Inside the Track: What I learned shooting my first professional sporting event

At some point in your life, I hope you have an experience like I had this past weekend. Usually, the events and moments of our lives don't allow us to enjoy them until later. My weekend was quite the opposite. It was one of those times that felt like a movie, filled with special effects, where the action would freeze and I could slowly turn around, soaking in the entire moment with a mixture of awe, disbelief, and sheer joy...then BAM! And the mad rush of extreme activity would swirl me away again! It truly was an experience of a lifetime.

How Did I Get Here? A Series of Fortunate Events.

Last spring I bought a Digital Single-Lens-Reflex (DSLR) to replace my SLR because I was tired of trusting a third party to handle my film. Last summer I took a picture of my children dancing on a sand dune at Jockeys Ridge. Last fall I submitted it to Kodak. The past winter, Kodak picked it for a Kodak Picture of the Day.

I wrote a simple press release and emailed it, with a high-res copy of the photo, to all the local papers around Richmond, the papers on the North Carolina Outer Banks, the paper in the town I grew up in (South Hill, VA), and my college alumni magazine. Every one but two ran the photo and my story. The two local weeklies actually interviewed me, and they both made me a front page story.

While I was sitting with the editor of the Hanover Herald-Progress, I noticed a number of NASCAR photos on the wall, and mentioned to him that I was also a fan. He asked if I was interested in any freelance work. As it turns out, the paper had undergone a change of ownership and management, and he no longer had a full-time photographer. He had someone he could call in from out of town, but he didn't have anyone local. I told him I was available, looking for exposure, experience, and (somewhat jokingly), credentials for the NASCAR races. He looked at me and told me he would see what he could do, but that he couldn't make any promises. I was practically through the roof, just at the thought of it.

I touched base with him about a month ago, and he told me he wasn't sure about being able to get credentials. Because of the increased demand, NASCAR has really been tightening up on giving them out. They can only give out so many, and they want to make sure that they do not exclude a legitimate news agency by giving a credential to someone who only wants to walk through the garage with a point-and-shoot. Basically, they want pictures taken that are going to be published and used. Where the Herald-Progress had had two photographer credentials in the past, they were cut back to one--because it is a weekly paper! And, unfortunately for me, the editor had already promised a credential to his long-time freelancer who wanted to experience shooting a race. He did ask me if I would be available, in case the other guy fell through...

He also asked me if I would be interested in going to the track to shoot when some of the teams came to Richmond for testing and practicing. How could I resist? I leapt at the opportunity to get in some practice of my own. It is one thing to be shooting from the stands or through the fence for shots to hang on the wall or share with friends--it's something completely different to be shooting professionally.

So, I met him at the track, and shot like mad. I met some other photographers and tagged along behind them, learning where I could and could not go. From the track's standpoint, there are two basic concerns: 1) personal safety. Motorsports are inherently dangerous, and they do not want anyone hurt, let alone killed. 2) respect for the situation. Even though this is part of the entertainment industry, it is a working environment, and even though the drivers will give the media and fans some time, they and their teams are there to work. The last thing the track or the teams need is someone getting in the way of someone trying to do their job. Granted, it is very easy not to know or to forget these things when you are new, but the concerns are very real. One simple mistake or distraction could be disastrous, both physically and financially (the cars themselves run in the neighborhood of a half-million dollars!).

In any event, I made the most of the opportunity, and got a real good feel (so I thought) for the shooting. Ill admit that I was somewhat star-struck; it was a long trip from watching the races at home to actually being in the garage, being introduced to Ricky Rudd! To top it off, my editor was happy enough to run five of my pictures in the special NASCAR section of the paper, including one that took the whole top half of the paper!

Tell Us about The RACES!

Ok, just as you've been patient with me to this point, I had to be patient myself. During the last test session, my editor alluded to the fact that he thought the other photographer was not going to be able to make it, and he wanted to know if I was still interested...

