Been a long ,long time .....

Just dropping in with a recent fun edit

Drag Strip Marriage Proposal

Captured at Paradise Dragstrip April 26th 2015 .....

View the pic's here .... http://www.ColePhoto.net/paradise-cars-2015/e43c28629

Harley shoot

So my buddy Jamie Bell rode his Harley Davidson V-Rod up for a little shoot this past week . Some rolling shots to static shots using a 3 flash set up.  Check out the pics below of this sick machine and yes...it's been lowered too . 

Pro-Mods at Brainerd !!!!

Lights OUT !

Had the opportunity to go and so...I went ! This past weekend I made the trip down to SGMP (South Georgia Motorsports Park) to witness the raw power unleashed by some of the meanest cars I've ever seen . Put on by Duck X Productions , this event happens twice a year ( Lights Out / No Mercy ) and I plan to make the next one in September . I had fire spitting cars on the back wheels blaze by me within feet of my lens , it was such a rush !!! Being short on time and lots of editing to do I'll have to keep this post short , so click the below link to see all the shots I captured during my short 2 day coverage . 
Lights Out 5 Gallery  

My FB PAGE

Just launched my Facebook page (not timeline) for my photography and to promote my website where shots can be purchased in many ways . So if you're on FB and want to follow along and view my best work please visit my page and click the "LIKE" button . 
Thanks 
Click HERE to visit my page .

To my fellow readers ....

Sorry for the delay in posting but I have some good news ! I will be going to SGMP at the end of Feb. to cover Lights Out 5 !!! So keep an eye out as I will have some awesome material to post soon .
Thanks again 

Shop Visit...

Made a short trip today to have some fun with the Ol' Nikon , which had me ending up at Ray's Hot Rod & Speed Shop Inc. in Calhoun , Ga. Ray is one cool fella , down to earth and loves to work on some metal ! His business mission stated from from his site ...  "Rays HOT ROD & SPEED SHOP is a family owned and operated business. We are not like other shops who try to tell you how to build your project . Our philosophy is " It's your project ." We will work with you every step of the way from our first meeting, to your first drive in your completed project . Whether you are building a high end show stopper, a daily driver, or a old family friend that needs freshing up. You and your project matter to us." 

So if you have any gear-head related needs make sure to give him a hollar . His website - http://www.raysrodandspeed.com/ 
 and the Facebook page - www.facebook.com/pages/Rays-Hot-Rod-Speed-Shop-Inc/ (Hit that "LIKE" button)

As for the photos ... I just aimlessly walked around like I was at a playground until I found an interesting shot/angle . Mainly a bunch of HDR type images or long exposures with a few special touches . Just another fun outing for the day ! 

Street Outlaws

Made the trip up to Knoxville Dragstrip this past Saturday (Nov. 9th) for the Tennessee Street Outlaws event to find the top 10 fastest cars . After about 2 1/2 hrs worth of steady driving I was ready to get out and breathe in the octane filled air ! Shooting from 10am till around 9pm wasn't an easy task , the temps dropped pretty hard too . The day was filled with passes from the outlaw racers and the 7.49 index guys not to mention some serious 60' heads up action from the hot rod'n kids during the big wheels racing haha . It was another great day of fun and exciting moments .

The link to view all the coverage (photo/video) will be at the bottom of this post , so make sure to click and check out all the action . If you're wondering about the results ...wait no longer .....
#1 - Scott Vestal (SBF Mustang - Pic below)
#2 - Todd Lyle
#3 - Tim Kincaid
#4 - Mike Hicks
#5 - Richard Reagan
#6 - Steve Adams
#7 - Sonny Smart 
#8 - Jay Payne 
#9 - Billy Taylor
#10 - David Monday 
7.49 Went Jason Young and RU Robert Hindman 
View gallery here... TennesseeStreetOutlaws

TN Top 10

Going down this Saturday Nov. 9th at Knoxville Dragstrip . Tennessee Street Outlaws will be putting on the event to find the top 10 fastest street outlaws in Tennessee . Gonna be some great action !

