Daytona 500 – Kyle Busch

A little more form the Daytona 500….typically I get “Pit Passes” for each time I attend the race.  Just adds to the enjoyment of the festivities.  You do not actually get into the pits (that is for family and sponsors only)…but you get to walk by or see  within a few feet.  In one section you get to walk by the garages of each driver.  They have windows to peer in.  I was lucky Kyle Busch above had his small window open to let in air.  This allowed me to peek my camera inside and take this photo.  I added a little flare to the shot and thanks to onOne’s Photo Frame 4.6…the film border effect was a cool effect.

They allow you to walk around on the inside of the track until 30 minutes before the race.  Walking on the track is a must.  My tradition is to sign the starting line (get there early to get your name on the track!).  You really get the feel of the track and see how steep the banks are!  About 1/4 mile section is open for you to explore.   I sat on the ground and grabbed this shot of the new pavement for the race…Turn 4 is ahead.

If you are a fan…enjoy the season!

Daytona, Florida – Daytona 500 (Kyle Busch)

Only one month away until the Daytona 500.  Daytona is the Super Bowl of NASCAR.   My sis gets tickets every year…so I have been to this race 3 of the last 5 years.  I may have posted before…I have been to many different sporting events and nothing beats the excitement of the Daytona 500.   It does help as out that the tickets are the first row (about 10 yards from the track).  When those cars come roaring by….WOW!    We even get a small amount of dirt and junk flying in our faces!   Makes a hot dog and beer taste even better!   LOL  This shot was from 2008 (50th year of Daytona) thanks to “Pit” passes.  You can get pretty close to the cars.  Here they are rolling out Kyle Busch’s car for the start of the race.   I wish I could use my connections and get a chance to shoot the race…maybe one day.  Now I will settle for shots from the stands!    Looking forward to the race next month!   I added a little Topaz Adjust to the shot for a little more grit.

Talke Photography Settings:

• Camera:  Nikon D300
• Lens: Nikon 18-200 f/3.5-5.6
• Setting: Aperture  Mode
• Focal Length: 135.0mm
• ISO: 1600
• Exposure:   1/800
• Aperture:  f/14
• Gear:  Tripod, Cable release
• Post Process: Adobe CS4, Topaz Adjust

New York City, NY – Times Square M&M World

NIKON D300, Nikon 12-24, HDR in Photmatix

Who doesn’t love chocolate?  Or the chance to pass up on a delicious M&M!  If you are even in NYC near Time Square, stop by the M&M World store and enjoy!   When you walk in you get an immediate aroma of M&M’s!  Its a very cute store with lots of M&M products to see.  I went upstairs and saw this interesting fellow in the corner of the store.   It was quiet when I arrived. I thought hey…why not take an HDR!  I took out my tripod and set up…5 exposures, cable release and took a quick shot in between the people coming to pose with him!

Here is a little info from the web: The New York City store is within a 24,000-square-foot (2,200 m²), three-level glass box, in Times Square. It includes a 50-foot-wide, two-story-high, “wall of chocolate”, made up of 72 continuous candy-filled tubes. M&M bills it as “the world’s largest.”  M&M World in Times Square is New York City’s largest candy store, and offers merchandise such as themed clothing, dishware, watches, and piggy banks. The most famous location is in the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada; stores also opened in Orlando, Florida (2005) and New York City (2006).   Hope your day is candy filled!