D850 Test - in November

With the battery charged, the menu set up and a sunny November day in the 70s, time to take the the D850 out for a test drive.  I couldn't too far away from the house, due to the paying job, but the park a few miles away was in bounds.

I saw these two bikes leaning against a tree.  The riders were off walking around.  And they returned while I was taking the photos.  They were so nice, they asked if the bikes were in the way of something.  There is hope for the world.  Any way, what I saw here was the green on the smaller bike.  That is what doesn't belong.  Just great.

Two Bikes Against a Tree

NIKON D850 Ver.1.11/NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED

75 mm, 1/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO 500 (Auto)

EV 0.00, MANUAL Mode

And the first field test with the new lens.  At f/2.8 - pure awesome.  Super sharp against the tree.

And at the park, the BMXers couldn't stay home on such a nice day.  I like the split of focus on this, there is real distance.  Could be the BMX winner for the year.

Head On

NIKON D850 Ver.1.11/NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED

200 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/3.5, ISO 100 (Auto)

EV 0.00, MANUAL Mode

Can't wait for the airplanes!

NIKON had a sale - and other thoughts

It was bound to happen.  End of the year and all.  And, in a few months the D850 will not be a current model.  Perfect storm.

The D780 experiment is over.  It was a good camera.  If it is your first trip into the Nikon world, if it fit your budget and you wanted to stay DSLR, I'd say go for it.  It is sort of a mirrorless hybrid, with a F mount.  But it didn't fit my hands right.  And for some reason, the Nikon engineers changed some of the buttons around.  I missed a few shots trying to get the BBF going only to hit the Live View.  And there was no battery grip, now or planned.  I won't feel bad if those aren't good reasons to switch to a D850.  I posted a review of the D780 a few months ago with my reasons, and someone didn't like it.  Ha.

I've had target lock on the D850 for a few years.  I thought it would be replaced earlier this year, which would have put the end of model line sales late last year.  And Nikon pushed it a year.  Then the D780 was announced and I got a case of GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome).  Anyway the D850 and the D500 share a lot of the same technology and body layout.  The menus are almost identical.  Batteries, data cards and data cables are all the same.  And it has a battery grip.  And it fits in my hands.

I also filled out my last entry on the lens wish list.  The second lens in the f/2.8 trinity, the AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR.  The kit for the foreseeable future is complete.  Support trinkets, not included.

Now all I need is for the photo season to open up.  C'mon Covid vaccine, daddy needs to do some shooting.  My screen savers are getting stale.

And in other Nikon news.  In a way, this illustrates what is important in life.  To me.  In my youth, I followed news of cars.  What was the next model out?  What is next on my radar.  That wasn't totally consuming - but of interest.  Now, I somewhat follow Nikon.  I can predict sales and the best times to buy the next piece of the kit.  My advice to anyone thinking of getting into photography falls into three items.  First, glass is everything.  It's OK to get started with a kit lens but once the decision is made to seriously get into the hobby/business, get the best glass you can.  Next, do your research into the company you choose.  Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fuji all are great outfits.  Once you choose one, changing mid-stream is costly.  And these days, the technology is changing.  Fast.  Which comes to the last decision, DSLR or mirror-less.  DSLRs are not dead yet, but it will be sooner rather than later.  Which segues back to the Nikon news.  Nikon is nowhere near the lead of the pack for mirrorless, in sales or perception.  They could get a most improved over the last 12 or 18 months, but that is because they are so far behind.  At least two generations.  Can they make up the difference?  Probably.  But I'd still choose Nikon glass.  Nikon glass is second to no one.  I read where Nikon is moving development more toward mirrorless and the more advanced DSLRs.  The phone cameras are crushing the lower end cameras.  That is not news.  And if you look at what Nikon is launching new, it is all mirrorless.  The hobby/business is changing.  I've got too much invested in the DSLRs to change.  If I was ten years younger and had the income to support the move, I'd look a lot harder at mirrorless.

