Ten - The Pits

The high point of my year was getting to shoot at the Indianapolis 500. What made this event, actually 5 days of practice and qualifying, not the race itself, so big was not just being there, but the access I was granted. I had pit access for all five days. To be honest, that really isn't anything special. There are thousands of people that manage to get access to the pit area and the garage area. For 3 of the days I was there I had what's called over-the-wall access. This is the area that very few people ever to get enter. Only the the safety personnel, the team crews and drivers, and a very limited number of media get to go over-the-wall. Even fewer are allowed to do so when the cars are actually on track. This year I got be one of those lucky few.

As a long time race fan, getting this kind of access is like a dream come true. Having my toes literally under the sidepod of the cars to get a shot of the driver sitting in the cockpit, having some of the great names in motorsport history standing next to me, and getting to shoot the emotion, colors, and spectacle were absolutely exhilarating. In the shot I chose for today (obviously you're going to be seeing shots from Indy for the next few days), I was standing a couple of feet behind Danica Patricks car, in the empty pit behind hers, as she pulled away to head out to the track for some practice runs. When you're that close, you can feel the power of the exhaust hit you in the chest, the sound tears at your ears even with earplugs in, and the sweet smell of race exhaust fills the air and makes your eyes water just a bit... like tears of joy. This photo take sme back to that exact moment, with all of those sensations. It's not the best photo I've ever taken, but it will always be one of my most memorable.

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