[tonyjuliano]

A weekend of vintage motorcycles and racing, what could be better?

I'll be taking the Scrambler to this event this weekend for a little "R&R". Was a participant a couple of years ago, but just a hired photographer and enthusiastic spectator this time around.

It's a really great event - the facility is very nice, and the racing is awesome. There is a big swap meet with tons of vendors, a bike show, food and live music throughput the weekend.

Here is a LINK to NJMSP for more details, and another LINK to their FB page for this event.

I'll be camping in the paddock all weekend, you can have a look HERE for photos and live updates from the event.

 

[tonyjuliano]

Oh, there will be tons of photos (this is a paying photo gig for me).

Won't be able to post them up here though, due to "contractual obligations".

If you want to see them, you'll have to hit the link in the first post.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tonyjuliano]

Ready to roll, bit of a bodged pack job - too much photo equipment to bring.

Stay tuned...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tonyjuliano]

Home sweet, Paddock home...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tonyjuliano]

Britton...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tonyjuliano]

Sidecars

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tonyjuliano]

Those wide bars make a fine clothesline.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tonyjuliano]

Absolutely no drones...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tonyjuliano]

Lot's of fun, but a totally exhausting weekend.

It was a "paying gig" for me, so I can't share all the photos, but HERE are a few select ones.

 

[tonyjuliano]

Nice. What do you shoot with?

Oh, a lot of different stuff...

My primary rig is a Canon 5D MKIII (full frame), but when I'm travelling "light" - like this event - I gravitate towards micro four-thirds stuff. I had my Olympus EM-5, with a 40-150mm f/2.8 ED PRO lens (for most of the track stuff) along with my Fuji X100S (for the slower moving shots) with me for this particular weekend.

Makes packing the bike a whole lot easier.

 

[tonyjuliano]

Nice. I shoot with a 7D and am working though the benefits of going full frame. I just saw that new 5Ds and am kind of swooning. I am hoping that it brings the MkIII down to something that I am more apt to shell out for. The other part of me wants to have the newest and bestest, naturally. However, with the savings, I could pick up a 70-200 f/2.8... Just saying.

I don't really have a "Running Light" rig. I like shooting with the big stuff. It is not convenient at all though. :/

When you travel as much on two wheels as I do, you really start to appreciate the size and weight savings of the smaller stuff.

There a re plenty 5D MKIII's out there now, for greatly reduced prices. To be honest, the MKII is more than enough for most "serious" amateurs. You know how it goes, though. High end camera gear is like nuclear proliferation - a constant battle to "keep up", but - at the end of the day - it's what is behind the camera that matters most.

 

[tonyjuliano]

I couldn't agree more. I earn money with my camera, so I find that I am a little more serious about it than most amateurs. I have found the 7D to be fantastic in many many regards, but the MkI is a very old body at this point, and if I am going to shell out for a new body, it makes little sense to move laterally. The 7D MkII is a great update to the 7D, but I want that full frame. Also, the pixel count of the 5D S is just an exercise in silliness for my purposes. My 7D has a LOT of actuations on it, and I want to move it to a backup or effectively a zoom multiplier instead of a primary.

Full frame is awesome, especially when the light is poor to non-existent. That's where you will see the real difference from your 7D - at super high ISO levels. At reasonable ISO, APS-C (or even 4/3) is just as good. I've done plenty of magazine work with 4/3 - it's gotten really good in the last few years - but when the light gets low, full frame is king.

 

[tonyjuliano]

Full frame is good for portraits, architecture or wide angle stuff but cropped is good for sports, wildlife, or anything telephoto. It seems to me it's usually which ever sensor is newer is better. I will take my Nikon D7100 sensor over a Canon 5D Mk1, for example. In terms of high ISO performance, that is.

That's a pretty unfair comparison - matching a DSLR that originated back in 2005 versus the Nikon which came out in 2013. 8 years is more than several lifetimes in the camera world.

Compare the D7100 with ANY full frame of of the same vintage, and it's "game over" - especially with respect to high ISO performance. Where the crop sensor cameras really shine is video performance, IMO.

 

[tonyjuliano]

Well yeah I thought your statement meant to say that an original 5D trumped a modern APS camera. I'd rather have a full frame for video for more control over DOF.

But I don't do video and nobody has ever paid me to take a photo, so I may not know what I'm talking about. I just like dinking around with photography.

No, no, no...

Never meant to imply that the D7100 would not have superior performance to the original 5D. In fact, as far as high-ISO goes, it's prolly even on par with the MK2.

MK3 & 5D S, however would be a completely different story.

But again, it's really whats behind the camera that counts. Some of the best work you will ever see was shot back in the "stone age" of film.

 

[tonyjuliano]

We're on the same page then. Most important part of photography is always the operator of the machinery.

I've still got a Cambo SC 4x5" camera and a fridge full of sheet film if I ever become un-lazy and shoot with it again. The Scrambler should have at least one large format photo of itself

Film got really expensive over the past five years though, so I've been slacking off the past few years. My profile avatar is from last fall. I was riding my BMW R90/6 and putting an expired roll of Kodak Tri-X through my Leica M2. I used to shoot multiple rolls of film per week, but have become really lazy. Mostly due to my film friends all moving away, so I have nobody to go out shooting with.

No current digital image - full frame 35mm, medium format, whatever - will match the quality of that 4" x 5" film, not yet anyway.

 

[tonyjuliano]

I also need to figure out how you're getting people to pay you

I have always refused to shoot photos of weddings though, because I'd suck at it since I hate being there.

Send me a PM - I can help you out. And I have NEVER willingly shot a wedding (did a favor for a friend once, though). Even the thought of wedding photography makes my skin crawl.

 

[tonyjuliano]

I am with tonyjuliano To mirror what tony said earlier... I could slap $20 grand worth of camera and lens in a person's hand, and that does not mean that they will produce anything worth looking at. It is what is in the 8 inches behind the viewfinder that counts. If you know your way around a hobbyist camera and can crank that thing and know it's limitations, you will be able to produce images that move people.

This is VERY similar to what you see on motorcycle forums all the time (and since this IS a motorcycle forum)...

I love when guys crow about "my scrambler is awesome in the twisties, it can keep up with (insert random super-sport here) without any problem!"

Well, it really depends more on who is sitting in which seat, doesn't it?

 

[tonyjuliano]

I am going to hit you up as well if you don't mind. I am always looking to shoot with others. I have been wanting to expand my horizons a little myself.

Sure thing...