Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Here's a shot of Jerry Richert Jr. UMSS 360 Sprint Car taken July 26, 2014.

Stan Meissner

Nice Stanley, never got there, but did shoot from a similiar spot down the road at Beaver Dam, whilw ducking 'stuff'........

No ducking on this one.  I was standing on a picnic table up in one of the private booths using a zoom lens and monopod.  I've got a few spots where I've been beaned by rocks and clods of clay but this wasn't one of them. 

Stan Meissner

Wow, those are some awesome photos you posted! For an old guy you are darn good with a camera. (-:

Thank, my dad used to develop his own pics in a basement dark room back in the late 50's.  My job used to be to work the light meter and call out the shutter speed and f-stops.  Unfortunately my ability to upgrade my photo gear has just about come to the end of the line.  When the stuff I've got wears out I'll have to hang it up because I won't be able to afford it anymore once I retire.  I've got other hobbies to fall back on when that happens. 

Stan Meissner

PS, this shot was taken with a $160 kit zoom lens.  Some low end lenses can produce images comparable to lenses costing 20x more as long as one stays within the sweet spot of their focal range.  Seeing as I'm nearing the end of the useful life of my photo gear and it won't be replaced I can admit that I do it on the cheap.  I've got a couple of lenses in the $500 to $1000 range but even those are considered low end by photography standards.  Like we used to say about the family race cars "it ain't the chrome that makes 'em go". 

These are just the tip of the iceburg.  I've got hundreds of shots that most folks on this board have never seen.  I'm just kinda lazy about posting them.  My interests kind of shifted more towards playing music rather than taking racing photos the past few years.  I don't have to fill the gas tank, drive for a couple hours and stand around for six hours to play tunes.  I just pick up the guitar and go to town.  The biggest expense is a new set of strings every other month. 

Stan Meissner

Having a heck of a time trying to post a link on here so I typed it in a few times and keep screwing up the URL.  One more try and I give up if it doesn't work.  This is my baby, my Gibson SG.  Sweet piece, plays like butter.

This link is to a song by my daughter's partners band.  He's the lead singer/songwriter.  They lived with us for a couple years before the debut of the Minneapolis band called VIA.  Some of their tunes were conceived around my fire ring over a few cold ones.  I have been spending more time lately following the band than I have attending races.  Going to see the band is almost as fun as standing around a dusty infield for six hours wearing ear plugs and hanging with tow truck drivers and corner workers.  I helped the videographer and shot some of the band footage in this video with his spare camera the night they opened for a group called Saving Able down in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.  Fun stuff.  You'll have to paste it into the browser as I can't create a link on this board with Firefox running on Linux. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35yYWVv3wdc

Stan Meissner

I am amazed at how clear that photo is and how much detail can be seen. Even the small chunks of dirt on on the track are clear. Wow.

Cool video. Not my kind of music but they sound good. I think I might need ear plugs if I was to see them perform live. Not because of the type of music but because of the volume it's played at! 

When has anything ever been too loud for a Sprint Car fan? 

I used to work on the flight deck so everything I've ever done has been loud.  Huh?  What did you say?

Stan Meissner

As a Gibson guy I am surprised you don't favor the Les Paul, especially the ones back in the day you likely started playing.  Maybe a Sunburst or Gold Top?  I quit guitar lessons around 1961, biggest regret I've ever had.  Owned a couple over the years but never learned how to play, hope to get me a Les Paul before they put me in the ground....

Les Pauls are nice guitars.  I had a copy that was hot rodded with Seymour Duncan pickups that I gave to my son but never a Gibson LP.  I like the sound but they're heavy guitars.

Stan Meissner

Sprint car motors and bands are both music to my ears. I guess I just like one kind of music better so I tolerate it's volume easier. But I have paid the price, my ears have not stopped ringing since the USA show at Knoxville in the fall of  '89.

I started playing electric guitar in 1966, worked on the catapult crew on an aircraft carrier from 71 to 73 and have been going to dirt track races since 1960.  I started taking photos at the races in 1999 to supplement the writing I was doing for local racing paper.  As you might guess I say "huh" a lot.  My hearing is toast if there's a lot of background noise but I do wear ear plugs in the infield and try to keep a comfortable distance when I go see bands.  VIA opened for a band called Saving Abel about a month ago down in LaCrosse and that one was pretty loud but it was a good show.  The video guy had me helping out that night with his spare camera.  Some of the footage I took that night is in the Closets video.

Stan Meissner