The successor to the D850 must have been in works for a few years.  Can't pull out.  My guess is it won't be much better, statistics-wise, and may not be worth the upgrade.  And may be the end of the line for the DSLR.  The next model may be a combo of the D850 and the D6 class for the super pro.  Not me.

FRED 52

 These Covid times are interesting to be sure.  While 'stuck at home', the mind often drifts.  What to do next?
I thought of getting a drone pilot license.  I did a lot of research on the web.  I signed up for a drone pilot course and complete the classes.  It is a lot like a fixed wing pilot ground school.  While in the class, I found a lot of interesting web sites that would be of use to pilots.  Lots of weather information and flight planning resources.
One of the sites I found tracks aircraft in flight.  There are a lot of these sites around, nothing special.  But I did start watching.  And watching.  And watching.
Watching today - found what I was looking for.  A C5 in flight.  It is the small things that make me happy.

Fred 52.  Just awesome.  After a little research, cuz most C5 missions are not top secret, I found the flight started at Travis (KSUU) at 11:00 AM Pacific time.  Must be nice to fly from the west coast, I don't remember too many daylight flights.  Different time, different coast.  So I was loosely following this flight before I realized - it's going to overfly mid-Michigan.  Seriously, what are the chances.

When the flight showed it was over Flint, I grabbed the camera.  I went to the driveway and looked to the west.  Big white contrails, coming just south of me.  Less than a mile.

There it is.  87-0034.  This is at FL 39.0.  Travis to Westover.  If it wasn't empty, it was close to it.  Probably taking on cargo at Westover, then heading east.  Memories.
Nice breakup for the day.  Wonder if I can get the Dragon Lady at ...  Probably easier to get the space station.

P-51 Old Crow (R/C) - But sounds the same

So getting in the R/C world a bit, one of the aircraft flying around was a P51 replica of the Old Crow.  The Old Crow, named after the popular Whiskey, flew 116 missions in WWII without being hit, or suffering a mechanical issue.  And is credited with 16 aerial victories.  Triple ace stuff for pilot 'Bud' Anderson.  You make your own luck.
I've seen P-51s on the Air Show circuit with the Old Crow paint job.  There is a P-51B and a P-51D listed as still flying.  The paint job is simple, but iconic.
Back to the R/C world.  The one flying at the field on Saturday was fun to watch.  The pilot was good, smooth.  Air Show smooth.  And yet, there was something different about this aircraft.  It was electric.  Not that being electric make it different.  But it sounded different.  Found out by talking to some of the people there that some model aircraft have sound systems.  That's friggin' awesome!  I need to get out more.
So the aircraft would fly near me - and it was like you could hear the props cutting the air.  Very cool.
So how does that work?  I went to my friend, Google, and discovered a model that boasts a two speaker system.  Says it will product high decibel Merlin sound.  Who am I to argue?  Ruined me for other electric aircraft.  Ha.
One of the other things I found out, and not sure why but I had more in focus shots of this aircraft.  Sure, the is plenty of contrast against the sky, but I tend to think the flight pattern was nice and smooth.  Or I took more shots for some reason.  
This shot is just after breaking the ground, and a real nose up moment.  It is controlled.  The fun part is that both speakers are visible.  Both are on the bottom of the aircraft, just under the engine compartment and in the air scoop.

Old Crow - Nose Up

NIKON D500 Ver.1.20 /NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR

750 mm, 1/1,600 sec, f/5.6, ISO 450 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

The rest of these shots were just interesting to me and the focus was really on.

Old Crow - Ascent

NIKON D500 Ver.1.20 /NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR

615 mm, 1/1,000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 125 (AUTO)

EV -0.67, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

This shot reminds me of a very blue sky in Reno.  This was really far out distance-wise.  It is a lot easier to crop when the subject is in tight focus.  Looks like it is PhotoShopped.  It's not.

Old Crow - Blue Sky Decent

NIKON D500 Ver.1.20 /NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR

750 mm, 1/1,600 sec, f/5.6, ISO 110 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

This shot is far out as well, just a bit lower against the trees.  Just looks nice.

