at  Le Mans last summer) so I hope I will be able to build on that relationship. Part of the reason I only have 10 ARCA  races for now is I had held June open in case we were able to go back to Le Mans this year and by the time I learned my grant request had not been funded, ARCA officials had filled those races as part of their planning which I understand. So as I said, I have some gaps in my racing schedule for June and we will probably use at least one week for a bona fide vacation once my school year is over.

Natalie Decker leads the 2018 crop of  ARCA newcomers 

One of the coolest things about shooting for the ARCA Racing Series is seeing all the officials again after several months away. I haven't seen most of the ARCA gang since the annual awards banquet last December. For others, you'd have to go back to Kansas Speedway in October and the final race last season. I know it will take me awhile to remember everyone's names and since I couldn't be at Daytona in February, I'm sure there will be some new war stories that will be going around that will be fun to catch up on. Another cool aspect of the series is all the newcomers behind the steering wheel that come to ARCA every season. Since this will be my first race of 2018 with the series, it will take me some time to put the new names, numbers and faces together but once I start taking their pictures and downloading them into the proper team folders, that gets really easy. And then there's the racing...

Grant Enfinger won in 2015 en route to the ARCA championship

My first visit to ARCA's Nashville race was in 2015 so this will be my fourth trip to Fairgrounds Speedway. I've seen the racing improve each year as teams gather more data for the aging half mile track. The ARCA series has a much longer history at the Fairgrounds track however, as the series tends to try different venues out from time to time. I hope this event draws its biggest crowd ever so we can keep coming back here each year. The support racing this year should be spectacular as three different Super Late Model series are joining together for a 100 lap feature that is always action packed. There will be plenty to photograph all day Saturday with practice and qualifying for ARCA and the Super Late Models, in addition to the main event, the Music City 200. Once the Nashville event is over, then my racing photography schedule starts to shift into high gear with ARCA races at Salem Speedway and Talladega later in April, and the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, practice and qualifying for the Indy 500 and then the 500 itself consuming most of the month of May. Needless to say, I am starting to get excited!

This year Toyota will probably win Le Mans but I can't be there to get shots like this

My one disappointment so far this year is not being able to return to Le Mans in June. If that is my only setback for 2018 then I will fine as we are doing everything we can think of to be able to go back in 2019. When I say "we", I am referring to my fiance and I since our 2017 trip was monumental and we want to see more of France and maybe some other parts of Europe while we are there. It would be hard to top our 2017 trip but we will certainly try! Part of the fun is in the planning anyway and you know I will be writing about it here as our plans progress. If I am fortunate enough to be a contributor to the Automobile Club de l'Ouest again with the help of my French colleagues, then it will all be worthwhile. Even if that opportunity doesn't materialize for some reason, going back to Europe will be a blast regardless, especially if I can learn some more French!

For now, I will leave you with a few more photos from my 2017 racing work and from the Rolex 24 this past January to prime the pump just a little more for this weekend. Enjoy, and be sure to check my website for more. Most importantly, don't forget to call me if you need a photographer!

ARCA races are wheel to wheel battles at Nashville

Lighting is everything in photography and sports cars during the Rolex 24 provide great photo opportunities

I feel like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz during May: "there's no place like home"

Going to Le Mans last year was a dream come true and I can't wait to go back

Cadillac Dominates 56th Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona

It was cool to be back in Daytona's Victory Lane with Action Express Racing again!

I worked my third Rolex 24 Hour race last weekend as a photographer and it was an  incredible experience once again. It was also my third 24 Hour race in the last 12 months and I have to admit that there is something unique about these overnight endurance races which keeps drawing me back. This race was dominated by two Action Express Racing Cadillac powered machines from the first few hours, so there wasn't a lot of drama at the point for most of the race. Watching the #5 Mustang Sampling car take the lead and stay out front for hours on end, including the last 293 laps, I kept wondering if they could maintain it or whether something was going to break and hand the win to the sister #31 Cadillac but they just rolled on to Victory Lane with the Whelen car on the lead lap but no real threat at the end. In the process, they set a new distance record for the event and driver Philippe Albuquerque got redemption for 2017 when a Rolex 24 win at Daytona slipped through his fingers with less than 10 minutes to go. Co-drivers and veterans Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi each got their third Rolex watches to go with the ones I saw them earn in 2014. Ironically, that 2014 Rolex 24 was my first one 24 hour endurance race; I trust that 2018 will not be my last one.

