Month: May 2012

Salt Flat Storm Panorama

Posted on by Nick Roberts

The weather on the Salt Flats can change pretty quickly. This storm moved in early in the day with 60 mph winds, rain and lightning. We had to take down our EZ-Ups and get off the Salt Flats because the storm was going to be very intense. I was on my bike and I wanted to get back to my hotel before it hit but I couldn’t resist stopping and shooting the storm as it rolled in. The wind was rocking me back and I had to put the face shield on my helmet down due to the salt that was being carried on the wind. I got the three shots for this panorama before it got too close for comfort and then I got on my bike and headed for town.

I stitched the three images together in Photoshop CS5 to create the panorama.  After that I took the image into NIK HDR Efex Pro where I used the Realistic (Strong)  preset before returning the image to Aperture for final sharpening and color adjustment.

Watching…

Posted on by Nick Roberts

Toady’s image is once again from the 3 Mile International Start Line. The lady’s shirt says it all if you’re a Land Speed Racing enthusiast. The Black and White Bar is a fixture in Wendover and hosts an all you can eat spaghetti dinner one night during the BUB event.

I processed this shot in Topaz Adjust and then took it back into Aperture 3 where I adjusted the color, straightened the horizon and sharpened it. As for composition I placed her in the foreground of the right hand third of the frame while using her head angle to lead the viewer’s eye to the motorcycle racing past. The negative space on the left continues to carry your eye into infinity and reinforces the vastness of the Salt Flats.

BUB International Motorcycle Speed Trials

Posted on by Nick Roberts

This week I’m going to start sharing some of the images I have taken at the BUB International Motorcycle Speed Trials. I have been attending this event since 2006; even going so far as to run my Harley Road Glide “Devilhog” in 2006 and 2007. After that experience I decided to become a volunteer course worker and help make sure that this event continues into the future. Volunteers are the lifeblood of the event, without them there couldn’t be land speed racing, and I’m proud to be part of the volunteer team. Unfortunately I won’t be able to go this year but I’ll be there in spirit. Hopefully I’ll be able to return in 2013.

For the past three years I have been privileged to be the one of the starters at the 3 Mile International Course Start Line. My task has been to organize the riders when they come to the starting gate and to brief them on the safety rules for making their Land Speed Record attempt. I am responsible for making sure that all safety equipment is present and that the rider and bike are cleared through tech inspection for racing. Every once in a while someone will show up at the start gate without proper equipment or other safety problems. I must make sure that these types of situations are corrected before I can allow the racer to enter the race course. It’s a great responsibility which I take very seriously because no one wants to see  something catastrophic happen which could lead to injury or death. Another aspect of our job is to monitor the radio channel and communicate with the timing tower which controls the race course. A rider can only be released to the start line after the timing tower has assured that the course is clear of the last racer.

Toady’s shot is of John Yeats riding out from the start gate to the starting line where the flagman will give him the green flag to go. John’s Dad, John Senior, built the bike and I chose this shot because this motorcycle epitomizes the level of craftsmanship and beauty that John, and the entire Land Speed Racing community, is known for. This engine in this motorcycle is over 3000 CCs which is nearly twice the displacement of most Harley-Davidson engines. John has been piloting Land Speed Racing bikes for many years but it still takes a lot of nerve to climb on a bike that will rocket down the course at well over 175 mph.

I took this image into Topaz Adjust 4 for initial processing and then returned it to Aperture 3 where I finished adjusting the color, vibrancy and sharpening. I especially like the negative space at the left side of the frame which for me accentuates the vastness of the Bonneville Salt Flats and the unknown.

Memorial Day in Zachary Taylor National Cemetery

Posted on by Nick Roberts

Today is Memorial Day so I decided to go to Zachary Taylor National Cemetery and shoot the flags that are there to honor these men and women. Walking among them you are struck by how much many of them gave to preserve our freedom. Many of the graves are for those who died in combat and many more are those who only lived a short time after World War II. Interspersed with the headstones are many marble plaques that memorialize the crews of Army Air Corps Airmen that were lost and the Sailors whose ships were sunk throughout WW II. It is a very moving place to visit and I thank each and every person who has served our country.

These images are true HDR images comprised of multiple exposures that were merged and tone mapped in NIK HDR Efex Pro. I used the Realistic Photographic preset as a starting point and then adjusted some of the sliders to achieve the look I wanted. Once I had the first image adjusted to suit me I created my own preset which I then applied to subsequent images in the shoot. By making myself a preset I was able to get an image close to my vision for it and then only needed to adjust one or two sliders to get the final image. After using the NIK software I returned the images to Aperture 3 where I sharpened and straightened them for final output.

I shot in the last couple of hours of the day in an effort to accent the somber feeling that this cemetery gives me. The only difficulty with shooting there at sunset is that there are so many trees around the cemetery is is difficult to capture the sun’s fading rays on the headstones.

My Former Travelling Studio

Posted on by Nick Roberts

I love to use my motorcycle to travel and take me to the sites I like to photograph. There is nothing like being able to sit there and see all around you the grandeur of the west as the smells and sounds of the road caress your senses.

This is a shot of my 2003 Road Glide I named Devilhog. I gave it that name because it was assembled on April 1, 2003 and had a VIN number that ended in 666. I rode this bike over 90,000 miles until I had a rear tire blow out on I-80 just east of Bonneville at the east bound 26.5 mile marker. I was cruising along at 80 miles an hour when suddenly the bike started shaking violently. I fisrt thought it was a tank slapper coming on but then I realized it was a blown rear tire. I had just passed a string of vehicles and was slightly ahead of an 18 wheeler when it went down on it’s right side. Fortunately for me the engine and saddlebag guards kept me from being caught under the bike and we both slid down the highway separately.

I was wearing my leather jacket and full face helmet which I’m certain saved my life. The helmet was scraping along on the face shield as I was sliding on my right side. I remember thinking this isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be; then I started thinking “damn I’m broken down on the interstate with a flat tire”. LOL … Little did I know that my bike was destroyed and I was lucky to be alive. I sprained my left wrist and had a small cut on the back of my right hand where my glove had ripped but otherwise I was OK. Some wonderful ladies who were ahead of me and saw the crash in their mirrors came back and helped me gather all my gear from the highway. They stayed with me until the EMTs and Police were on the scene and I was in safe hands.

I was amazed to find that all my stuff was intact, though my luggage was pretty tattered, and my camera, lens and laptop were unharmed. I’ve since replaced the Devilhog with a 2007 Road Glide and switched from Michellin brand tires to Metzlers. Michellin discontinued the series of tires for Harleys I was using and I suspect it was because they were not safe to ride on. I didn’t have the presence of mind to get the rear tire back so that I could find out why it blew so I probably passed up a chance to be compensated for my loss. My consolation is that I walked away from what could have been a catastrophic event because I chose to ride wearing the proper safety gear and because luck was with me that day.

This photo was taken the year before my crash; in Canyonlands National Park. I processed it using Aperture 3 and Topaz Adjust Spicify preset. Compositionally I like the way the bike’s position accentuates the perspective in the scene as the road itself leads your eye from the foreground to the horizon and the amazing rock formations of Canyonlands.