Old Crow - Decent

NIKON D500 Ver.1.20 /NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR

750 mm, 1/1,000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100 (AUTO)

EV -0.33, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

Taking photos of these objects in flight ain't easy.  Small, fast.  A lot of times hard to get in the view finder.  Really happy when it comes together.

It's not lost on me.....

 I shouldn't be here today.  Not like I should be dead or something like that, but I shouldn't be here.  I should be in Reno.  This is the week of the National Air Races.  I've been there the last two years.  I'm not depressed (much) about this.  The Air Races are like the perfect storm of enjoyment for me.  Aviation people, good friends, adopted family and aviation.  Four days of no politics, no local news, just aviation.  Yet, here I am.  Working for the paying job.  Not complaining, just wondering how the alternative universe with no Covid, Kurt is enjoying the show?
So how did I spend the past few days?  The paying job for sure, but I was able to get a few hours for myself on Saturday.  So I went to a new location to get that aviation feeling going.
Last weekend I met people from different R/C aircraft clubs, one of them from the Pontiac Miniature Air Club.  They held an event yesterday that included all their Covid/weather cancelled events into the last big bash.  Perfect weather.  Has my name written all over it.
To be sure, the big hook for me was the warbirds aircraft angle.  Anything in memorial to the Races.
There were 30-40 aircraft at the R/C event.  Maybe slightly over half were warbirds.  Fun to watch.
Some of the pilots were very good a air show flight patterns.  Very smooth transitions.  Most of the powerplants were electric.  Yea, I'm a bigger fan of the gas engine but I understand the benefits of the electric.  If they could just put the noise and exhaust in an aerosol can - I'd buy a case at a time.
Back to Saturday.  And thoughts of Reno.  And races, not military birds.
One of the race classes this year is the STOL (Short Take Off and Landing).  In 2019, the races had a demo of this class, and for as slow as it was there was some excitement.  But with the introduction of that class, the statement that event the slowest class at Reno is faster than anything at Daytona died.  I was looking forward to watching this year.  I have a previous post on STOL racing here.
One of the more interesting R/C aircraft was a STOL design.  Gas powered.  And Smoke.  I'm in!

STOL - Blowin' Smoke

NIKON D500 Ver.1.20/200.0-500.0 mm f/5.6

750 mm, 1/1,000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100 (AUTO)

EV -0.33, MANUAL Mode, Size: DX

This aircraft put on quite a flight.  Not very STOL like in that these are functional aircraft, not show craft.  Anyway was a lot of fun to watch.  That approach and landing were very STOL like, in that is was steep and short.

STOL - Landing Flare

NIKON D500 Ver.1.20/200.0-500.0 mm f/5.6

465 mm, 1/1,000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 220 (AUTO)

EV -0.33, MANUAL Mode, Size: DX

And the short landing.

STOL - Landing

NIKON D500 Ver.1.20/200.0-500.0 mm f/5.6

750 mm, 1/1,000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 140 (AUTO)

EV -0.33, MANUAL Mode, Size: DX

With any luck, I'll see the real thing next year.

R/C Aircraft - What could possibly go wrong?

 I'm not a fan of publishing anyone's not so perfect moments.  Not even for the sake of storytelling.  But in this case.....
In cruising some of the R/C community websites, the uncontrolled portion of flight transition between ground and air often has its own page to honor the event.  I think it might be a right of passage maybe?
These are to honor the events.  No one was hurt.  All of these aircraft, except one, flew later in the day.  And the one that didn't, I'll bet flew the next day.  Or could have.  I did not hear one foul word.  Didn't see any tears.  What fun.
The biggest surprise I found, photography wise, was getting something in the photo to give scale and reference.  This is the first is a sequence of three where the aircraft eventually is half under water.  It didn't end well.  But I like the positioning with the person.  You can still tell, there will be no miracle pull out.

Crash - Going In

NIKON D500 Ver.1.20/200.0-500.0 mm f/5.6

750 mm, 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 110 (AUTO)

EV -0.67, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

A lot of the aircraft are not as I would remember.  I expected gas engines on all, hours of build wood frames.  Times change.  Engines changed from gas to electric.  Building materials went from wood to plastics. 
I didn't witness this next scene.  I was late.  Is the right side up aircraft just to the scene early?  Coincidence.  Maybe so, but I didn't see any pit fights.