Draggin' ....for toys

A great time for a great cause ! This event usually brings a wide range of street cars and mean machines . Visit the DFT page on Facebook to keep up to date and find more info on the rules ... https://www.facebook.com/dragginfortoys

Mills Creek Falls

Well look at me ...two waterfall post back to back haha . I'm not fading away from Motor-sports I just love being outdoors and in nature , can't help I bring my camera along ;) haha .  So this one is Mills Creek Falls located in the Cohutta Wilderness Area , basically an hour below Jigger Creek Falls . The dirt road was much more friendly this time around as we were on route to the secluded camp ground where the hike begins . The hike...with heavy camera bag... yeah , I wasn't ready for this !!! Though only around 0.6 miles , it put me to the test , alright alright...I found out I was outta shape haha . But along the way to the falls there was many areas of interest and relaxing spots to rest at and also a few dangerous trails , some a mere 2' wide on the edge of a cliff straight down to the water (big rocks included) and did I mention it just rained ? Ahh but as always , it was so fun ! 

As we (Angela-girlfriend, Shelby-our daughter,Aidan-nephew) finally made it to the falls we had on last surprise awaiting us ... a very steep ,wet ,rocky outcropping beside the waterfall with nothing but tied up ropes to help guide us down ! Whew...yeah , I managed to make it down with the camera bag then made the trip back up to carry my daughter down . I was very tired haha . We played in the water for a bit Angela and Aidan went off a cool rope swing that lands you right in front of the falls , it was so cool ! So away I went again , carefully slipping and falling with $1200 worth of camera just inches from the water haha . Honestly ...I hardly ever worry about it , it's worth the risk to me , though I will pitch the biggest fit if/when I ever do submerge my camera lol . 

Now after all the fun has been had , we endured the tiresome hike back but it ended the coolest way ever ! As we made it back to the camp ground (1 camper there,that we talked to briefly before our journey) Olan was there to greet us and asked us about the falls . Turns out this is his home away from home. He helped clear the land there back in the day when he was in Boy Scouts , which he is now 61 . So he kindly asked us to have a seat, if we would like to hear some music . As he told us he was a musician whom plays in Chattanooga and Ringgold here and there . Being music lovers we said sure , we needed a break anyways . Well...how awesome was it that he played the Old Crow Medicine Show "Wagon Wheel" ...(No Darius Rucker didn't write that song !) it was awesome . He played two more songs for us all and we thanked him for the tunes and we made our way back home !

Another adventure had , it was a great day !

Below is some of my pic's and a video of the rope swing .

Jigger Creek Falls

No burnouts ? No wheel stands ??? 
Nope ... took the camera and the family outdoors to enjoy some fun times in nature , you know , those woodsy areas that usually consist of trees and water ? Ha , yeah we're all a lil consumed with busy work and mobile devices that keep us away from relaxing times. This is my "disconnect" I just log off and turn off and enjoy the simplicity outside . Though...this trip had a few surprises for me .

Jigger Creek is located a lil past Chatsworth , Ga in the Cohutta Wilderness Area with about an 8 mile final stretch of nothing but dirt roads . So just go ahead and picture my Mustang bouncing around at 5mph , yeah I take it about anywhere lol . We finally located the falls and pulled over to make the short walk down to the creek . So the fun begins ... I take a few cautious steps across the creek at the base of the falls to set up my first shot , tri-pod up camera mounted and set the focus ....RAIN !!! Yeah it starts pouring hard , so I take a quick shot and realize this isn't gonna work . So I make the slippery walk across jagged rocks (camera around my neck, tri-pod in hand and backpack on) and back up the hill where we sit in the car hoping the rain stops . Nahhh 30 minutes later and determined to get some shots from this trip I grab some towels and plastic bags and make my way back down ! 

To keep it short , I fell twice (not hard ) and got completely soaked haha . But once I found my "flow" I started having some fun out there . Camera in bag , I would set up the tri-pod then mount the camera with a towel resting on top and before each shot dry the lens (if you're wondering ...I had to resort to hunching down and using the only dry cloth...top of my boxers ) . Another thing to note , none of the shots are single shots/exposures ....each image is a blend of 4-6 different exposures , so it took some time (and patiences) to get each one. I was a pro about 45 minutes later though , jumping through the creek , moon walking across them rocks and all haha . I would have stayed longer but I knew "mommy and daughter" were getting tired of sitting in the car , so I finished up and made that long bumpy ride back to civilization completely soaked and a lil sore . But you know what ... We had fun and it was a great time !!! 