I told him just to say the word, and I would be there! This was killing me, the waiting. Finally, on last Tuesday, he told me that the other guy was not going to be able to make it, and the credentials were mine!!! This was it! The real deal! I was going not only get to go to the race for free, I was going to be PAID to do it, and I was going to be able to go all the places the photographers get to go to take the shots that you see in the papers and magazines. Maybe some people can take this news as nonchalantly as they would if they looked in the cap of a twist-off soda and found that they won a free 20-oz drink, but not me. This was it--a chance to go to the big dance!

The first thing I did was email Jason Jenkins, a sports photographer I had met through an online photography website. I had been going through an article he wrote titled 'My life as a NASCAR photographer' (which is an excellent resource), but I had a lot of other questions. Jason was extremely generous and helpful. I cannot imagine how hard it would be to go into any professional endeavor without being able to get real, professional advice from someone who actually knows what they are talking about, and for that, I cannot thank him enough.

My initial concerns were:
* what can I do with the pictures I take?
* what type of marketing do you do?
* do I take a tripod or monopod?

After thinking about it a bit more, I came up with more questions:
* what is a good way of selling pictures to a team?
* what about 'giving' some away?
* was my equipment adequate?
* all kinds of questions about number of cards, shots, and downloading during the race...

The following is what I found out from Jason and learned through the course of the weekend.

What Can You Do with Your Pictures?

To quote Jason: "It's probably easier to talk about what you can do with your images than what you can't do. So with that in mind, here's what you CAN do with them:
- You can sell them back to the drivers that are in the picture.
- You can sell them to sponsors of the race.
- You can sell them to the sanctioning body.
- You can sell your images for editorial use.

That's pretty much it. Everything else is illegal. Examples:
- You can NOT sell them on Ebay.
- You can NOT sell them to fans."

When I got to the track to pick up my credentials, I had to sign a waiver that pretty much summed up what Jason told me. Sure, there are a lot of people taking pictures and selling them, but the consequences of getting caught doing that is not anything I'm interested in exploring. (I also had to sign a waiver releasing the track from any liability should I become injured or killed while on premises.)

What Type of Marketing Do You Do?

In many ways, this is no different than any other type of sales. You have to make contacts, and you have to be able to give people a reason to talk to you. I can tell you now, this is not going to happen at the track, at least not the first time. For one, you don't have anything to show. More than likely, nobody knows you.

I used this to my advantage. As I knew my editor was really only interested in my producing 4-5 good images from the big race Saturday night, I was free to shoot as much as I wanted. I didn't really have anyone to talk to, so I spent all day Friday, shooting everything I could: people, cars, equipment, whatever I thought might be interesting. I was basically looking to build a portfolio that I could use later to prove that I could get the shots that someone might be interested in buying.

Along the way, I made sure to collect business cards and email addresses from the people I met. I'll have more on marketing a bit later.

What about Equipment?

I'll be honest--I was very concerned about this. I knew what type of equipment Jason had, and when I had been out to the track for the test sessions, I saw what type of equipment those photographers had, and I felt woefully under-equipped. Even though I had gotten the job done during the test sessions, I still could barely fight off the anxiety. And I knew my ever-supportive wife was not going to go along with me running off to buy $20,000 dollars worth of equipment just because I thought I had to have it.

Jason assured me that my Digital Rebel 300D, with my old 28-80mm and my 75-300mm would be fine for now, but I could also tell from him that if I am going to be serious about this type of work, I am going to have to get some serious equipment.

Some situations were both intimidating and amusing to me. More than once, I found myself sandwiched between photographers that each easily had over $40,000 worth of equipment on them--and we were all trying to get the same shot! I had to constantly remind myself that I have made my equipment work for me in the past, and even though it's not as good as what someone else has, I can make it good enough for me for right now. So, I raised my little silver camera and shot with the best of them. And, during the course of the weekend, I did find a nice little contingent of other 300D shooters who were also making the most of it.

What is it Really Like?