Crash - One Flipped

NIKON D500 Ver.1.20/200.0-500.0 mm f/5.6

750 mm, 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 220 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

This next aircraft is more of a flying boat.  No pontoons or low hung engines.  This one had a gas engine.  This was actually more of a successful landing, but unsuccessful high speed taxi.  Looks like bad timing between a turn to the right, a breeze from the left and some chop.  Result, a buried nose.

Crash - Hard Right

NIKON D500 Ver.1.20/200.0-500.0 mm f/5.6

330 mm, 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100 (AUTO)

EV -0.67, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

This was a take off that didn't succeed.  A lot more violent water action with the increased speed and higher prop rotation.

Crash on Take Off

NIKON D500 Ver.1.20/200.0-500.0 mm f/5.6

330 mm, 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100 (AUTO)

EV -0.67, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

Again, no aircraft was really hurt, every pilot walked away with a story.  And a photo.

Seven Lakes Park Sandhill Cranes

 I often see Sandhill Cranes when I go to the Refuge.  Not all the time - but a lot of the time.  I don't know a lot about them, other than they can be LOUD.  With a nasal call that came out of Jurassic Park casting.  
I found myself at the Seven Lakes Park in Holly, and this was not expected.  
I need to get out more.  I was focused of the subject of my afternoon, and almost missed this opportunity.
There was/is a pair of Cranes that occupied the part of the park where I was.  They were always within sight, clearly not too afraid of other bi-peds.

After a while, I could hear the airborne announcement of incoming Cranes.  From this I could tell who was squawking.

These birds were not more than 30 feet above me, and when that happens you are just keeping your finger close to t \he shutter release and hoping for the best.  Hope you have a good AF lock - and you won't miss the shot.

And in the spirit of I wish, I wish this was head on.  But it isn't.  The bent wing span doesn't have any angles.  Almost stealth in design.

I also have a few shots of an Osprey that wandered around.  I hadn't seen one in the Refuge all year.  And there were at least two in this park.  They didn't come as close to the area where I was, just an overflight.

de Havilland Canada Beaver - R/C Style

 In going to an event where there are many subjects, where people have put time, effort and $$$s into their hobby, I really don't like saying - This is my favorite.  First, I was there for only one day, and an expert that does not make me.  And if I get to another event, I don't want to be looking over my shoulder for a loose D cell coming my way.
This is what I will say after two days at the event, anything with a gas engine will get my attention.  The noise, the smell and the pit crew.  Next, colors.  Seems I gravitate to yellows in either primary or accent.  Next, size.  Bigger is better.  If not trying for speed, slower is better for me.  Like in Reno and the T-6 class, bigger, slower and I have a good idea where it will be second to second.
Taking photos of aircraft in straight and level flight is fun, but doesn't translate well for my purposes.  There needs to be something else for the keeper shot.  I threw away a lot of technically good photos from the last two days.  Obviously anything with water was a keeper, and if I could get some reference from a water line and trees, that was a keeper.  And in a serendipitous  surprise, an odd placed person seems to bring the story home.
On Thursday, with heavy overcast skies, this de Havilland Canada Beaver caught my attention.  First, it was one of the more colorful aircraft in flight for the day.  Great contrast against a dull sky, the AF locked right on.

de Havilland Canada Beaver - Static

NIKON D780 Ver.01.01/VR 24-70mm f/2.8

42 mm, 1/400 sec, f/5.6, ISO 320 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size: 16:9

One thing I found out is that the prop blur is almost impossible (after two days of information gathering) to get right.  The electric motors when slowing down for decent look like they quit rotating.  Hey, it's electric.  In full power for take off, it is how I like to see it.  This has just a smidgen of blur.

de Havilland Canada Beaver Decending

NIKON D500 Ver.1.20/200.0-500.0 mm f/5.6

750mm, 1/2000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 2000 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size: DX

Although I won't say which is a favorite airplane, I will say what is one of my five top shots for the day.  This is one of them.  I like the landing shots.  Water everywhere.  The trick is catching the right moment.  Event at 7 FPS, it doesn't always work.  This comes as close as I got for the day - nailed it.

de Havilland Canada Beaver Controlled Splash

NIKON D500 Ver.1.20/200.0-500.0 mm f/5.6

750mm, 1/2000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1100 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size: DX

Again, a CP would help.  I will be looking for one today.  Amazon will probably make another sale today.  The monster lens has a 95mm size, the filters are few and far between.  The fun of the hunt.

