Open North American Sleddog Championship, day 1

[loco-lobo]

It's that time of year again. With the start of the ONAC, you know that spring is in sight.

http://www.photozo.com/album/data/9439/MG_9358.jpg (http://www.photozo.com/album/showphoto.php?photo=165303)

http://www.photozo.com/album/data/9439/MG_9340.jpg (http://www.photozo.com/album/showphoto.php?photo=165302)

http://www.photozo.com/album/data/9439/MG_9377.jpg (http://www.photozo.com/album/showphoto.php?photo=165304)

[Jeffrey Govender]

I have no experience in this type of events, Scott, but was wondering if only the front of the pack needs to be sharp or will the shot be better if the front to back sharp. IMO, the greater the dof, the better the shot will look and it will also be more appealing. Fom a creative point of view, the selective focus will work, but itseems this is more of photojournalism, so it should be more of a record shot, meaning all of the subject in sharp focus.

[Skippy]

Somehow that yellow dog in the first one just grabs your attention. He seems to be looking right at you.
The tongue on the lead dog in the second one seems to be just a tad longer than everybody else's. :-)

Are you going to do anymore races?


It's that time of year again. With the start of the ONAC, you know that spring is in sight.

Just finished keeping track of the Iditarod so I know spring is just around the corner. We had temps in the 60's this past week and it is making for a short maple syrup season.

Skippy

[Cadwell]

I have no experience in this type of events, Scott, but was wondering if only the front of the pack needs to be sharp or will the shot be better if the front to back sharp. IMO, the greater the dof, the better the shot will look and it will also be more appealing. Fom a creative point of view, the selective focus will work, but itseems this is more of photojournalism, so it should be more of a record shot, meaning all of the subject in sharp focus.

From the EXIF of shot 1

# Exposure Time (1 / Shutter Speed) = 1/1000 second ===> 0.001 second
# Lens F-Number / F-Stop = 11/1 ===> ƒ/11
# Exposure Program = aperture priority (3)
# ISO Speed Ratings = 640

Shutter speed needs to be at around 1/1000th to kill subject motion blur and with the aperture already at f/11 and ISO at 640 I suspect there's not a lot more depth of field to be had.

[loco-lobo]

I'd love to have the entire team in focus, but it just isn't possible without using a wide lens. I used the 100-400L for these. It goes to f32 (if memory serves), but even that f stop wouldn't be enough - each two dog section is eight feet, and most of these mushers were running 16 to 18 dogs (7 or 8 sections since the leaders are just tacked onto the front end of the first section), making the length of team around 60 feet. With the musher another 8 feet or so behind the wheel dogs. I've gotten the whole team sharp using the 17-40L at about 22mm standing about two feet from the trail as they go by:
http://www.photozo.com/album/data/9439/MG_5944-Edit.jpg (http://www.photozo.com/album/showphoto.php?photo=161401)

Skippy - no, no more races for me this season. It's been in the mid-to-upper thirties above zero the last couple of weeks, and I'm winding things down. We didn't have much snow this year (it's been about 30-40% of normal), so there's hardly anything left at this point. I'm planning on doing the Serum Run again next year. It's an expedition style 19 day trip from Nenana to Nome, just under 800 miles. Great fun. :)
Cheers!

[MIKEZILLA]

i like the dof as it is. i think #2 is very nice, that composition works very well.

[Jeffrey Govender]

Glennand Scott, I agree F11 was used, but at 300mm, DOF is very limited at this focal length. On a sports field, you can capture a runner/batsman/soccer player, etc, and have him or her isolated from the field, and it will work out fine, but for this sport, a long tele with the front to back of the pack in the shot to me does not work. As I said earlier, creatively, it will work, but not for a record shot.

The wideangle shot looks better to record the shot.

[Griswold]

The are some of the biggest dog radiators I have ever seen.

[Skippy]

It's hard to believe you have to up the ISO with all that sun. Love the last shot. The way the lead dog seems to be flying thru the air.

Disney didn't have it quite right then. Balto was suppose to have done the whole race. :-) And for some strange reason, I have thought for a long time that the Iditarod was remember the serum being brought to Nome.

Skippy

[loco-lobo]

Disney didn't have it quite right then. Balto was suppose to have done the whole race. :-) And for some strange reason, I have thought for a long time that the Iditarod was remember the serum being brought to Nome.

Skippy

Why it has to be true - sez so right here... they at least pay it lip service and mention the actual serum relay, but the trail the race follows and the actual trail used don't intersect until Ruby, almost halfway through the race.
Traveling on the actual trail is pretty humbling, especially when you consider it was 50 to 60 below...
You can still see the old telegraph line that ran from Nome to Eagle along portions of the trail. Very cool.
Cheers!

[arezai85]

I can't say something seems others said everything. Nice shots.

Ali

[loco-lobo]

Thanks, Ali!
Cheers!

[belongus3]

Real cool the 1st pic.It almost looks like he's looking straith at you :)...Long tongues to :) What's the prize for the race?

[loco-lobo]

Real cool the 1st pic.It almost looks like he's looking straith at you :)...Long tongues to :) What's the prize for the race?

Thanks, Belongus! I'm not sure what the purse is - it used to be around $30,000 total, with the overall winner taking home maybe $5,000.
Cheers!