This year's Phoenix Indycar test and media day was packed with more action than normal, from a photographer's perspective. Indycar split the drivers across two days of studio photography, instead of one. This kept me indoors from sunrise to sunset for two straight days. I felt a lot of excitement thinking about getting out of the studio and shooting our first all-series test of the year.
On Friday morning I woke up early, had a great breakfast and was off to the track. Hitting the road early made sure I was eligible for life's "early bird gets the worm" award (Bullshit. More on that later.) I get in the van, buckle up my belt and wait for the others. Now we're off to the track and hitting the 40mph mark, and we're well on our way! Suddenly, I hear rustling in the last row of the van, so I turn and there is my life (my camera bag) rolling down the street with cars swerving around it. I scream and the car stops. So here I am first thing in the morning, sprinting for more than a city block, chasing my life and dreams just as I always do. My friends are late out of the car, eating their McBreakfast and sugar drink as I'm scared like a mother running out in the street with her child in the road. So much for that "early bird gets the worm" bullshit! Maybe I didn't shut the gate, maybe someone else flubbed, maybe it was a vehicle malfunction, maybe I should have stayed in bed! Either way, if you're going to be dumb, you gotta be tough. Luckily, I'm solid as a rock! Thankfully, my computer took most of the hit from the drop and roll. Unfortunately, I also broke a Nikon 70-200, the lens that I do 95% of all of my photography with. I had about 5 lenses and two cameras in that bag, I can't believe more wasn't damaged. Missing the 70-200 lens definitely forced me to change up my style for the test. Here are the photographs I captured under the circumstances.