Skymasters of Michigan Fly In - 2020

 Another new subject, Remote Control Aircraft.  I've been waiting for this day for a few weeks.  Aircraft.  Finally.
R/C Aircraft on the water.  What could go wrong?  Actually nothing.  The day was fairly gray and a pretty good breeze across the water.
All went well for the aircraft, but all sots of issues for the photographer.  I took 315 shots for the day.  I kept just under 100.  Sure, there were some close duplicates that were nixed, but there were also metering issues.  The flat sky was an issue, and the water at certain angles was no better.  A CP would help with the water shots, but I don't have one for that lens.  (Note to self, get one!)  There was a backdrop of trees across the pond that helped the metering and produced some nice shots.
The first good sized aircraft I saw was this nice big yellow target.  Perfect for my first photos.  Nice contrast for the auto focus.  I would expect it wouldn't go streaking across the sky with any big jerky movements.  Something even I can track.
There were a few things I took from the event today.  First, it doesn't matter the aircraft event, engine exhaust is like perfume to me.  Different from AV-Gas to be sure, but the smell of a hard working engine.  I was also a blast to the past to try to find aircraft in the view finder.  Not always easy.  And once it is in the view finder, try to get a AF lock on the subject.  I will probably change the AF for tomorrow to be larger so a lock will be kept longer.  And the ultimate blast from the past, get the right speed for some form of prop blur.  Ah, the good ol' days.
For once, I figured out the camera lens combo correctly.  I had the monster lens on the D500 so I could get out to 750 mm for the air shots.  And I had the 24-40 f/2.8 on the D780 for walk around.
Like a lot of my mistakes, this is a doozy.  I had no idea when I shot this that the man in blue was there.  But this really works.  Tells the story of the day.  Gives reference.  Shot should be on a flyer somewhere.

Yellow Taxi Out

NIKON D500 Ver.1.20/200.0-500.0 mm f/5.6

315 mm, 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 250 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

One of the themes I was trying to catch was the interaction of the water.  Either taxiing, T/O or landing.  A wing tip in the water might be interesting as well.  There were some close ones, but nothing that needed rescue.
So we have the taxi water interaction.  There's a lot going on here.  You have mist behind the propeller, you have large water droplets and water displacement from the pontoons.  And a wake.

Yellow Water Taxi

NIKON D500 Ver.1.20/200.0-500.0 mm f/5.6

675 mm, 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 220 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

This next shot was complete surprise.  Water interaction I didn't expect.  Water in flight.  Yep, you can see the water dropping from the pontoons.  Awesome.  Care to guess the wind direction?

Yellow Climb Out

NIKON D500 Ver.1.20/200.0-500.0 mm f/5.6

675 mm, 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 220 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

And more water action.  The taxi in.  Call me old, but this action looks like movies made in the 50's with battle ships.  Or Godzilla.

Yellow Taxi In

NIKON D500 Ver.1.20/200.0-500.0 mm f/5.6

555 mm, 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 250 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

There were other good shots from today.  Some will make it here.  But I did learn a few things.  I have a lot of shots at 1/2000th second with a slight amount of prop blur.  These shots at 1/1000th second are good overall focus and I was able to catch the plane with good focus.  I did use VR on these shots.  Maybe not necessary.
Tomorrow promises to be a better day, at least weather wise.  Maybe a little more sun.  Winds under 10.
Things to think about.  I had been using center weighted metering for today.  I think I will try matrix metering tomorrow.  Some of my shots were darker than I would like.  With the aircraft being all different colors, I think I need more of an average setting.  And I'm going with 1/1000th or 1/1250th for the shutter speed.  

