CLK GTR
Photography / March 02, 2010

CLK GTR

About the car:
When the DTM series ended in 1996, Mercedes-Benz wanted to find a replacement top-flight racing series. Enter the FIA GT Championship in which Mercedes-Benz campaigned their very successful and infamous CLK GTR.

Successful:
It won everything around it. AMG-Mercedes won both the Driver and Team Championships in 1997 and 1998

Infamous:
We were very lucky growing up, we had Eurosport on satellite during the nineties. I was watching Le Mans live in 1999 when this happened:

That weekend, two CLK GTRs (technically they were CLK LMs, essentially the same car with a V8 instead of a V12) took flight – both spectacular. Unfortunately you can only win at Le Mans by going fast and going the distance… being spectacular will only win talent contests.

About the photo:
This is a shot of a 1:18 scale model of the GTR – I got it back in 1998 and it’s been sitting in a box for the last ten years or so. I found it a few weeks ago and thought it would be something different to try and capture.

The lighting was a bit of a nightmare, but it worked out ok. I had a black card under the model, a reflector above. I managed to bounce the on camera flash up onto the reflector and back down onto the car with a bit of trial and error. Here’s a shot of the setup, it’s not great, but it did the job:

Watching the world go by
Motoring/Photography / February 08, 2010

Watching the world go by

About:
Noel Conroy and Michael Ward in a MKII Escort (1800 RS). I liked this because of the calm, relaxed look on Michael’s face – despite the fact that he was in the middle of a stage.

Settings:
1/100 sec, ƒ 9, ISO 125, 46.0 mm, AF – AI Servo
Normally (the only other time I’ve shot Motorsport in manual mode), I’d stick with 1/80 sec – but we were on a straight here and the cars were moving a little too fast to pan comfortably at 1/80 sec. I’d normally focus manually on a spot just in front of me too – but I found that because I was standing on a straight, I was getting upto four shots of each car at varying distances (from the camera), three of which would be out of focus. So I set the Auto Focus to AI Servo and it did a great job!

Processing:
B&W conversion, Partial Vignette, Cropped, Debris removed.

Next Time:
I’d love to introduce a strobe in a forestry stages rally – on a medium to low speed corner.

Christmas is just around the Corner
365/Photography / December 08, 2009

Christmas is just around the Corner

Dec 8.

Taken while stopped in traffic on Shannon St. in Limerick. Just a quick snap – I liked how it turned out. If I had attempted to take this back in January, I wouldn’t have managed to get the shot. So it’s a sign that I’m making progress (I hope).

Mouse Fur
365/Photography / December 07, 2009

Mouse Fur

Dec 7.

Another hard frost last night. This is how the frost formed on the spoilerof the five (absolutely essential for downforce on a 1.8 Ton Diesel Touring). You can only see a hint of red showing through.

365/Photography / November 16, 2009

R&R for the M3

Oct 19.

The M3 had a “light” season this year. This season we took in one hillclimb on the ledgendary “Ballyalban”, Co. Clare, the Phoenix Park Motor Races and an end of season race in Mondello. Quiet by our standards, but the races in the Phoenix Park and Mondello were tougher on the car than your average hillclimb. A short season, but an enjoyable one.

Time to get the M3 indoors for the winter for a bit of well deserved R&R.

While the car gets a rest, we have to start thinking of next season. Sponsors, Tyres, Weight Reduction and a little more power if we can find it. It never stops.

Roll on 2010.

What makes a BMW? IV
365/Photography / November 16, 2009

What makes a BMW? IV


Nov 16.

The second in a series of shots on what makes a BMW a BMW. A few design characteristics that are on every BMW you’ll see on the roads today.
Second: Kidney Grill – Nose

The fourth in a series of shots on what makes a BMW a BMW. A few design characteristics that are on every BMW you’ll see on the roads today.

Fourth: Hofmeister Kink

The curve of the C-Pillar first introduced in the thirties by Wilhelm Hofmeister – the then design chief for BMW.

What makes a BMW? III
365/Photography / November 15, 2009

What makes a BMW? III


Nov 15.

The second in a series of shots on what makes a BMW a BMW. A few design characteristics that are on every BMW you’ll see on the roads today.
Second: Kidney Grill – Nose

The third in a series of shots on what makes a BMW a BMW. A few design characteristics that are on every BMW you’ll see on the roads today.

Third: The Hip Line

Possibly a feature of the newer cars (from the eighties), but it is visible on some of the older cars. The Hip line is a line that runs from just behind the indicator on the front wing – pierces the front wheel arch then emerges again just behind the wheel arch and runs to the back of the car above the rear wheel arch. This helps give the appearance that the car runs Nose down, which isn’t always the case.

I was happy enough with this shot – considering it was done with nothing but an led torch!

What makes a BMW? II
365/Photography / November 14, 2009

What makes a BMW? II


Nov 14.

The second in a series of shots on what makes a BMW a BMW. A few design characteristics that are on every BMW you’ll see on the roads today.

Second: Kidney Grill – Nose

The traditional “kidney” grill was first introduced in the twenties or thirties. A design that stemmed from an effort to improve aerodynamic performance, cooling and breathing for the engine. Originally they were very tall and thin, but over the years, they have evolved into the short, wide grill that you see on the road these days.

What makes a BMW? I
365/Photography / November 13, 2009

What makes a BMW? I


Nov 13.

The first in a series of shots on what makes a BMW a BMW. A few design characteristics that are on every BMW you’ll see on the roads today.

First: Four Round lights – Eyes. Back in the day, there were single round lights. But the quad round lights were introduced on the premium models to distinguish them from lower spec’d models. Since the mid eighties, the quad round lights have been the norm.

This shot was a little disappointing as the car is clean, but it got fairly dirty on the way to the location and the driving lights are full of condensation. The shot was lit with an led torch which was a little too harsh for this particular job.

Crosstown Traffic II
365/Photography / November 04, 2009

Crosstown Traffic II


Nov 4.

Yet another attempt at a self portrait… this time the goal was to capture me where I’m happiest – Driving. Driving up O’Connell St. in Limerick in the five. Heater turned up to the last because the back passenger side window was wide open to accommodate the superclamp I used to mount the camera. Again, I really enjoyed taking this shot. I’ll have to invest in a 10-22mm Lens really really soon.

Crosstown Traffic – the original is here.

Darrian T90
365/Photography / October 27, 2009

Darrian T90

Oct 27.

Another shot from a sprint in Tynagh from earlier in the month. This is Peter Cummins in his beautiful Darrian T90.

Life is a Highway
365/Photography / October 06, 2009

Life is a Highway

Oct 6.

A shot of rush hour traffic on the M7 taken from a flyover by Patrickswell – looking back in towards the city (thats where the glow in the clouds on the left is from). When processing this, I realised just how dirty the sensor on my camera is – it took nearly half an hour to get rid of all the dust spots!! 🙁 Post processing-wise,  I haven’t done much here. I boosted the saturation a little and cropped it. Worked out pretty well – going to try another flyover soon, one that doesn’t have street lights anywhere near it!