Larry, I know just how you feel. The paper chase seems to be designed to make it easy (or at least defined) for the "big guys" and keep the little guys out.
I'm gonna miss ya in out little "catch as catch can" meetings around the track...but there's something to be said for the lack of pressure to get "the right shot" and actually sit back and enjoy the race.
The Camaros, Mustangs, and the lone Challenger made for a flashback to Trans-Am. Those pesky little Mazdas kinda spoiled the effect, but their fire breathing made up for it.
Man, the only thing I can think of to say to ya is that if ya give in, then "they" win. I know that's not really in concert with what I ranted on about, but I hate to think that the big ones can run roughshod over the little ones and not even care. I know they'd all like to have their own "pet photogs," journalists and film crews and nobody else around. And I wonder if it might not come to that. Go to a race where, say, ALMS and Speed TV conspire to ensure that they're the ONLY source of video and stills and verbiage. Sorta like a strictly controlled country where the only news comes thru the state-run media. That way only the information they want to get out actually does and none of the "real racing" stuff (like broken motors, tire problems, etc) ever gets to the consumer of the product. Sounds a bit like NASCAR and their secret rules and favoritism
I gotta go back to bed for a few more winks. RLS woke me up and I gotta get up in a coupla hours to finish prepping the "race car" for salt flats...we're supposed to have it out there Tuesday. We might make it and we might not. Yesterday was really a thrash that went very much like nowhere...and a lot of it was my fault for mis-interpreting what I read in a manual. Damn! I wrote it up on a thread in landracing:
http://www.landracing.com/forum/index.php/topic,8625.0.html I'll write more on this when my eyes aren't trying to slam shut constantly. r ----- Original Message -----
*From:* Larry Knight <mailto:carpixguy@xxxxxxxxx> *To:* ratpack@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:ratpack@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> *Sent:* Thursday, September 09, 2010 1:48 PM *Subject:* [ratpack] Re: Credentials Well gentlemen and others, Here are some thoughts I have had while reading your e-mails.... 1. You all have fun this weekend and enjoy the Race, I'll be watching on TV and looking to see if you guys get in the way of the TV cameras. I'll miss the lunches and comrodarie more than those butt ugly prototypes!!! I will miss the GS cars though, let me know how the Camaros look in real life. 2. Credentials. I think we have actually had it good till lately. My editor tells me that one year Daytona Speedway asked for the media to pay premium entry fees and pay $50 a day for the "free media meals" for each of the photographers that they granted creds to, but not the TV media or journalists. He told them to go to hell and that they would never cover another event at Daytona, no matter what media outlet he ends up working for, now or in the future (go get em ed). 3. In some of my discussions with other media managers (well just JG and two others) each santioning body is EXTREMELY different from the next. And even worse, they are different from one year to the next. One major santioning body (I forget which) leans entierly on the tracks to manage the media, while the American Lemans series does it all them selves. The Lucas Off Road series was especially weird this year and ran all of thier creds through a trailer parked over by turn one. The Lady was really nice, but their procedures were wierd, and JG had nothing to do with it. Sometimes they ask JG for help with the creds but put restrictions on him too. The Superbike event was very very late giving out thier creds and JG just had to wait with the rest of us. So it is really hard to tell who is rejecting the creds, JG or the sanctioning body. I was declined for the Monterey Historics 3 times (through my editor) because the new media manager had never heard of the website, because it is European, but it had 3 times the hits per month as some of the other websites they did grant credentials to. And there were not that many photogs at that event. It is just not a standard thing. I also didn't get told No to creds for Monterey till way after the deadline to book airfare (at least on Delta)(my family flew home, I drove), so I didn't even know if I had creds before I was spending money to go. I wish it was more standard. So If the media guy & or the sanctioning body & or the secratary to whomever, doesn't think much of your paritcular meda outlet, negatory to the creds!!! I am not sure how much of this is really JG though. 