The #5 Mustang Sampling  team had everyone covered

I was most amazed that the race only had 20 laps run under caution. That is almost miraculous considering the variety of cars spread across three different classes that must share the track and the hundreds of drivers involved who bring a broad spectrum of skills and experience. Last year's Rolex was effected by lengthy cautions during the night for monsoon conditions so this race had a whole different pace to it than any enduro I had experienced previously. Every race has a "feel" to it that develops as the laps add on but I've found that to be even more true for these 24 hour races. There's a certain rhythm I feel at these races that I don't experience anywhere else other than Indianapolis. In the night, when I have my earplugs in and I am concentrating on getting from one part of the circuit to another to get a certain shot I envision, the drone of the various engine sounds is a unique visceral experience that goes right to my bones. Perhaps that's what activates my adrenal glands and sends a rush of endorphins through my brain every time I get to do one of these 24 hour events. I understand now why my photographer friends gravitate to sports car endurance racing to be able to experience those feelings over and over again throughout the event.

The United Autosports LMP2 car finished fourth

While I have only worked four 24 hour races (Daytona 2014, 2017 and 2018, plus Le Mans 2017), I know the rhythm these events have and this year I was able to get to Daytona on Thursday and experience a full immersion through the end of the race Sunday night. For the first time going to Florida for a race, I did not go to the beach at least once to see the ocean as I was consumed with the photography opportunities which the Rolex 24 provides. The rock band Scorpions had a song called "Rhythm of Love" and I could say that's what the weekend was like for me this year, as I truly felt the rhythm of the race as the weekend went on. Most other races I shoot only last two to four hours but at these 24 hour events, that is just getting started. For this event, the green flag flew at 2:40 pm Saturday afternoon and the checkers at the same time on Sunday. I was on the grid at about 1:00 pm, shot driver introductions and then went to the outside main grandstands for the first hour of the race. I then walked back inside the track and went to the infield where the racetrack rejoins the banking. From there I worked my way backward around the infield circuit so I could be back at the media center to complete my first download around 5:00 pm and grab something to eat. The next phase centered on being out shooting around 6:00 pm to see what kind of sunset would develop and then shoot for a while during the golden light dusk period.

An Audi casts a cool green glow on the backstretch as its brakes heat up

Sunset wasn't all that much to get excited about as Saturday it was mostly overcast. The next photo target was the fireworks which were scheduled for 11:00 pm so I stayed out and worked the infield, experimenting with some slow shutter speed pans, fill flash and other techniques during the darker hours. I got caught out by an unexpected rain shower around 8:00 pm and had to find cover since I was nowhere near the media center and didn't have any of my rain gear on me. I found a place at a concession stand to wait it out and as it turned out, my gut feeling was right - the rain didn't last long. It lasted just long enough to wet the track down and create a nice reflective surface so I worked my along the inside of Turn 2 of the oval, then down the backstretch to the bus stop chicane before finally heading back to the International Horseshoe in the infield to shoot the fireworks. After a quick download and backup of my files, my buddy and I headed back to his motorhome shortly after midnight to grab a few hours of sleep.

