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PaddockTalk Photographer & Photo Editor Iain Shankland Picks His 2007 Fab Photos

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 05:56:10 -0600

Text & Images by Iain Shankland

2007 was a little different for me – while I didn’t have the opportunity to visit any fly-away race destinations I did have the opportunity to visit two tracks I’d never been to before. Due to our schedule in ‘07 we were only able to attend three races– but each of them was memorable in their own right.

My first race of the season was at Mont Tremblant in Quebec. It’s a track I’ve always wanted to visit, but until 2007 there’d never been a real nagging reason to go - Thank you Champ Car! Switching venues from Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal to beautiful Mont Tremblant was a huge selling feature for me. While I’ve always like the Montreal race, I’d been there a few times and was ready for a change of scenery – and what a change!

If you’ve never been to the Laurentian Mountains then you owe it to yourself to make the trip. The track is beautifully laid out with plenty of elevation changes and the mountains surrounding you. The whole area is beautiful and the people in the area are very nice and accommodating.

When I was sifting through my pictures for the Fab Photos, I was surprised how many from Mont Tremblant were my favourites. Much has to do with the track layout – there really is no bad vantage points – and there are so many positions you don’t traditionally get to shoot from. Case in point:

Normally I don’t bother to shoot the rear of the cars because it’s not that interesting. But this shot of the Champ Car race was special. From my position I could see the starting lights, the flag stand and most of the competitors. As I watched the lights go on one-by-one the tension increased around me. The cars’ engines revved for the start and as soon as the lights went out I fired off a couple of shots. I love this picture because the cars haven’t even moved yet but the lights are out and the heat from the engines distorts a lot of the picture.

PaddockTalk Photographer Tom Link Picks His 2007 Fab Photos

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 07:33:17 -0600

Words & Images By Tom Link

Here are the five I chose. No Pulitzer winners, but here they are....

The first one is of Dario's final lap pass of Dixon at Chicagoland. I knew that I wanted to get this shot and put myself in position to get it. I didn't think that Dario was going to be able to overtake, but when Dixon went low on fuel, Dario was able to make the pass.

When it first happened, I thought that Dario pulled some extra horsepower out of his rear end like Sam Hornish Jr did on Marco Andretti on the last lap at Indy in 2006. Dario wins the 2007 championship with this pass and it was an exciting conclusion to his great season.

The second pic is Dario in the pits. I think the pit shots can be cool because of the coordination of all of the crew and the efforts of the entire team to give their driver a chance to win. Many times, it is hard to get into a good position to get a good shot in the pits due to pit rules and all of the people in the way. This picture is also from Chicagoland.

PaddockTalk Writer/Photographer Sam Tickell Picks His 2007 Fab Photos

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 05:40:01 -0600

Words & Images by Sam Tickell

My top five from 2007…I only did one event (Sandown GT Classic) with PaddockTalk photography for 2007 to run alongside the journalistic duties I have with the site. But that doesn’t make choosing just five any easier.

But here they are - in reverse order …

PaddockTalk Photographer Grant Dawson Picks His 2007 Fab Photos

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 05:13:48 -0600

Text & Images by Grant Dawson

Here is Paul Tracy going through the first turn on the Gold Coast. I like this picture for 2 reasons:

1. It's Paul Tracy and 2. I think it shows a bit of speed, not just a still frame.

PaddockTalk Photographer Beccie Reynolds Picks Her 2007 Fab Photos

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 09:02:35 -0600

Text & Images by Beccie Reynolds

Champ Car on the Gold Coast is the only race I covered for Paddocktalk.com for 2007. It is a fantastic event , as its not just about the cars and the racing. There is an incredible atmosphere that is almost impossible to capture in a photograph.

PaddockTalk Photographer Dan Helrigel Picks His 2007 Fab Photos

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 09:00:52 -0600

Text & Images by Dan Helrigel

PaddockTalk photographer Dan Helrigel share his favourite pictures of 2007 with us. Take it away Dan….
I chose the Foyt shot because I really like that glint of sunlight barely striking his eye. It really lights up the color of his iris. I also like the hand gesture and inclusion of his name decal. It's a nice tight composition but it's the sunlit eye that gets me on this one.

PaddockTalk Photographer Gail Shankland Picks Her 2007 Fab Photos

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 19:19:27 -0600

Text & Image By Gail Shankland

Despite the many distractions that presented themselves in 2007 we still managed to hit a few races in 2007. And, even though I didn’t have a real favourite to focus on at the track (we missed you Andreas) I surprisingly managed to unearth a few shots from the season that warrant special mention – at least in my opinion.

