| Sign in: |
| Members log in here with your user name and password to access the your admin page and other special features. |
|
|
|
|
|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Speedway Photography
Michael Myers, Photographer, Student/Intern
 |
Miami Beach | FL | USA | Posted: 1:50 AM on 03.26.07 |
->> Perhaps someone who shoots photos at the various speedways can answer this question. I was told by a friend of mine that if there is a serious accident at the speedway, the officials can gather up everyone's cameras, review the images and delete those that they feel are not suitable for release. Then someone explained that it's just a matter of getting all the information together, in case the injured driver were to die and they might be used in an investigation.
What is the actual situation when/if something like this happens? ....and for that matter, if someone does happen to capture images of a serious accident, is it good policy to send them to someone at the speedway to review, or to assume that with all the official cameras in place watching the cars, additional images aren't needed? |
|
Will Lester, Photographer
 |
Ontario | CA | USA | Posted: 2:27 AM on 03.26.07 |
->> NEVER!!!!
NEVER!!!!
Let someone review your images for this reason. The sanctioning body does not want those photos released especially if you can see a fatally injured driver or bystandered. But is an actual photo of a dead driver going to be published, most likely not, but photos of the accident are fair game.
And to answer your question, no, speedway officials do not delete images. In my 20+years of shooting I've never heard of such a thing.
When Greg Moore was killed at California Speedway, our paper ran a photo of Moore being taken to the air ambulance, he was alive at the time, but barely. Also many photos were published of Dale Earnhardt's fatal accident at Daytona. But I don't believe any photos were moved by the wire services of him being extracticated from the car.
Just my quick .02 cents worth. |
|
Phil Sedgwick, Photographer
 |
Oceanside | CA | USA | Posted: 4:59 AM on 03.26.07 |
->> I've been at the track more than once when we've lost a driver and I can't recall a track or sanctioning body gathering up cameras - I have seen them over react and pull cred's of folks they thought were in a red zone at the time - they were later returned but at least one of the photographers was too shaken to keep shooting.
I do know guys who personaly won't move graphic images, but never the track pulling them.
Getty's image of Zanardi's crash that ran in SI is a good example - Getty was CART's series photographers at that time, yet they moved an image that some felt could have been cropped a little better for general veiwing. |
|
Chad McCan, Photographer
 |
Liberty | MO | USA | Posted: 8:54 AM on 03.26.07 |
->> I would think that would be a difficult policy to police also. Are they going to check all your cards?
It would be an akward situation if they requested access to your gear, but I think I would just explain to them that we would have to end our relationship if they are going to censor my work.
It doesn't sound like it's an issue, thankfully. |
|
Geoff Miller, Photographer
 |
Portage | MI | USA | Posted: 9:51 AM on 03.26.07 |
->> There have been a couple of attempts at doing such things at big name tracks in the past, but they've been isolated and the efforts failed. The details of one that I heard first hand about was at Indianapolis a couple of decades ago. It didn't involve a wreck, but a big fight that broke out in the infield in one of the turns. State Police responded en masse in an effort to prevent the incident from going "critical" and turning into a riot. From what I recall there were a lot of baton's flying and some heads were "cracked" in an effort to restore the peace. During the ruckus, the guys shooting in that turn did a 180 and fired away in the direction of the fight and police response. Afterwards, track security went around demanding film from people in that turn (I don't recall if the demand started with the State Police or the track). However, after a threatened fecal-storm from the media outlets present, any film actually taken was returned.
But to Michael's question... "Can they" take your equipment and delete images. I think the answer is a firm "No". Can they threaten you with ejection and refusal to be granted future credentials?... Yes, but as Phil pointed out, calmer heads will almost always prevail in the end. |
|
John Howley, Photographer
 |
Circleville | OH | USA | Posted: 9:52 AM on 03.26.07 |
->> Granted, I don't shoot a lot of motorsports but in covering numerous races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Kentucky Speedway I've never heard of anything like this.