I finally got my special Daytona sunrise in my third Rolex 24

After getting about three and half hours of sleep, we got up at 4:30 in the morning and headed back to the track as the next photo target was sunrise. And what a glorious sunrise it was. Of the three Rolex 24 races I have photographed, this year's sunrise was by far the best I had seen. I know it's s small sample size and last year it was raining cats and dogs when the sun came up, but I have seen other photographers' work over the years and I had a few different photos in mind that I was going to try and capture. The sunrise was technically around 7:00 that morning so the race had been running for over 16 hours  with about eight to go but that didn't deter a gaggle of photographers gravitating to the West Horseshoe where I went to try and take advantage of the morning light opportunities. It was everything I'd hoped it would be and as I worked my way back around the infield portions of the track to go download my files and get some breakfast, I had a very satisfied feeling come over me as I felt I was achieving all the photo goals I had set for myself before the event.

The rest of the day repeated the same pattern of shooting, downloading, getting refreshments or food and then going out again. I went to Victory Lane about 45 minutes before the scheduled finish and watched for the first time all race, shooting an occasional frame when I could get multiple cars together as well as the checkered flag shot.. After the Action Express team celebrated, I headed back to the media center and packed up to leave as I had to get to Orlando for an 8:30 pm flight that evening and I wasn't sure what to expect as far as traffic was concerned. I made it to the Orlando airport around 6:00  pm, returned my rental car, went through security and got something to eat so I had about an hour to spare before my Southwest fight would be boarding. I was pleasantly exhausted. Once on the plane, I told the woman next to me to feel free and elbow me if I started snoring, and I was asleep before the wheels were even up on the plane. I woke up later as the Captain announced we were in the final descent. After a fantastic weekend at the racetrack, I was back in my own bed by midnight and back in reality with my regular job looming a short eight hours away. I'd do it again tomorrow if I had the chance. Meanwhile enjoy the photos and check out my new website for so much more.

Shooting at night is a wonderful  photography challenge

Seeing 50 cars roaring to the start line is an incredible sight to see

Morning light creates great chances to see the drivers at work inside the cars

After 24 hours of hard racing, the cars all appear peppered with rubber and dirt

Photography is all about the light so we chase that while drivers chase a win

Alonso, Danica, Daytona, Le Mans and the Indy 500

F1 star Alonso wowed fans at Indy in 2017

So what does this blog post have to do with the biggest races in the world? And what does Fernando Alonso have to do with Danica Patrick? He's a two-time Formula One world champion seeking to win a prestigious triple crown while she's out of her NASCAR ride for 2018 and has announced her retirement as a full time driver. But Danica will try to wrap her career with a nice bow in 2018 at the place where she first gained fame: the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as she has said the Indy 500 will be her last race. Too bad they both couldn't be at Indy this year! Meanwhile, Alonso is taking on the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona this month to prepare for his attempt at winning Le Mans this coming June. I had hoped to be there to photograph all of these events in 2018. but it doesn't look like Le Mans is going to be possible after all. If I could arrange funding through sponsorship or a photo assignment for the trip to France, then it could still become a reality so if you are in need of someone to work races for you as your team or driver's personal photographer, then please keep me in mind.

Rolex 24 pre-race pageantry in 2017

With my ARCA Racing Series work and a return engagement with Vision Sport Agency at Indianapolis this May, I am anticipating a very busy 2018 as I will be flying to Daytona in a little more than two weeks to shoot the Rolex 24 Hours for Associated Press. It will be my third Rolex race and I am very excited to have the chance to work the event again this year. I do have the feeling that big things lie ahead this year so the Rolex race will be a great way to kick things off.

Danica Patrick  got a mixed reaction from fans at Texas in 2009

With Alonso in the headlines so often lately with his explorations in racing away from his full time ride with McLaren, it will be interesting to see how NASCAR starts its season off shortly after the Rolex weekend has concluded. Danica may or may not race the Daytona 500 - she said she would for the last time n 2018 but is not having much luck in putting a deal together. To say the bloom is off the rose is probably an understatement and I'll bet she faces the same issue for the Indy 500 this May. I know when she left Indycar, she did so with no hard feelings but many fans had grown tired of the surly temperament she often displayed around the garage area. The last straw for a lot of Indy fans was her comment on the public address system at Indy when she threw her team under the bus after a slow qualifying effort. Saying "It's not my fault" as she did is not going to win fans at Indianapolis and many people were happy to see her go to NASCAR.