* The reason you can't see any rainfall in the shots is due to the long exposures of each shot. 

     

Photo-Shoot...Jr style

So this past weekend I had the privileged to do a lil shoot with Jacob Clayton and his cool Jr dragster . As you can see , there's not a whole lot of empty space left on it ...sponsors know to tag this ride . I believe he makes his sponsors happy considering all the winner shots he has been in ! It's good to see the younger generation active in drag racing or any motorsport , they are the future of the scene and will be the ones to keep it alive ! 

We just hit up Ol Paradise Dragstrip on Sunday evening to get some driver profile shots and a few candid fun shots . One of which will be used by a new sponsor , that'll be displayed on their product label . How cool is that ! I was glad to help out and be a part of his growing success , hope to see him go big time in the future .

Keeping it short and simple , now here's some of my favorite shots from the shoot ....

Happy 4th of July !

So...I recently caught a pretty cool shot of this Camaro in the staging lanes one night at Paradise Dragstrip. As he and a few others sat idle hoping the rain would hold off I laid down and snapped a few frames . Which brings me to last night , as I was seeing all the cool 4th of July post on facebook I had an idea hit me ...put a flag in the background ! Then I remembered I had some older shots of fireworks from a past show at the Calhoun fairground ...so I merged,cloned,pasted (or simply..edited) them into the whole image .

It was a fairly quick edit , since I decided to do it the day of ! But I really liked how it came out and so did a good bunch on facebook once I posted it up . I'm just glad to add something to the occasion !

Thanks to all who have served and is serving ...Happy 4th of July !!!

A trip to I-40 Dragway

This past Saturday I aimed my wheels North and headed up to Crossville TN , to capture the action going down at I-40 Dragway . Once a month (the last Saturday of each to be exact) I-40 opens the gates to a steady flow of racers looking to jump in on the Outlaw Bounty Race program , classes are Pro Street , EXstreme Street , Cheap Street , 6.0 and 7.0 . Pulling in I got a direct view of the pits as it's located on the right side of the track and I was stoked to see cars I've never photographed before and then I made my way to the left side to spectator parking where you get to pull directly behind/around the burnout box as you make your way over , just thought that was a cool path . As I drove to find a spot I first noticed the awesome layout of bleachers and plenty of'em too , one set of bleachers are set right near the burnout box aiming Northeast up the track . Then I couldn't help but notice a huge Blues Clues jumping inflatable set up for the gearhead kids who might want to expend some energy while being at the track with the family . First impressions had me feeling like I've been here before and all is welcomed , I was ready to shoot !!!

I met up with Jim Howe Jr before the action started and introduced myself since we've only talked over FB and the phone , he and his father Jim Howe Sn has owned the track since 1992 . He took the time to stop and welcome me to the track and give me a few details about the place , cool fella no doubt . Then as I held my camera in great anticipation awaiting the first burnout the guy in the tower announced about a new photographer being here and said " well...not sure his name , but he's taking pic's" ,  I had a good laugh and waved at him . After a few burnouts I walked up and gave him my card only to find out later that guy was Jim Howe Jr's dad ! I just thought that was awesome , father and son running the track , it reminded me of Paradise and how it's family owned and operated ...the way I like'em ! 

So my day continued with learning the track , from lighting to good angles and all the unknown cars to me . I had no problem catching daylight under the front tires from many of the mean machines there . Not to mention one mean Hemi powered dragster driven by Richard Houston that ran in the low 4's ! The days action was well organized and paced . The I-40 crew stayed on top of the track making sure it remained in top condition throughout the day , props to you all . As the day went on and my batteries were draining I made my way up to the tower for some candid shots . There I found Jim Sn (still announcing ) talking with an old buddy where I ran into some good ol' stories from back in the day . Talks of 5 amber trees to trees with just a red and green light and how the scene has changed so much over the years . I gotta say , that was one of the highlights of my visit , I love moments like that . Afterwards I had the pleasure to sit with Jim Sn for a few minutes and he told me all about the track and some of the changes it has went through . All in all ...I had a great time , from the ground pounding ripping down the strip to stories from "back in the day".