Maybe small tracks have tried this in the past at minor circuit races, but I can't imagine NASCAR trying to review the images from the couple hundred photographers credentialed at their events. |
|
Jason Orth, Photographer
 |
Lincoln | NE | USA | Posted: 10:30 AM on 03.26.07 |
->> Never heard of that, and I'd like to see 'em try. One just has to Google "Dale Earnhardt" to see an example.
I've seen a couple of rough accidents and photographed them or the aftermath. My lead image is one. Never once have I been asked to put the camera down. But at small tracks there seems to be a "good taste" issue amongst the fans, so I try to be discreet; I don't get up in faces, wail on the the "motordrive" or start hitting the strobe like a disco club. One shot, put camera down.
In fact I've had drivers and tracks ask for pictures of the wreckage or accident either for insurance purposes or posterity's sake. |
|
William Jurasz, Photographer, Assistant
|
Cedar Park | TX | USA | Posted: 10:47 AM on 03.26.07 |
->> Look at the cover shot for this book (which is a great read as well):
http://www.amazon.com/Rapid-Response-inside-racing-life-saver/dp/1844253392...
Or the images in this book about Le Mans 1955:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1859834418/103-8733452-7315048
It has certainly been done before, and published. I have twice seen actual video footage of the 1955 Le Mans wreck. And Earnhardt's wreck was played over and over and over again, which got to be a bit morbid after awhile actually. The only thing more morbid was watching NASCAR subsequently shift blame away from DE himself and plant it onto Bill Simpson, thus protecting their new martyr while destroying a great champion of driver safety.
I do find it strange, however, that other accidents don't get replayed. I saw Greg Moore's wreck as it happened live but I never saw a replay. Zanardi's wreck I think got only minor replay. I forget the guy's name who died at a horrible wreck in Toronto in Champ Car. I saw that wreck happen as well but it was never replayed. A track flagger died as well, same wreck. Why Earnhardt's fatal wreck was replayed every 10 minutes and the others rarely were I'm not exactly sure.
In 2006 I got the "pleasure" three times of seeing amatuer motocross riders get a ride on a Lifeline helicoptor to take them away from the track to a hospital for treatment of bad injuries. It was not uncommon to get requests by the rider for any photos I got of them on the gurney, being loaded in, etc. I never took those photos because it bothered me so I couldn't oblige them. |
|
Geoff Miller, Photographer
|
Portage | MI | USA | Posted: 11:13 AM on 03.26.07 |
| ->> "I forget the guy's name who died at a horrible wreck in Toronto in Champ Car." That would be Jeff Krosnoff (driver) and Gary Arvin (flagger). The reason for the number of replays of Earnhardt's wreck is two-fold: 1) It was "Earnhardt", he was a legend, 2) Dale's wreck (as seen from the TV vantage point) was "clean". |
|
John Tucker, Photographer, Photo Editor
 |
Cordova | TN | USA | Posted: 10:43 PM on 03.26.07 |
->> There was a case At charlotte a few years back. I heard some images were erased. I believe a fan was killed, might have been a tire during an indy car event, I can't remember, but there was a huge fuss made over it.
NEVER, NEVER, should anyone erase any image.........The Earnhardt wreck would have been a different story, but 98% of all photogs were standing in Victory Lane waiting on the money shot and they missed the Earnhardt wreck entirely. |
|
|| Sponsor Special Deals
NEW 12x12 & 9x12 PhotoBooks
|
Available from:
Adorama Camera
|
Price: $0.00 |
Notes:
NEW Adorama PhotoBook sizes 12x12 & 9x12 (Portrait Orientation) PERFECT for Portfolios! Present and distribute your portfolio, create albums for clients, or just enjoy showing off your own family and vacation photographs. There’s no better way to preserve and display your photographs than in a real photobook from AdoramaPix. Our PixPublisher is simple to use and best of all works from any web browser. There’s no software to download or learn to use. Drag and drop your images into a themed template of your choice, or design your own layout. Resize your images, add borders, frames, backgrounds, captions or other descriptive text. It’s your book! SPORTSSHOOTER MEMBER SPECIAL-- 25% OFF USE COUPON CODE PXBKSP12 Good through 11.15.09
|
|
-- More Info -- |
|
Return to --> Message Board Main Index
|