When I took this photo, I wondered if Danica was waving goodbye

My perception has always been that Danica never really mastered how to drive a loose race car in the Cup series, having become accustomed to the high downforce Indycar package which more often than not produced tight racecars. The old saying is "loose is fast" so the learning curve in NASCAR must have been huge for her. Perhaps the new Indycar design for 2018 will present a level playing field for her return. I hope she gets back to Indyas it will offer another story line for the 500 and the chance for more publicity. Another old adage is that "any publicity is good publicity" and many would say that definitely applies to the Indycar series these days so her return might fall into that category. No matter what, she will probably sell some t-shirts and perhaps a few copies of her new book. If Danica can come back to Indy with an excited attitude and courts women and young girls who have always looked up to her, then I would say that her retirement from racing would be a success.

The 2017 Rolex 24 was hit by overnight rains which challenged everyone

The time for off-season speculation is just about at an end as the 2018 racing season got underway this past weekend at Daytona where all the IMSA teams gathered for their pre-season "Roar Before The 24" test. The 2018 rendition of the Rolex 24 Hours race promises to be one of the best in years with a star studded field of drivers and a highly varied equipment entry list with DPi and WEC LMP2 prototypes at the head of the pack and a plethora of production based GT cars filling out the class structure in GTD and GTLM. That variety is one of the great things about sports car endurance racing and why I am so excited to have the chance to go back again this year. While I shot the 2017 Rolex 24 for motorsport.com, this year I am working as a stringer for Associated Press - always a crapshoot economically - just as I did in 2014 in order to have another chance to prove what I can do and network with people who might be able to hire me in the future to shoot more racing.

I love working with ARCA  and its champions like Austin Theriault

This is, however, the beginning of a transitional year for me in racing photography as the financial returns have often not exceeded my investment of time, energy and funding. Over the last dozen years, I have really concentrated on making a name for myself in the business, a task which has proven to be much more difficult than I had imagined. Much as race teams need sponsorship, so do I need gainful assignments where I am not subsidizing my passion for racing as I have often done.  I am a teacher by trade, having decided to make a career change in 2009 in part so I could have time to pursue my photography interests more fully, and the change  has allowed me to do just that, so I have no regrets whatsoever. I just wish I could find more paying clients to make the pursuit of my passion truly self supporting.

At home at Indianapolis

Amidst the changing landscape of today's digital media world, I am grateful for every opportunity to be compensated for my racing photography such as my role as Chief Photographer for the ARCA Racing Series. After this year, I don't anticipate working "on spec" or in exchange for access or for photo credits in publications. That could change if there were some extraordinary circumstances involved, but I did that for a number of years trying to help a friend launch the defunct American Motor Journal publication and was aware even then that I was perhaps part of the problem in terms of the devaluation of photography services by the mainstream media. I have seen many news outlets cut back and eliminate staff photographer positions the last 10 years, so I hope I can be hired for the quality of work I produce and be paid fair compensation for that work product. As racers often have critical years in their careers, it feelss like 2018 will be a critical year for my career as a racing photographer as well.

I hope to shoot the Indy 500 as long as I am able

If you've read my blog before then you know that Indianapolis is my home track and I am a member of the Indy 500 Oldtimers so I will always have a photography role at the Speedway in May as long as I am physically able. This year will be my second year representing French media company Vision Sport Agency (VSA) and I will be seeing one of their owners at Daytona later this month to plan for that work. I am also hoping to do other sports car work for VSA if they run into scheduling conflicts with their other staff, and of course going to Le Mans in June is at the top of my 2018 list if funding comes through. So by the end of this month, I should know exactly what my 2018 schedule will include beyond the month of May as I have the Daytona 24 on tap, then ARCA races at Nashville, Salem and Talladega, before the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and the Indy 500. The end of this month will also be two years since I quit smoking so I am grateful to still be alive and kicking at an age when I see the names of a lot of my friends in the obituaries.

