Sometimes, you just have to say, “Why not?” and wing it and see what happens. Wait a minute. Sometimes? I forgot for a moment that we’re photographers. We do that ALL THE TIME.
The what if factor is up there when you have a rolling camera platform, no permit, remote triggering, autofocus, and the Loose Cannon of Reno, Nevada, photographer and dear friend MD Welch, helping you out. The only truly stable thing out there was the Gitzo tripod we were using, which was a five-section Systematic, bolted to the trunk top of a Ford Mustang.
Cool things? Got to try out the brand new Gitzo 3-Way Fluid Head It’s a smooth, stable platform. Nicely engineered.
Very grateful (and relieved!) the rigging was solid, using Manfrotto super clamps and magic arms to anchor the Gitzo tripod.
Lots of zip ties were deployed for the three SB-5000 flashes. Main light was the Lastolite Ezybox Speedlite 2 Plus. And then, of course, there was Jolie Irvine.
I’ve thrown some curves at Joli over the years we have worked together, but this one was a bit out there. She handles it all in amazing fashion, being not only wonderfully beautiful, but also, being a headliner dancer, athletically capable of maintaining balance, looking great, and managing veils in the wind and curves in the road.
And then, there was MD, who is my good friend, blessedly twisted, and a very talented photog and videographer-check out his site… MD Welch
And, Adam Silversmith was driving! Adam and I have been friends for years, and he and his amazing wife Dasha, who performs also as a headliner, are members of the artistic community in Vegas. Adam and I have been through numerous adventures together. It was a bit of a family out there on the tarmac.
Another blog upcoming about the settings, camera work, and stories from the highways.
More tk….
Beautiful shot and ingenious rigging…
Did you use the face detection auto tracking for this? Continual focus mode?
Thank you for sharing (as always!)
Love the shot, love the story
I got nervous just looking at that rig. I was just down in Reno for the Races, but I never saw anything like this flying. Per usual Joe- it rocks.
Damn Joe. Only you. Only you!
Very inspirational, Fine work. Keep on rigging!
I always love your work! You do such a great job of simplifying all the elements down to just what is needed. And as always the final product is wonderful. I would have found myself with a 5 ton grip truck, 3 assistants, wordrobe and a hair and make up artist. I’ve learned alot from you.
Beautiful shot. Thanks for share the tip.
Wunderbar like always!