PaddockTalk Photographer Paul Hurley Picks His 2007 Fab Photos

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 19:43:09 -0600

Text & Images by Paul Hurley

It is really hard for me to pic 5 from the whole year, there are many, many more that could have made it.

Anyway, there they are…..

Marco Andretti's crash at Indy. This crash was an end to a wild, wet day. I caught the end of the crash, but the effect of his car in the muddy grass kind of summed up the day. I had just gone up to 1600 ISO, and taken off my converter. It was getting really dark!! Within 5 minutes of this shot, it was pouring down rain.

PaddockTalk Photographers Pick Their 2007 Fab Photos

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 19:24:30 -0600

By Iain Shankland – PaddockTalk Photo Editor

It’s that time of year again here at PaddockTalk when I put the call out to our faithful team of photographers to choose their favourite pictures from last year. Over the next couple of weeks we’ll be posting those spectacular shots right here on PaddockTalk and PTalkPhoto.com – so check back often!

Sometimes it’s easy to for a photographer to choose, other times it’s a much more laborious job to whittle your favorites down to a manageable count. Even though I take thousands of pictures over the course of a race weekend, there are generally only a dozen or so over the course of a season that really grab me and stand out from the rest. In many cases our photographers choose pictures that may puzzle onlookers, but there’s usually a story behind them, and that’s what makes the Fab Photo Feature so special. No other website or magazine that I know of, allows – no encourages – their photographers to participate and share the stories behind their snaps.

PaddockTalk Photographer Paul Hurley Gets Behind The Wheel Of An IndyCar

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 17:49:05 -0500

Text: Paul Hurley / Images: Lisa Hurley

Veteran PaddockTalk photographer Paul Hurley got to experience a thrill most of us can only dream about – DRIVING an IndyCar at Indianapolis Speedway. Paul gave us a little insight into his thrilling experience…..

PaddockTalk photographer Paul Hurley suits up!

Champ Car F1X2 Two-Seater … Thrill of a Lifetime!

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 20:38:53 -0500

(Including Exclusive Interviews with Kevin Kalkhoven, Paul Stoddart, Zsolt Baumgartner, Patrick Friesacher and Claire Bourdais) - By Gail Shankland

The Champ Car F1X2 program was in top gear at Mont-Tremblant.
Credit: PaddockTalk/Gail Shankland

Ride of a lifetime … we’ve heard that expression used before with previous generations of Champ Car and Indy Car two-seaters, and to me it always sounded so cliché – so when I was asked to help promote the Champ Car F1X2 (F1 times 2) two-seater program I promised myself that I would find a more apt description for the experience. Unfortunately I have to admit that there really is no better way to sum it up … it is a thrill of a lifetime … every race junkie’s dream … something you’ll never forget.

PaddockTalk Fab Photos of the Year

Sat, 24 Mar 2007 10:13:45 -0500

By Iain Shankland, Photo Editor

With the 2006 racing season nothing more than a memory and the '07 season soon to begin, what better time could there be for a little flash back! To whet everyone's appetite for the year ahead, and to review some of the fond memories of last season we have compiled our second annual edition of Fab Photos from PaddockTalk’s photography team.

Fab Photos: Champ Car Grand Prix of Montreal "Ambiance & Rain"

Sat, 03 Feb 2007 07:13:23 -0600

Champ Car driver Paul 'The Terror' Tracy couldn't scare the rain away, but he can always make us laugh!
Credit: Gail Shankland

The Champ Car Atlantic race and Champ Car World Series races in Montreal have been postponed. They will resume tomorrw.

Champ Car Atlantics at 8:15am EST
Champ Car World Series at at 10:00 am EST

More information on the Champ Car postponement

PHOTOS Exclusive: Heidfeld Flip in Turn One at USGP, McLarens Out - Part II

Sat, 03 Feb 2007 07:09:41 -0600

Photos by Paul Hurley

Juan Pablo Montoya tips team-mate Kimi Raikkenen into a spin that starts a chain-reaction accident. Raikkenen slides into Jenson Button, who spins and clips Nick Heidfeld. The German is launched into a spectacular series of five barrel rolls.

PaddockTalk Photo Exclusive: Heidfeld Flip in Turn One at USGP

Sat, 03 Feb 2007 07:05:32 -0600

Photos by Paul Hurley