It is WILD! There is nothing to compare it to, especially what it is like here in Richmond. Unlike some weekends where NASCAR has its Busch Grand National race in one city and its Nextel Cup race in another, BOTH races come to Richmond on the same weekend. Also, both races are run at night, under the lights, instead of in the afternoon. All of this creates a huge carnival/festival atmosphere, bringing together over 100,000 people for the weekend. They come in campers, with tents, in BMWs and in pickup trucks. Every social and economic demographic is represented. On Saturday night, when the flag drops, Richmond International Raceway is the 6th largest city in the state of Virginia!

Even though the races are the reason, they only make up a small portion of the weekend. The teams and their sponsors all have trailers and exhibits and events running the whole time. There is every type of food and entertainment you can imagine, not to mention all the free stuff the sponsors are giving away (I came away from one race with about 100 Sharpies.). The sights, smells, sounds, and taste all make for an incredible sensory experience. From a fan's perspective, it's heaven. From a photographer's perspective, at the very least, it is a target rich environment.

For a working photographer, it is something like this. You go to the media sign in trailer, sign the waivers and get your credentials. A photographer will get both a Pit Pass and a "Cold" garage pass. These allow you on pit road and in the garage areas. However, during the race and during NC qualifying, you are not allowed in the garage area without a "Hot" pass--and they don't give those out automatically. NASCAR and the track (they are two separate entities), are getting very strict about who gets in. There is a safety issue (they don't want somebody getting run over). There is a crowd control issue (it is a working environment, and the teams need room to work without fans getting in the way). When my editor submitted his request for passes, they did not issue us a "Hot" pass. I wasn't overly concerned, because there are so many other places to shoot that I figured I could live without it (so I told myself at the time).

After getting the credentials, you go to the media center to get your vest--and to get your vest, you have to attend a mandatory photographer's meeting. Here they explain exactly where you can and can't go, as well as give newbies a safety orientation (with instructions like "do NOT go over the wall," "if you lean over the wall, don't let your other equipment hang over the wall," and "look BOTH ways before walking anywhere.") They are serious about these vests. You have to wear it--you cannot hang it through a belt-loop. Without it, you are not allowed up into any of the photographer stands. If you don't return it, they will charge your credit card $50.

Now you are free to wander about. There is the Nextel Cup garage area, the infield with all the multi-colored tractor-trailers, the Busch garage area, as well as pit road. As there is always something going on everywhere, it's really hard to decide where to go. It is best if you have an idea of what type of shots you want listed out ahead of time, so you can wander with a purpose.

For the teams, it is nearly non-stop. They have to set up their garage stalls and unload the cars. They get the cars ready for practice. They practice. They have their cars inspected to make sure they conform to all the rules. They fine-tune the cars. They run their qualifying laps to determine the races starting order. And, after the qualifying, the cars are impounded. That means that no further adjustments or changes can be made to the cars until after the race starts. This is a new policy, and a good one. It means that the crews only have to worry about one car setup: the race setup. Before, they would set the car up for qualifying, then have to take time to set it up for racing. Now, they get a chance to relax a bit after qualifying.

In Richmond, there is not enough covered garage area for the Busch teams, so their garages are outside their car haulers. Some of them use tents, most don't. The first thing I thought of when I walked into this area was that it was like the running of the bulls. The area for the cars to drive through is very, very narrow. The amount of activity between cars coming through and people running around--it was almost like a jet port scene during one of the Star Wars battles. It really is a wonder no one gets run over. The cars are rolling in and out, people are everywhere, and the constant roar in the air is repeatedly pierced by a whistle that screams "Look OUT! a car is coming!!!"

There are two main photo opportunities during practice. On one hand, you want to capture some of the action and personalities in the garage area; on the other, you can get some good shots of the cars going around the track.

Once practice is completed, NASCAR holds a lottery, complete with air-blown numbered ping-pong balls, to determine the order the cars roll off for qualifying. Each car gets two laps around the track to see how fast they can go. At Richmond, they'll be hitting 120+ mph on the three-quarter mile D-oval track. This is a great opportunity for shooting. Up in the photographer's stands, you have a clear shot of the cars coming by, by themselves. It's good practice, and, once you know what type of shot you are looking for, you can pretty much nail it for each car coming by.