If you're ever near Crossville make sure to stop by and check them out and if you're a racer wanting to give it a go at I-40 you can find all the info about them in the links below .
Facebook - www.facebook.com/I40Dragway
Website- www.i40dragway.com/
And yes , of course....here is the link to all the photos and video I captured this day
www.colephoto.net/i40dragway5-25

Big thanks to Jim Jr , Jim Sn and I-40 crew for letting me come up and be a part of the scene !
Had a blast guys 

One cool 55 Chevy

I noticed this 55' at the Coker Tire cruise in and finally got to meet the owner at the May Show-N-Go at Paradise Dragstrip . James bought this from someone in Kentucky and he made a lil change to the door paint. He wanted a different name on it , in his own words "everyone knows about Paradise Dragstrip" ...sandpaper came out and Paradise went on !
He asked if I could take a few shots for him after the show and like always ...I was happy to . During the shoot he told me it was for sale and handed me some info all about the car . So if you know anybody that wants one cool 1955 Chevy ...let'em know about this one . 
I created a custom gallery within my web site to host pic's and info all about the car , click the link below to check it out and read up on it .
 If you have a ride you want to sale and would like to use my services (photography to custom "for sale" page) feel free to contact me . If you're able to bring your ride to Calhoun , I'll get pic's (and video if needed) of it sitting at historic Paradise Dragstrip and create your custom page for just $60 . Other options available , such as for people who are too far away , send me your pic's and info and I'll make the custom page with what you have to display for just $40. Each page has a "Share" link , so to save you time , whenever you post to any classifieds , forums , Facebook, etc. all you need to do is use the share link located within your gallery...everyone who clicks the link will see your custom for sale page. 
Payments for this service can be cash after the shoot or I can e-mail an invoice to you payable by credit/debit card or PayPal .

Visit the 1955 Chevy "For Sale" page here ... www.ColePhoto.net/55chevy4sale

May 11th Calhoun Ga

Come on up and join the fun . Car show, Swap meet and drag racing !

View last years shows here... Paradise 2012

Chattanooga Cruise In

Last Saturday , April 6th 2013 to be exact , Coker Tire and Honest Charley Speed Shop hosted the Chattanooga Cruise In that was packed out blocks around ! Rat rods to imports lined the streets , filled parking lots and well...anywhere you could fit four wheels . Live music performed by "The other guys" kept you singing along while checking out sharp rides all over and plenty of cool vendors too...I quite enjoyed my funnel cake haha.

Though on this outing I planned to go up and enjoy the event while capturing a few images for HDR edits . HDR is "High Dynamic Range" which in photography basically means you capture high detail in the dark and bright areas throughout a single image. This technique usually requires 3 or more images taken at different setting then with software you merge all together to make one HDR image. Afterwards you process the image even further , but I'll leave out the details because this isn't some tutorial (not that I could even explain it correctly) and you're here to read up on the show and look at pics anyhow haha .

All in all this was a very fun show to be at . The music was great , food was good and getting lost in a sea of beautiful cars was just exciting ! Check out Coker Tire on Facebook so you can stay up to date on the happenings, cause you don't want to miss the next one !

Here's the link to all the pic's I took , HDR's to a few quick snaps ....
Chattanooga Cruise In

GoPro equipped Nikon ...

You might have seen a few GoPro's or other small video cameras attached to fenders, hoods, bumpers of drag cars rippin' the strip BUT how about one attached to a camera shooting those cars ??? Well thanks to a good friend (Eddie Fountain) I was able to get my hands on one of those GoPros late last year. As Eddie and I talked about catching some cool clips I instantly thought about doing a photographers point of view video . After attaching the double sided tape mount to my camera I had to adjust the arms , though I felt like I was figuring out a Rubik's cube lol I finally managed a good angle . So...when time allowed I would hit REC before each run and then aim my Nikon to capture the usual photo . The video below is a collection of my favorite clips along with a few photos that I caught while shooting the short clips. 
I would like to thank Eddie and my sponsors...
www.paradisedragstrip.net
www.southeastwheelsevents.com
Tirequest Automotive  - Facebook link
Finish Line Racing Gear

Make sure to watch it on a large screen (if able) with the 1080p HD setting ! A link to my YouTube channel is below the video . 

Visit my YouTube page to see more video's ... http://www.youtube.com/user/COLEakaBIRD