Thank God for exercise, good friends, and fulfilling work. Gotta love it! See you at the Rolex 24!

The first Japanese driver to win the Indy 500: Takuma Sato

I am looking forward to another great year shooting the ARCA Racing Series

Our trip to Le Mans last year was a dream come true; I can't wait to go back!

Through the Looking Glass: 2018 Racing Plans

Dawn over a racetrack as team members arrive is a beautiful thing

Sometimes once my racing photography season is over, I can go into a funk and it might take me awhile to break out of it. My fiance is the first person to call me on it when it happens as she knows me better than anyone. God bless her. Anyone else who knows me shouldn't be surprised that I have that kind of emotional reaction when a passionate pursuit of mine comes to an end, even when it's just temporary. If you know me, then you know that I am a black and white kind of guy - I'm either all-in or all-out and there's really not much gray area in between. I throw myself whole-heartedly into any pursuit I am passionate about, sometimes to the point of exhaustion, and when one pursuit runs its course then I am on to the next thing with equal commitment. My family would tell you that I've been that way since I was a little kid. I would run until I dropped and they'd be looking for me only to find me collapsed in a ball on the floor somewhere too tired to move another inch! My fiance sometimes calls me the "Energizer Bunny" as I have continued much the same pattern as an adult, especially where racing is concerned and 18 hour days are normal at the racetrack.

ARCA Champion Austin Theriault

I do have one more photo assignment to wrap up 2017 when I shoot the ARCA Racing Series annual awards banquet in December. It will be good to see everyone again after bidding one another adieu at Kansas. But the "next thing" for me right now is looking ahead to the 2018 season. That's what really helps keep my funk to a minimum as I have to have something to look forward to. I already have plans made to shoot the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona at the end of January for Associated Press; flights are booked and I just need to arrange a rental car. I also have the tentative schedule for ARCA and I am trying to sort out which races I will be able to work for the series so I can continue as its Chief Photographer. I am so happy to be able to do that work for the series as I know we provide a valuable service for ARCA and its teams at every race event. It's been fun to work with Doc Hunter, Rich Corbett and most recently, with Doug Patterson at the races so we can provide more thorough coverage. We got some excellent and supportive feedback from the ARCA brass at Kansas which I was thrilled to receive, so it's important that we continue to do a good job as the series enters its 66th season in 2018.

Dawn at Indianapolis is a special experience

I also anticipate that I will work the Indycar races at Indianapolis next May for the French media company Vision Sport Agency again. I felt like I was pretty successful this year elevating awareness of their brand with key media people at IMS and it will be interesting to see how much we can build on that for 2018 at the Grand Prix and then the 102nd Indy 500. I don't know if I will be able to match the 19 race event weekends I was fortunate enough to experience this year as a photographer but I know it will be close. I still have to compile my "best of" photos for this year and I haven't decided whether to create a video from stills or just do a new gallery of the best individual images from all the series I've covered this year, but I know the decision will come in due time. Meanwhile I have an application in the works which I hope will take me back to Europe for Le Mans in 2018. I am sure getting the year started off the right way with sports cars racing at Daytona in January, which will  include Fernando Alonso as he prepares to take on Le Mans next June, and the debut of the Penske Acura program, so I know it is going to be an exciting year.

I still have to decide which ARCA races I can work next season as well, so in the meantime, if you know anyone who needs photography services and is willing to pay market rate, then please send them my way. Until next time I will leave you with some of my photos from the 2017 ARCA season finale at Kansas where Michael Self got his first series win. I'll have more soon so come on back!

