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Last weekend I went out for a day to Kingdon Drags at the Kingdon Airpark near Lodi, California. A few friends were racing there and invited me over to hang out and enjoy the show. Of course, I had to bring my camera to document the event. I was always fascinated with cars since I was little. However, never been to a drag race before. Been once to a NASCAR race in Homestead, Florida.
But the Kingdon Drags were different. It is more like a big party. People set up there trailers and camp at the strip, BBQ and just have fun. The best part is that the pits are all along the strip and you can just walk along and look at all the cars and talk to the drivers and teams. Most of them are just ordinary people who do it for fun. It is like one big family. Everyone is super open and welcoming.
The entrace fee was $20 and included parking as well. A very reasonable price overall.
Photographing the Race
As it was the first time at a drag race, I had no experience what even to expect at the race and no idea how to photograph it. I wasn’t sure how much barriers would be put up to protect spectators along the race track. Luckily they only put up concrete blocks along the drag strip, if someone looses control they are not crashing into the pits and people lined up left and right of the track. One car almost crashed into the blocks as the driver was about to loose control of the vehicle but was able to get the vehicle back under control.
That made it easier as I didn’t have to worry about shooting through a fence or finding a good vantage point. As time went on, I ventured closer towards the tracks and next to the concrete blocks to get a better view. Otherwise, some of the cars on the closer lane are half-way covered by the blocks.
Of course panning while the cars shoot by the track is the way to go to show the speed by including motion blur. These kind of photos are just more appealing to me as it shows the movement in a picture rather than freezing everything in place. Could be the car just parked on the track.
As the cars were so fast a shutter speed of 1/250th of a second was enough to get a good photo with motion blur.
Of course while the cars sat at the start line a fast shutter speed made it easier to get sharp photos. There was no motion to blur.
My favorite photo was when I captured “Yosemite Sam” lifting of its front wheels of the ground. This shows how much power these cars have.
Gallery
See all the photos of this event in the gallery below.
Conclusion
The best part about this race was, that you could see all kinds of cars race. Everything from a street-legal SUV or Pickup Truck all the way to a jet-engine powered race car and everything inbetween.
I will come back to this event and photograph more of the racers. It was a lot of fun and I liked the family-like atmosphere. If you want to learn more about Kingdon Drags check out the website for upcoming events and information.
Peter is an award-winning photographer who travels all over the world to capture the beauty of our planet as well as the achievements of humanity. Follow Peter on his travel blog Gate to Adventures for more amazing places to go and explore.