4. Paragraph 3 is probably just a reiteration of discussions we have already had, but Ray, I am fast approaching where you are with all of this too. Nothing to do with JG though. I get really sick of my spot in the media room being moved because I am not with a big magazine. I didn't even get to sit down to eat at the superbike race, no room for us little guys. Long beach had 25 internet connections for the photogs, and over 150 photographers, who do you think got those connections. Not only that, but since my media outlet is European, 10pm our time is 6am thiers and they want to wake up to pics of our events monday morning, and there is always pressure (for me) to have my stuff cleaned, cropped, corrected and uploaded by 10pm our time. I had no such pressure for the Montereay event, and other than a few photog heads in a few of my pics, I really enjoyed "shooting from the stands". So I am almost to the point of paying for a ticket, shooting what I want, and just "leaving it in the can" till I am damn good and ready to look at them. Maybe I'm not on the exact same frustration page as you Ray, but in the same chapter anyway. Wake up!!!! I'm done. Having said all that, I will miss shooting the BUTT UGLY prototypes, GS group and yes Paul, I will miss the Girls Of Miller, which by the way, I will expect a full accounting of by you Mr. Watson. My email will handle 10 meg of data per e-mail, so start them comming with todays batch of unloading the cars-GOM pics. Oh and I am not coming because of Soccer and Family commitments. (If momma aint happy......)(by the way, if momma is a red head, and she it, that particular truth isn't just mearly a saying, it takes on a "physical law of the universe" type thing, sorta like gravity!!!) Bye the way too, I probably won't be out to the NASA event either, I have a Doc appointment to determine if my head has a re-occurance of that pesky little skin cancer thing I had a year or two ago, and if it is, he has reserved the operating room for that weekend. Wish me luck, but I don't think it has come back, but we will see. If it is negative, you may see me on one day "shooting from the stands". Work has also stepped up the "Pain in the Ass" quotent on Thurs and Fri that week. Who scheduled this thing?? I am planning on the Viper event in Oct. and maybe even the porsche club event on sept. 25thish. FYI See Ya Larr On Wed, Sep 8, 2010 at 7:01 PM, Ray Buck <rbuck@xxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:rbuck@xxxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote: Once again, that'll depend on whether you talk to my ex-wives' lawyers. :) So far, I think I've refrained from saying or doing anything that would bring wrath down around my head. So if ya say yer associated with me in any way, they'll prolly just say, "huh?" r Sent from my Dreadnought using that barely tolerable Thunderbird email program On 9/8/2010 6:44 PM, Michael Wells wrote:I just want to know if I tell people I'm part of the Rat Pack if they'll look at me with reverence or if they"ll look like they're going to hurl. On Wed, Sep 8, 2010 at 6:38 PM, Ray Buck <rbuck@xxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:rbuck@xxxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote: I spose the name dropping depends on what height ya drop it from. It might hurt. Honestly, I'm not quite sure whatcha mean....but as long as you don't tell any of my ex-wives' lawyers, I guess it ain't too bad. Here are the Concours photos: http://www.chevyasylum.com/cruisin/cruisin2010/20100828/Welcome.html Now I'm workin on photos for the race team (Poteet & Main) that I shot for at Speed Week...and who are payin my motel for the Shootout...so I guess I otta get 'em something to hold in their hands before they decide how many rooms they're gonna reserve. r Sent from my Dreadnought using that barely tolerable Thunderbird email program On 9/8/2010 6:13 PM, Michael Wells wrote:Is the safety meeting just for Sat & Sun or do they expect you to be there Friday as well? Glad to hear the good news Ray, does this mean I shouldn't use your name when I name drop? Dr Z On Wed, Sep 8, 2010 at 5:07 PM, Ray Buck <rbuck@xxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:rbuck@xxxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote: Well, the answer is in. JG accepted my "convincing" and sent me a credential form. I'm very grateful to him for reconsidering after the email I sent. I sent him a brief note to convey my thanks. It helps for this weekend, but I don't exactly know how it's gonna go in the future. However, I'll do my best to refrain from negativity and doomsaying. Paul's post has real good info, particularly about parking and not takin a car onto the track at major events. That's a bitch for me and I may end up seeing if I can afford to rent a golf cart. Hell, maybe several of us could go in on one together. I know that some of the "big boys" share carts...why not us? Something to think about. I'm for sure gonna have a back pack rather than carrying everything in my camera bag. In other news, Jim Halladay and I are about halfway through getting his Chevy Colorado pickup ready for the 130 club on the salt flats during WoS starting next week. Hell, if all goes as projected, we may both become 130 Club members. If not, there's the Monte Carlo that can be run next year. Back to work on the photo editing. I should have Concours photos in a few hours...see attached as an artsy-fartsy example. r On 9/8/2010 3:46 PM, Michael Wells wrote:All, Well maybe it's because I'm newer to this whole gig that keeps me enthused, I also have the benefit of having no little kids at home to chase after. As much as my wife loves me she's not about to come to the track and watch me take pictures. So my only other alternative is to hang out with you bunch of misfits. John has been good to me so far and I'm pretty lucky to have found someone that will sponsor me for credentials. I had to work for this one and I'm going to ride it as far as I can. As much as I love to shoot nature & waterfalls they can't give me the same kind of adrenaline rush that motor sports has. And the fact that I've been able to sell a few photos