For the first time since 2000 in Sacramento, I will not be attending the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field. I still love capturing images, just a little closer to home. I hope you track and field fans enjoy these images as much as I do. Happy Birthday, Ninabear!
Gazing at her ‘Auntie Vera.’
Having fun with water, one of my favorite images.
BFF Ari.
I had a bit of a ‘vacation’ from photographing track meets this summer, due to the birth of my daughter, Nina. However, I haven’t completely put away my camera. Having a child has provided an opportunity to take photos of people who aren’t running, jumping, or throwing for competition. This set was taken a couple days before my daughter turned four months old…
Click here to view the Portrait gallery
Pondering…
Sitting up and observing the world…
We call this one Nina’s “Little Professor” pose…
Photo credit in the April 28, 2011 edition of the SRP Pulse newsletter (lower right corner of the page). Thank you!
It’s hard to beat the great weather, intimate stadiums and casual atmosphere of Cactus League Spring Training in the Valley of the Sun.
Click here to view photos from the Diamondbacks at Angels, March 6, 2011
Click here to view photos from the Rockies at Athletics, March 13, 2011
After processing hundreds of track and field images from the USA Outdoor Championships, I looked forward to experimenting with different photographic techniques while shooting the Independence Day celebration at Tempe Town Lake.
*** Click here to view photos from the 2009 4th of July celebration at Tempe Town Lake ***
The Mill Avenue Bridge and Tempe Town Lake provide a colorful backdrop for Tempe’s annual Independence Day fireworks display.
The city lights reflecting off Tempe Town Lake…
Light trail from the light rail…
The inaugural Ragnar Relay Los Angeles had its share of first year growing pains. On the day before the start, participants were informed that Leg 4 was canceled due to safety concerns, and Legs 13-18 were canceled due to permitting issues with the City of Malibu. Once the race got underway, I felt that course markings were confusing or ambiguous in some areas. The post-race setup felt rather low-key compared to the Ragnar Relay Del Sol in Arizona… no live band, and a minimal beer garden. The overall experience felt more chaotic than other road relays I’ve done.
On the other hand, it’s hard to beat running on the strand through Venice Beach at midnight. Moreover, the primary reason for running a road relay is to bond with one’s teammates. In those respects, I believe most participants had an amazing experience!
*** Click here to view photos from the 2009 Ragnar Relay Los Angeles ***
From 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM on February 27, waves of teams departed from Watson Lake Park in Prescott, AZ, as participants in the 2009 Ragnar Relay Del Sol. This year’s route meandered 202 miles from Prescott through Wickenburg, Carefree, and Fountain Hills, before finishing in Mesa Riverview Park.
*** Click here to view photos from the 2009 Ragnar Relay Del Sol ***
I recently had an opportunity to experiment with taking product photos for a friend’s Web site. We set up a makeshift tabletop studio, using household lights and ordinary materials. Taking pictures in a studio environment was an entertaining and educational change of pace. What a novel concept, capturing images of stationary subjects!
*** Click here to view Flip-Shine product photos ***
Watching the activity in a Major League Baseball bullpen is fascinating. Here are a few images from a recent Arizona Diamondbacks game…
Click here to view photos from the Arizona Diamondbacks 2007
Besides the NCAA basketball tournament, Arizona sports fans during the month of March have a chance to enjoy Cactus League baseball. As luck would have it, Arizona’s normally sunny spring weather took a vacation during my only opportunity to watch a Spring Training game this year, but the game was fun while it lasted…
Spring Training 2007 Photo Gallery
ProAutoSports’ first event of 2007 started out rainy and cold, but the sun came out and dried off the track by Friday afternoon. The MINI Cooper is an ideal car to drive on the technically demanding Firebird West track… (video by Jeff Daer)
My brother was kind enough to shoot this fun video of me and the Cooper enjoying a nice Saturday afternoon at Firebird International Raceway…
Ever wonder how a high performance street car would fare against a purpose-built top-of-the-line race car? Here’s an entertaining video demonstration, from the Fifth Gear show on British TV Channel Five…
Attending the four-day Bondurant Grand Prix Road Racing course both fulfilled a lifelong dream and let me know how much more I need to learn about driving an automobile fast for competition. We spent the first three days of the class driving the Corvette C5, and the fourth day driving a Formula Ford. I definitely need to work on my heel-toe downshifting. The class was everything I expected, and more… I had all four tires in the dirt on a couple occasions, but managed to avoid hitting anything…
My next opportunity to drive a Formula Ford will be during “Lap the Oval” day at Phoenix International Raceway, in November. It is a non-competitive event, but should be a lot of fun; I’ve attended races at PIR since grade school, and have always wanted to drive on that track…
Images from the Bondurant Grand Prix Road Racing class, Day 4.
What better way is there to watch 4th of July fireworks in Phoenix than from the roof of a high rise in the Camelback Corridor? Friends and teammates were treated to a 360 degree view of the city, and close proximity to a couple downtown Phoenix fireworks shows…
Images from the 4th of July, 2006
Our intrepid band of kart racers made it back to Bondurant for a “lapping session.” This class provided more seat time than the introductory course, and allowed some passing. The two hour session went quickly. I imagine we’ll be back for more…
Images from the lapping session
If you want to experience hair raising speed on four wheels, you must try the Bondurant Ultimate Shifter Kart Course. The shifter karts have a six speed manual transmission, and are capable of going zero to 100 mph in six seconds, and zero to 100 to zero mph in around 10 seconds.
I didn’t start feeling comfortable in the kart until the end of the three hour class. The experience of driving a shifter kart is unlike driving any street car. First, you sit a few inches off the ground, in a machine with mind-blowing acceleration ( check out the Kart vs. Corvette video on the Bondurant site). The karts do not have a clutch pedal, nor an H-pattern shifter. My left foot kept reaching for the clutch, and instead found the brakes. Unfamiliarity with the sequential gearbox would cause me to lose track of which gear I was in. Making those two blunders and then trying to find the right line into a high-speed turn is an unsettling experience, to say the least. When one finally nails a good lap, it’s quite a rush.
I can’t wait to go back for “lapping sessions…”
Jeff Nappi’s Shifter Kart Gallery, with videos!
I’ve been a motorsports fan for as long as I can remember; longer than I’ve been involved with either photography or running. For years, I was a spectator, watching races live or on TV. Then, some friends from work and I discovered indoor karting. Being a spectator is fun, but skimming along 3 inches off the ground at 45 mph is way more addictive.
So far, my racing has been limited to the two indoor tracks at F1 Race Factory in Phoenix. I can’t seem to get enough, but at the same time, look forward to going faster. So, in a couple weeks, it’s on to the shifter karts at the Bondurant Ultimate Shifter Kart Course. The shifter karts have a six speed manual transmission, and are reportedly capable of going 120 mph. I can’t wait! It should be a blast.