If I can remember.

Labor Day - 2020 (Covid Style)

This was my last totally free weekend for a while, through the end of October.  Seven to eight weeks.  And end of October is if everything goes well.  Pays the bills.  And funds the hobby.
Non-photography related weekend stuff, put some miles on the truck.  My destination on Saturday was packed with tourists.  I think it was great.  Probably a bad year overall for the tourist industry, but good to see people out and about.  But I was not to be part of it, too many people for me.  No photos or souvenirs on that trip.
Sunday was off to the BMX track for the afternoon.
So this year it has come down to horses and BMX as photography subjects.  And that is OK.  C and I have been safe so far.  And that is what counts.
But a close second would be to continue to grow in this hobby.  With aircraft, I have background knowledge of the subject.  I have interest angles.  With horses and bike, I have to sort of feel my way through it.  What works, and what works a bit less.
So Sunday, found myself at the BMX track.  Third time there.  I should have a much better idea of what to get accomplished.  Prior to going out this weekend, I reached out to the track operator to get permission to access the 'interior' of the track.  Permission granted.  And I met some nice people in the process.
The day started out heavily overcast, threat of rain.  At flag drop, nice and sunny with some winds.  Great day to be out.  
As to the photos, the shots taken before the race are not as bright as the race shots.  The lighting was very different. 
I found some good areas on the inside of the track.  I also found out that a lot of the shots I thought I'd like were into the sun.  So half came out really well, and the rest were into the sun.
I've landed on a minimum shutter speed of 1/1250 sec.  At this point I am OK with 'freezing' the shot.  With aircraft and props, I'd never freezing of the prop as a good photo.  With the bikes, I just don't know any better.  After this outing, I may have experiment more with speeds.

Jump Kick Out

NIKON D780 Ver.01.01/70-300mm f/4.5-5.6

85 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600 (AUTO)

EV +0.67, MANUAL Mode, Size 16:9

The ISO being that high wasn't too much of an issue.  Yea, it's visible if you look for it.  So don't look.  I did have to clean up the visible face a bit.
I did back into two sort of 'artsy' shots.  Purely mistakes, but in the end the print is all that matters.  And I like these next two shots.  
It should be noted that these were pretty tight because of my position and major cropping was not necessary.  
With this shot, there was no ISO cleanup.  I think this is 'perfectly' framed.  Some of the bike is missing, but that's OK.

One Looking

NIKON D780 Ver.01.01/70-300mm f/4.5-5.6

240 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1800 (AUTO)

EV +0.67, MANUAL Mode, Size 16:9

This is an example of the focus lock staying with the intended subject.  I locked on tot he rider when he was in the turn.  And it didn't release.  And it works.

One In Focus

NIKON D780 Ver.01.01/70-300mm f/4.5-5.6

195 mm, 1/1250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1400 (AUTO)

EV +0.67, MANUAL Mode, Size 16:9

Accidents, the only way we learn.  And, this week I'll be going to a R/C airplane event.  Time to start researching!

More BMX shots

Last few weeks for the paying job have been long.  Lots of hours.  Big project stuff.
I wanted to head south to Ann Arbor to do a horse event the weekend, but just not feeling it.  Saturday was heavy cloud cover.  Today was much better, but still not feeling it enough for an hour drive.  Each way.
So, I went to the BMX races less than 5 minutes from the house.  That I could do.
Nice day out in the sun.
Today's event was not large.  Wasn't very crowded.  But everyone has fun.
I won't get into the popular debate these days of whether or not the National Anthem should be played before events.  I'm old enough that every competitive event I've been to has always started with the National Anthem.  I'm OK with it.  That will not change, for me.
For the BMX races, the Anthem is played while racers can opt to do a lap with an American Flag.  How cool is that?  I think the younger racers really like this.
The Flag lap.

