2012 @ Paradise....

Just in case ya don't know ... Paradise Dragstrip will open the gates March 4th and get the season going with some TnT and maybe a lil' grudge racin' . I know I am ready for some noise,smoke,speed,rubber,alcohol (4 the motor lol) , and all the good things that come with racing !!! 
I'll be there "catching the daylight under your tires" so see you all on the hill.
Gates open @ 10:30am
Time Trials @ 1:00pm
$10 to watch
Visit Paradise's forum...
Go to FORUM
Or visit the very popular Facebook page...
PD on Facebook

ATTN: FaceBook users...

If you're on FaceBook then you probably already know about the switch-over to the "Timeline" page , which displays a nice big pic near the top...called a "cover photo." So if you want something cool , from a shot I have of you (cropped and re-sized to fit) , a wild kustom edit ,  to something totally from scratch ... I can hook you up ! If you have a business presence on FB , I can do something real clean and nice or completely wild with text and images with all the info your customers need to read soon as they hit you page. You can visit my FB page to view the sample album or the below link to the sample gallery on my main site. Prices start at $10 , which will get your favorite shot enhanced and re-sized to fit perfectly and e-mailed to you for use , to upwards of $40 depending on the editing you desire. You can view the samples on FB to get an idea of cost ( I have estimated prices under each one) or just message me with details and I'll give you a total cost and we'll go from there.
Here's the link to FB samples...Facebook Samples

Link to samples on my site...Samples on ColePhoto
Below is a few of the samples...

2012 World of Wheels

This Saturday I drove up to the Chattanooga convention center to visit the World of Wheels event. The O'Reilly w.o.w show is a three day event from Friday to Sunday and stays flowing with curious visitors all day long. Walking through you can see plenty of clean rides , from cars,trucks,and bikes to small die-cast vehicles set up by some of the vendors. Among the static entertainment you could also check out the action from "On the Edge" extreme bike team , which put on a great show of skill , jumping onto a Cadillac from the floor or from way up high off a trailer set near it. The Show even had a couple celebrities and well known cool people ...Billy "The Exterminator" to "Master of the fine line" Von Hot Rod !

Shooting such an event is fun but definitely has it's challenges , from crowded area's to mix match lighting ,I stayed busy trying to get the right shot but I didn't mind it at all . Being inside where it was warm and no chance of rain I just settled in and took my time haha. Though I do wish there was a spot to shoot from up high to catch the whole place, I did look , but no dice . I just stayed low and close and captured at a slow camera setting so people in the background would blur out (if they kept moving) and leave the image clean and focused on the ride , a technique I've been wanting to attempt for a while now. Most shots came out to my satisfaction, so when you browse the pic's I took don't think I was there early or late haha , it was a packed house I just made the attempt (photography wise) to make it look different .

Many rides caught my eye but I have to say I was looking hard at the 1932 Ford Roadster there named "Timeless" . A 32' Ford with a 1957 Chrysler 300-C Hemi  power-plant  with Hilborn injection on top, connected to a 6-speed Tremec manual trans . The "Montana Mint" paint job was straight up slick and worked well with all the nice chrome accents . Now , I'm more into mine having some rust and rubber in the fender wells but I gotta give credit when credit is due, but there's no way I could own that ride and not turn the back tires bald every 2 weeks haha. If you ever get the chance to go to a World of Wheels event I recommend you go , it's a fun time to hang with friends and scope out the eye candy while drinking a beer, or you can hang with Sponge Bob or some of the Star Wars characters from the Mos Nooga Squad which had a cool remote R2-D2 roaming around.

  All in all I had a blast , it was fun walking around meeting new people and hearing all about their rides. Ran into a few friends there and shared a beer while planning my next shot  and then noticed the Po Po when they turned the blue lights on and stared right at me !!!....but it was fine , just one of my buddies Gerald Cooley from the "North Georgia Beat the Heat" organization  haha . You can catch these fella's at the strip and challenge them to a Heads-up race if ya got the power in the pedal !
View all the photo's and video here...World Of Wheels2012

2012 Updates

Well 2012 is here and I'm waiting on racing to start ! But during this slow time I updated my site www.Colephoto.net for this new year. I added a "Colephoto Services" page displaying galleries that give info for each type of service I currently offer. From touch up's to video capture . So swing by and check it out sometime , I added some cool newer images to keep it interesting .
Click THIS LINK to view my promo video  I made to help get the word out , enjoy !
Direct link to "Colephoto Services"......click HERE .

Behind the lens

I've been shooting motor sports for a few years now, figured I'd pump my brakes and blog about why I'm behind the lens . Although I've never really thought about it , because as of now I realize it just came so naturally...don't know exactly why,don't care haha. The love of speed ,fast cars and the need for more just blended together at a time when camera was in hand. Those first few captures up on the hill at Paradise Dragstrip just made me feel behind the wheel you could say , and it steadily grew from shot to shot. I remember taking 200+ shots from the bleachers on Sunday and hurrying home to view them on the computer to see what awesome shots I caught. Most was total crap haha , but a few...maybe 5 just had to be my desktop screen-saver slide show for all to see when they came in the house.
                                      (Below- My 1st awesome shot haha)

But now here I am , behind the guard rail...behind the lens with these beast unleashing all their brute power right in front of me. The rush of anticipating the launch, just waiting for that mean machine to stand up like a nightmarish monster , only one thing on my mind for that 1/500th of a second...capture it ! And then as the shutter clicks and the build up peaks I get a ear full of raw power as these machines rip by me at the 60' mark and leave me with the scent of high octane or some nice smelling (but eye burning) alcohol lol . Ahh how I love the first 60' , such a rush for a photographer.
                            (Below- In my "high end" point & shoot days haha)

Now , although I might look comfortable or over confident leaning on the guardrail I assure you my feet are not positioned for the best angle , but for the quick escape in case the oil pan puts a target on me haha. I found myself in the habit (good one) of taking the shot and smoothly leaning away as if I'm about to run away in a direction of some safety , so if you witness me looking like a drunk all but falling on my butt grabbing the guardrail to keep myself up...well that must have been a real mean machine and my instincts out weighed my balance haha.
But all in all I just simply love being a part of the scene, this "scene" of controlled bombs , untamed beast and chest pounding power. Let it be w.o.t in a straight line or full lock out of a turn, it's all about catching the sight of man and machine in controlled chaos. So the answer to why I'm behind the lens...... the same reason you're behind the wheel .
                            (Below- Running my Fairlane 500 on street tires)

Yes...I lost this race ;)

Update...

I know, I know .... been letting the dust build up on my blog haha. Figured I would jump on here a let everyone know that I haven't quit blogging , just been real busy with the other aspects of my photography. I do have a few cool stories to write about and will once I get settled down.
Fyi , I have upgraded my site to play video directly in the galleries and I have a few up already but plan to do way more with it next year. PLUS I'm putting together a lil' "ColePhoto Services" page/gallery so everyone can see what all I have to offer.
Thanks for checking out the blog and I hope to see ya back here again ;)