After qualifying, the teams get to pick their pit stalls, based on their qualifying order. As can be imagined, there is a lot of strategy in deciding which of the 43 stalls to pick. While this is going on, NASCAR officials make a final inspection of the impounded Busch cars. After getting their pit stalls set up, the teams are free to break until they are cleared to move the cars to the track for the start of the race.

Fortunately, there is a bit of lull, with nothing but a few press conferences being scheduled between 2pm and 4:30pm. Good time to recharge both me and the batteries, as well as clear off my cards.

4:30pm, Time to Get Back To Work!

The Cup cars are back on the track, with a final practice session before they do their qualifying runs. This is a great opportunity to get candid shots of the drivers and their crews, as well as some of the more interesting fans. One thing I decided while taking my break was that I really needed to stop worrying about trying to be everywhere and to do everything. I reminded myself that this was the first time, there would be others, and that what I really needed to do was to build on what I enjoyed, and not worry about trying to break all sorts of new ground. Along those lines, I decided I wanted to concentrate on candids--especially those of people laughing.

After Cup qualifying, things are pretty much non-stop. Next up are the opening ceremonies for the Busch race. This includes a welcome to the track from the track president and various local officials, driver introductions, an invocation, and the Star Spangled banner (which includes a fighter-jet flyover by the VA Air National Guard). All of these are great photo opportunities. Unfortunately, because of the time of day (near-dusk), Richmond will never enjoy the same type of flyover shot that Jason captured in Las Vegas. Oh, well--like I should complain at all.

The next thing you hear are those immortal words, "Gentlemen, Start Your ENGINES!" The cars are fired up, and they roll off onto the track to do laps behind the pace car until it is time to drop the green flag. This is not just for show. There is a strictly enforced speed limit for the cars while on pit road. As these cars do not have speedometers, the pace car will lead them at the pit road speed limit so that the drivers can mark their tachometers as to how many RPMs they will be turning at that speed.

After what seems forever (really only maybe 5 minutes), the cars come around turn 3, the pace car dives down pit road, and the green flag drops! There is no way to adequately describe the sound of 43 souped up 700 horsepower cars getting their gas pedals stomped at the same time--you simply have to experience it yourself. I don't think I will ever get tired of the rush I get from that sound.

And I don't think I will ever get tired of hearing it at Richmond. The track is a short-track, only 3/4s of a mile. The laps are turned in 20 seconds or less. At the start or a restart, when the cars are bunched together, it does sound like a swarm of bees chasing around the track. After 15-20 laps of green flag racing, though, the cars get pretty much spread out, all the way around the track, making for a roaring hum that is easily heard 10 miles away.

Keeping in mind that my editor was interested in photos from the next night's race, I wanted to use this race for practice. I spent most of the night in the photographer's stands, panning the cars as they went by. As could be expected, I was NEVER where the action was. If I was in turn 2, the wrecks were in turn 4. If I was on the front stretch, the wrecks were on the back stretch. All the same, I had a ball and learned a lot. It turned out to be a great race, with Carl Edwards winning it on the last lap.

Once home (only about 20 minutes, including navigating spectators and traffic), I downloaded everything and put together a CD to review with my editor the next morning. I wanted to make sure that I was on the right track. For the day, I had about 1700 shots; for him, I pulled out about 120 from the race. After getting my equipment and cards ready for the next day, it was just past midnight and time to sack out.

Day 2, Saturday

I met the editor Saturday morning at the newspaper offices, and, since he was happy with what I had done so far, I was more than fired up to get back to the track. The race doesn't start until 7:35pm, and even though there's not a whole lot going on inside the track until about 5:30pm, I still had some things to do.