The Flag Lap

NIKON D500 Ver.1.20/24.0-70.0 mm f/2.8

75 mm, 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 180 (AUTO)

EV +0.33, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

This is the first outing with the new 27-70 on the D500.  In the end, I didn't use this combo very long.  It worked in this case because I was right along the track.  But the max reach of 100 mm doesn't work many other places.  The best combo seems to be the D780 and the 70-300.
This time out I staked out a new location.  There are three major turns in the race.  I was going to stake out the exit of the last turn.  Not always the best for sun angle.  But with today's overcast it was livable.
There is good action in this turn.  It is a good chance to get more than one rider in a shot that is not straight on.  The issue can be that since this is the third turn, the field of racers has expanded.  Like in air racing, the front end is often decided by the half way point.  But the action for other positions can be more interesting.
This is the type of shot I like, three subjects in the frame.  I like that with aircraft, I like that with cyclists.

Stars and Bars Turn

NIKON D780 Ver.01.01/70-300mm f/4.5-5.6

155 mm, 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 320 (AUTO)

EV +1.0, MANUAL Mode, Size 16:9

These two were in a higher age bracket.  It was fun to watch them through the race, thinking they might be close when they came to the last turn.  No disappointment.

Two Exiting the Turn

NIKON D780 Ver.01.01/70-300mm f/4.5-5.6

155 mm, 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 320 (AUTO)

EV +1.0, MANUAL Mode, Size 16:9

And no trip to the park is complete without some air.  And some hair.  This is from a different angle, but not bad.  Wouldn't be a bad position with the monster lens.

Air and Hair

NIKON D780 Ver.01.01/70-300mm f/4.5-5.6

300 mm, 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1000 (AUTO)

EV +1.0, MANUAL Mode, Size 16:9

Good day to be out and about.

BMX - Big Air

Back in the early 70's I had my own flirtation with big air.  And maybe a touch of big hair as well.  The big hair stories will have to wait.
First big air was on a dirt bike.  I learned that speed wasn't ans aspect to be ignored.  You had to hit the speed right for the best landing.  And you only learn this by going over the line.  Too fast and miss the landing.  Bounce would be a nice way of describing what happened next.  Aside from jumping dirt bikes, I'd also get big air on the ski slopes.  I would jump the huge mounds of snow beneath the snow makers.  Same laws of physics.  
So I have respect respect for those who go for the big air.
At the BMX track there is a path that one can choose to get what I would call big air.  Most choose go to around the area.  But for those who don't.....

Big Air - One Rider

NIKON D780 Ver.01.01/70-300mm f/4.5-5.6

140 mm, 1/1600 sec, f/6.3, ISO 280 (AUTO)

EV +1, MANUAL Mode, Size 16:9

Big Air - Two Riders

NIKON D780 Ver.01.01/70-300mm f/4.5-5.6

165 mm, 1/1600 sec, f/6.3, ISO 280 (AUTO)

EV +1, MANUAL Mode, Size 16:9

Big Air - In the Race

NIKON D780 Ver.01.01/70-300mm f/4.5-5.6

140 mm, 1/1600 sec, f/6.3, ISO 280 (AUTO)