Michael Self celebrates after winning at Kansas

Austin Theriault finally had a bad race in his championship season after something broke and put him into the wall

Michael Self has had one of the best looking cars at each race he's run this year

The race was decided on a late restart as a gaggle of cars fought for position going into Turn 1

One More Race to Go: Planning for 2018 Already Underway

Prototype racing at Daytona is incredible in person

What a year in racing this has been for me! My 2017 racing season as a photographer began in January and now I am only four days away from its conclusion. It all started at Daytona International Speedway where I was fortunate to get to shoot the Rolex 24 Hours race in the IMSA WeatherTech endurance series for motorsport.com. This coming Friday, I will complete my 13th ARCA race of the season for the series at Kansas Speedway and it is hard to believe that this season has gone by so quickly. It seems like it just began. I guess being busy at 19 race weekends since the end of January will do that to your time sense! Now I have just one race left to photograph and my season will be over. This weekend  the ARCA season finale will see the 2017 champion crowned, and various other awards such as Rookie of the Year will be decided.

Steve McQueen said "Racing is life."

This year was the second time I had shot the Rolex 24 race and I am planning to go back in 2018 to work it again, this time for Associated Press.  The 2017 edition turned into a sprint at the finish with an epic pass for the lead with only a few minutes left in a frantic 24 Hour event. It was a fitting way to start the year and I have seen a lot of great races throughout this season. The highlight of my season was getting the chance to shoot the 85th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. My fiance and I were able to turn it into an extended visit to France and Italy this past June. Neither of us had ever been to Europe before this trip so saying that it was an epic adventure would be the understatement of a lifetime. I am working on going back and I sure hope I get that chance.

Road racing at Indianapolis is still a bit hard to get used to

From the beginning of the year, my racing stops this season were as follows: Daytona Rolex 24 Hours, Nashville (ARCA), Salem (ARCA), Talladega (ARCA, NASCAR Xfinity and Monster Energy Cup), Grand Prix of Indianapolis (Indycar), Indianapolis 500 (Indycar), 24 Hours of Le Mans (World Endurance Championship), Iowa (ARCA), Lucas Oil Raceway (ARCA), Winchester (ARCA), Springfield (ARCA), Road America (ARCA), DuQuoin (ARCA), Salem (ARCA), Chicagoland (ARCA), Kentucky (ARCA) and soon Kansas (ARCA). From January to October, I logged plenty of miles behind the wheel of my Civic Si and logged some major miles flying to Daytona and Europe. In the process I shot races on paved ovals and dirt ovals, on road courses and at  historic venues. Next year is shaping up to include more of the same and I am excited to see what the new year will include.

It was great to get back to Road America again this summer

I have said for years that I would love to make a living as a motorsports photographer as very few people can say they do. I have been blessed with some great opportunities the last few years and there are times I wish I'd gotten more serious about it at a younger age. That may sound strange considering as how I've been shooting racing for media outlets since 1984, but the driving force in my life back then was making money to support a family and I didn't think photography would do the trick. What I have come to understand though, is that I have to do the things that I am passionate about no matter what, and there's no questions that I am passionate about photography in general and about motorsports in particular. The "joke" I like to tell on myself is that after my marriage broke up in 2005, I bought camera equipment and went racing again instead of buying furniture. Those of you who know me understand how true that is. So these last few years have brought a new determination and focus on what I love to do and I have had to figure out a way to go do it. I'm one of the fortunate ones who's figured that out and I am able to do what I love, even though it remains an avocation and not my full time gig.

Dirt miles at fairgrounds tracks are part of the lure of racing

There's so much more I have planned: creating multiple photo books, publishing an e-book or two, shooting more international races, finishing a novel I started many years ago, etc. Even this blog is a part of that desire to produce and publish creative works, as I decided long ago that if I was going to be a writer, then I needed to write. So you get this blog. If I'm going to be a racing photographer, then I need to shoot races, so I do that too and share the results with the world through traditional media outlets and through social media. Somehow I feel compelled to do these things and leave a legacy of my vision for others to hopefully enjoy. I see things differently and I know that. I hope you see that too when you read my posts or see my photos.

If you want to see more, then please hire me. You will not be disappointed. See you at a race somewhere soon.

From Formula One in 1984...

...to flying Indycars at Indy in 2010...

...to sports cars racing through city streets...

...to fire...

...and rain, I have shot them all.