My first order of business was to try to get a "Hot" pass. I went to the media center and asked the guy behind the desk what I needed to do. He said he would find the Director of Public Relations and see what could be done. He disappeared for awhile and came back with the Manager of Public Relations. She looked at me and said, "Hey, I've seen you here before...no problem." She explained that she hadn't recognized my name when the paper applied for credentials, and that was why I didn't have one. She also asked that we send her copies of what we publish, because they like to keep a database of who's doing what. What this really boils down to is this: It's the track's responsibility to make sure that the people who need access get access. A LOT of people want to get into the garage area to get autographs and take souvenir pictures, the same way people want backstage passes for concerts, and it is a tough job balancing between fan demands and protecting the 'stars' of the show. Anyways, with my "Hot" pass, I was free to go.

So, where did I go? I headed outside of the track to the NASCAR midway, to see the exhibits, the campers, the tailgaters, and to try to capture some of the 'fan' experience. Except for not having thrill rides, this is almost like going to a state fair. You never know what you are going to see, especially in terms of body-art. As always, it was a lot of fun. After an hour or so of wandering around, I headed back inside to the infield to shoot around (and to get a band-aid on a blister that was starting to become a problem).

During my wandering, I got down to the fence where the infield meets the track and I found a catering company that had a buffet line running. The smell of the roasted tenderloin, the barbecue, the grilled veggies--oh, it was almost too much. I took a few pictures and started talking to one of the guys in a jumpsuit. Through the course of conversation, I find out that it is his company, and that he has contracts with 27 of the teams, as well as with NASCAR, to feed them--breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He even produces special menus for some of the teams. So I asked him if I could take his picture. He said sure, take as many as you want. I switched to my 50mm F/1.8 lens and started shooting candids and portraits of everybody he had working there, ending up with about 70 decent shots. As I was finishing up, he told me to help myself to dinner, and asked if I could get him some shots for his website. I don't think that is going to be a problem...especially since I'll get credit for them.

Give It Away?

One of the things Jason cautioned me on was to use my best judgment in terms of 'giving anything away,' not just from the standpoint of hurting the industry that gets paid to shoot, but also from the standpoint of not devaluing myself. This is really good advice across the board; you really do have to be judicious. You do not want to be taken advantage of, but, starting out, it doesn't hurt to sow a couple of seeds in the right places. I wouldn't advocate giving everything to everyone, but when you come across an opportunity to start building a relationship that can lead to more relationships and opportunities, it really doesn't hurt. I haven't formalized anything, yet, but I am leaning towards giving away a handful of web images, then selling prints and high-res images to those that I am authorized to sell to.

After this awesome dinner, I was ready for a nap...JUST KIDDING!!! It was just about time for things to start hopping. The crews were finishing up their pit stall setups, and the PR people were lining things up for the opening ceremonies. It would follow the same format as the night before, but on a much grander scale; there would be more dignitaries, more awards and recognitions, and a large stage. And, just as the night before, there were a ton of photo opportunities.

Immediately after, the event staff started herding people off the infield grass. I overheard one of the PR staff mentioning that he was going to the Press Box. Well, since I had a pass for the roof, but didn't know exactly where to go to get up there, I asked if I could tag along. [I've got to tell you, this whole operation is simply incredible. The event staff, the track staff, the NASCAR staff and officials, International Speedway Corporation--all really go out of their way to make sure the fans and media have a great experience. From a customer service standpoint, they really are a great example of how to do things right.] After a short walk under the track through the pedestrian tunnel and to the elevator, I was on the roof!!!

This was the site of so many of the shots I have seen in magazines and in the newspaper. And, right in front of me were all the big boys with their big guns. Yep, here I was again, with my little silver camera, surrounded by nothing by Mark IIs and huge white lenses with red stripes. But did I run? No, I just found a spot on the rail, and had a blast!