EV +1, MANUAL Mode, Size 16:9

Richfield Park BMX

As in the 1971 Monty Python film, "And now for something completely different".
Started as kind of a crappy Saturday for me.  Lots of odd hours for the paying job last week, so I slept in a bit.  I wasn't enthused to go to the Refuge,  I missed the early morning feeding activities.  I thought of a road trip, just to get out of the house.  Too nice to stay at home all day, I left for the Refuge around 2:00.  I hadn't seen early afternoon activity there, maybe something would click.  I bundled the D500 and monster lens and headed out the door.  See the mistake yet?
When I head out of the house, I usually (99%of the time) take the back up camera with me.  It would be the D780 with something on the picture taking end.
But I didn't.  Shows the mood I was in.
As I was leaving the home area, I passed Richfield Park, home of my oft photoed local Eagle.  I've known about the BMX park there, but never seen it used.  Today was different.  The BMX park was packed and in use.  And colorful.  This could be fun.
I thought my camera selection for this type of event was bad.  It was, but it was livable for a while.  I really needed something shorter.  The 350 mm on the short end took out about half of the action.  After a few shots, back home quickly to do it right.  
I returned for the last hour or so, the finals for the day, with a much better combo.
The day was a lot of fun.  No research on what to do or what to set.  All the mistakes of the past, home to roost.
I took 388 shots between the two cameras.  Only 21 were unusable due to missed focus point or subject miss.  I'll take that every time out.
I settled on 1600th of a second and f/6.3 for the afternoon.  Nice and sunny.  ISOs went from 110 to 900 with the majority of the shots in the 200 to 400 range.  I also settled on EV +1 after a few of the first shots.  I had some slight blowouts but nothing that was terminal.  The rest of the colors played much nicer.  No big clouds moved though, so the light was very even.  There was a slight breeze on occasion, but there are no camera settings for that.
Trying to select only 4 shots for today's blog was rough.  Like the first time I get a new subject, I shoot a lot.  I am getting better in that I don't have that many duplicates.  I was set up for 7 FPS and managed only 2-3 shots per effort.  Good control for me.  No happy shutter.
There were two shots that instantly stood out for me on reviewing the day's effort.  The first shot was a total mistake for me in that it all worked.  Got the whole subject, very little cropping needed.  And in focus.  Very rare for me.  In the air, just right.

BMX - In the Air Just Right

NIKON D780 Ver.01.01/70-300mm f/4.5-5.6

300 mm, 1/1600 sec, f/6.3, ISO 500 (AUTO)

EV +1, MANUAL Mode, Size FX

At this point, not knowing any better I wasn't sure if the speed is too fast.  Wheels are frozen.  (Prop flashback)  If there was just a slight blur for motion reasons I think I'd be happier.  This is the only shot where the wheels are this visible.  Most other shots are more head on.  But for me, if I'm worried a bout a little tire blur the rest must be OK.
My second favorite shot is a bit different.  For the most part I was located at the top of a 180 degree turn.  Riders would typically come in low and drift up through the turn.  Sound like an easy shot, but I missed many.  In the space of a few seconds, you're going from max to min zoom.  Sounds easy.  But it is not.  I finally settled on just setting up for the turn shots.  And that worked.
To me, this is the best overall turn shot.  There is the elusive 'story' in those faces.

Two into the Turn

NIKON D780 Ver.01.01/70-300mm f/4.5-5.6

170 mm, 1/1600 sec, f/6.3, ISO 220 (AUTO)

EV +0.67, MANUAL Mode, Size 16:9

First, the miss.  The rider behind is the focus point, not the near rider.  That is not creative license.  If the front rider's helmet was all dark, I wouldn't notice it much.  On the good side, this has more 'subject' than most of my shots.  The faces are GREAT.  The blue sunglasses, awesome.
When the starting gate goes down and releases the riders to the coarse, between 2 and 6 riders head for the first 180 degree turn.  To get there the riders must go over three mounds.  This will separate a few of them, but sometimes you get two or three to crest the last mound at the same time, or close.  Some of the older, more advanced riders will get 'air' over this mound.  And then some just plain show off.

Air Something

NIKON D780 Ver.01.01/70-300mm f/4.5-5.6

135 mm, 1/1600 sec, f/6.3, ISO 320 (AUTO)

EV +1, MANUAL Mode, Size 16:9

Lots of color in these shots.  I'm so used to lesser options that you would find in nature.  Seeing numbers on the histogram that are new.  It's all good.
The last shot for the day is with the monster lens, and riders coming right at you from the start line.  This was interesting to me, a sense of distance.  And I needed to get something from the D500 in here.

Three at the Start

NIKON D500 Ver.1.20/200.0-500.0 mm f/5.6

465 mm, 1/1600 sec, f/6.3, ISO 220 (AUTO)

EV 0, MANUAL Mode, Size DX

Great day, lots of fun.  Chance to chat with people.  Lots of new types of shots.
There is an event next weekend.  I'll be working the paying job, but may be able to sneak out for a few hours.  Have ideas for different shots.  Looks like people can go almost anywhere to take shots.  Already thinking of what to do next.
I'll have more posts this week.