And now for something a little different. I’m so terribly sorry it’s not yet another article about the latest camera body but it might offer a visual break and much needed respite from the torrential salivation that most of the photography community seem to be afflicted by lately (their absolute prerogative, of course). I was recently invited by friends in mid-Wales to join them at a local demolition derby race and I must say it was a thrilling affair.
Vehicles that looked like something The A-Team constructed after being locked inside a shed careened endlessly round a dirt track in a riot of colour and noise. I could harp on about how a swirling hurricane of mud and dust sprayed the fixated crowds; how mangled fenders and twisted bumpers flew off and wheels detached; and how cars rolled over and landed upside down, only for the drivers to crawl out unscathed (basically like an episode of The A-Team). But hopefully the images here will go some way to convey the excitement.
You’ve had a hefty dose of gear stuff lately so I’ll simply say I used a mirrorless kit to capture these and yes, amazingly, with contrast detection autofocus. Such heresy should not be allowed in the face of the latest autofocus systems but there we are. While the rest of the world seems preoccupied with the newest magnesium and polycarbonate bodies I was lucky enough to be accompanied to Wales by a perfectly svelte female body that even offered to caddy my camera bag for me. Oh, it wasn’t heavy, of course, but when a beautiful woman offers her help Alpha Whiskey doesn’t refuse.
These images were all shot in shutter priority at around 1/500s, reducing to around 1/80s for panning shots. I processed them in Lightroom, making adjustments mainly for contrast. Some of the images were desaturated either slightly or all the way to emphasise the whirlwinds of mud, itself often as much a character in the story as the cars. You may not like the processing, of course, but Alpha Whiskey is happy with it so that’s all that matters.
Anyway, I want to thank my dear friends for their hospitality and invitation to this event and I want to thank Wales again for being such a beautiful place to visit and drive around. A busy schedule meant I hadn’t been shooting much lately and this was a perfect way to pick it back up. For those few who might visit this article, thank you for doing so and if you wish to see more vehicular carnage you can do so at my blog, from where this article was conveniently lifted. Bye.