is a huge bonus & ego stroker. I'd hate to not see you at the track any more Ray but I haven't walked in your shoes so I don't know your level of frustration. Part of this is the camaraderie, where else am I going to hang out with a bunch of mentally deranged photogs? I don't know where this will lead but it's been fun and I hope this continues. I hope something works out for you Ray, Brandon, the guy that came to the ALMS race with me will only be there Sat til 3, I don't know if credentials are transferable but he won't be using his either Friday or Sunday. Just walk up and say you're Brandon Storr, who knows? I don't know if that will work but it's out there. I also can't wait for the lunches at Hires, my wife just rolls her eyes when I start talking about panning & shutter speed and so on... Well there's my two cents. Michael aka Dr Z On Wed, Sep 8, 2010 at 12:37 PM, Ray Buck <rbuck@xxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:rbuck@xxxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote: After talking with John Gardner about credential requests, and in particular, www.landracing.com <http://www.landracing.com/> (he said "give it a try") he denied my request. I pointed out some things he might not be aware of (like my photos of MMP on landracing) and asked him to reconsider. I haven't heard from him. If I don't hear back and I don't get credentials for this weekend, I'm considering severing my relationship with MMP. The credential hoops and changing rules and moving targets are too much hassle. I may just cut back to doing car shows and the salt flats. It would sure be a nice thing not to have to do a paper chase for every fucking event and find myself in conflict with the "big boys" who have corporate backing and departments who handle all that stuff for 'em. Working 16-18 hours a day to get all the photos edited and on the web is gettin to be a real energy drain. I know that it's something that I've chosen to do, but it might just be for the best if I didn't have that never-ending series of hoops to jump through. When Spencer Young bought the old Bonneville Raceway Park and built Rocky Mountain Raceway, it just stopped being fun. I'd been a permanent fixture at the Saturday nite roundy-round races and ran my Monte Carlo on the drag strip there. After numerous incidents (the biggest one was not being allowed to bring a "cold cup" of water into the track) I decided that the costs outweighed the benefits and I stopped giving Mr. Young my money. I haven't regretted it at all. MMP is starting to get that way for me. Since Larry's death, the track has begun a downward spiral that just doesn't look very good. It wouldn't surprise me if it didn't go up for sale or just closed down. But aside from that negativity, I get the feeling that they'd rather not have to bother with ANY photographers, no matter how much free PR they get. We've discussed this in the past and I don't see any changes that would make things better. So if I don't get the credentials for this weekend, I'll shoot the Peach Days car show in Brigham City and probably not even bother going back to MMP. Besides: next year is lookin awful bleak as far as events. No ALMS, no vintage or historic races, only Superbike, Grand-Am and NASCAR West (combining 'em is really a dumb idea) and some bread and circusesfor the masses like the off-road stuff. Superbike has been a pita from the word go andthat only leaves 2 major events. I can live without 'em. RtR On 9/7/2010 1:56 PM, PAUL W WATSON wrote:Yes, Does anybody know what track configuration[s] are being used? NASCAR in the past has used the 3 mile perimeter track and the Grand Am cars use the full 4.5 mile track. Paul ----- Original Message ----- *From:* Michael Wells <mailto:mcwellsphoto@xxxxxxxxx> *To:* ratpack@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:ratpack@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> *Sent:* Tuesday, September 07, 2010 1:11 PM *Subject:* [ratpack] Re: Credentials Sounds like the start of a party for the Rat Pack. Will the Big Sigma be along for the ride? Michael On Tue, Sep 7, 2010 at 12:58 PM, PAUL W WATSON <TSWATSON78@xxxxxxx <mailto:TSWATSON78@xxxxxxx>> wrote: I'll be there Thursday thru Sunday. P ----- Original Message ----- *From:* Michael Wells <mailto:mcwellsphoto@xxxxxxxxx> *To:* ratpack@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:ratpack@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> *Sent:* Tuesday, September 07, 2010 12:05 PM *Subject:* [ratpack] Credentials All, Well the credential confirmation came through on Saturday so Brandon and I are good to go. Are we going to see everyone there? Michael-- Dr. Zaka Michael Wells MCWells Photography mcwellsphoto@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:mcwellsphoto@xxxxxxxxx> 801-850-7279-- Dr. Zaka Michael Wells MCWells Photography mcwellsphoto@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:mcwellsphoto@xxxxxxxxx> 801-850-7279-- Dr. Zaka Michael Wells MCWells Photography mcwellsphoto@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:mcwellsphoto@xxxxxxxxx> 801-850-7279-- Dr. Zaka Michael Wells MCWells Photography mcwellsphoto@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:mcwellsphoto@xxxxxxxxx> 801-850-7279-- Dr. Zaka Michael Wells MCWells Photography mcwellsphoto@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:mcwellsphoto@xxxxxxxxx> 801-850-7279
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