One thing I learned was to simply accept what I can and can't do at any given moment. I was there, representing a local weekly paper, shooting for an editor who only wanted 4 or 5 good shots from the whole weekend. On the other hand, the local daily, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, had an army of photographers, all fully equipped. Up on the roof, they had a photographer with a lens that was at least 2 feet long, on a tripod, firing away. Every 15 minutes, a runner would show up. The photog would pop out her memory card and drop it in an envelope held by the runner. The runner would note the lap count and the time, seal it, and take off. They also had specific shooting assignments for each of the photographers; one to cover the finish line, one to cover the leader/probable winner's pits, one to cover victory lane, etc. There was no expectation on any one of them to try to do it all. And by my realizing that, I didn't try to do it all.

I had an idea of the shots I wanted, and little by little, through the course of the race, I got them. I had fun. At one point, up on the roof, since I knew there was no way I was going to get the same type of shot with my camera as the boys from Getty were getting, I decided to get a shot that I knew I could take: blurry cars! I dropped my ISO from 1600 to 100, got the sharpest focus I could, and opened up the shutter for barely a quarter second. It's one of my favorite shots of the night (see it here). I also looked for other places I could compensate for my lack equipment by using a little creativity. What I found was that even though I probably wasn't going to get an image that would make the cover of Sports Illustrated, I was not going to have any problem getting some shots that would make my editor, and myself, happy.

As the race started to wind down, I thought about trying to get a good pit stop action shot. Now, the pits in Richmond are very small and tight. I knew there was no way I was going to get in someone's pit to shoot, at least not at this point in my career. But, I knew that my pass would get me down to the end of pit road, where I could get a shot of Kasey Kahne, should he make a stop. I wandered down, and found only two other photographers there. I hung out, watched the race, then BAM! A wreck. A chance for one more pit stop. Kasey stayed out for at least a lap, then decided to come in. His crew got ready. I got ready. I switched to manual focus, and found a spot to prefocus on. I didn't want any pre-automated sensor blowing my chance at the shot. And I GOT IT!!! What a rush! I knew as soon as I saw it on the LCD I had the shot I wanted. I could have gone home right then. That shot had everything I wanted. BAM. Done. Dontcha just LOVE that feeling!!!

As I started walking back up pit road, I learned something else: when a car crashes or breaks past the point of the crew being able to keep it in the race, they pack it all up. That leaves their pit stall open for the photographers to come all the way up to the wall. This is cool. Without being in anyone's way (other than maybe another photographer), you can shoot killer pit stop action shots, from 5-10 feet away! I ended up getting a few more as I wandered back (but none as good as the ones of the Number 9 Dodge).

I continued my way back towards the media center, and was just about halfway up pit road when I found Jeff Gordon's open pit stall. He had broken his suspension, and had called it a night. As luck would have it, his stall was almost directly across from the Start-Finish line! And, surprise, surprise, the stall was PACKED with photographers. Given the probability that Kasey Kahne was very likely to win his first Nextel Cup race, there was not much chance of anyone giving up the spot they had staked out. So, I readied myself, and took a practice shot, every time Kasey came by, panning over top the heads of the other photographers. (One time, though, I almost burst out laughing. It was almost like a choreographed dance: we'd see his car come around the corner and we'd all aim and start to pan. We'd follow him through to the Start-Finish line, getting our clicks. Then we'd all tip our cameras to check the shot through the LCD. Do you think YOU would have the patience to ever shoot film again?! I can't even begin to imagine it...) It turns out that my practice paid off; I got my 'perfect' shot of the nose of Kasey's car breaking the finish line to win the race!

A Big Whew

After that, it was pretty much time for a big sigh of relief. I had survived. I had not gotten killed or hurt, I had gotten my shots, and I managed to stay out of everyone else's way. I met a lot of really cool people, and got a lot of help and encouragement throughout the whole weekend. All in all, I could not have asked for a better inaugural venture into professional sports shooting.

Then I woke up and realized I had nearly 3000 images to sort and weed and edit! Well, that's another story. I got the ones I needed to get to the newspaper, and I'm slowly working through the other ones. In time, I'll have my portfolio and I'll start marketing, but for now, I'm just going enjoy it while I patiently wait for the next race...