Brody Roa put on a Clinic at Mohave Valley Raceway
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My attempt at vlogging
Ive always wanted to vlog but I have had some difficulties in finding the time. As a photographer, my priorities is to my clients and making sure I have the photos that they asked for. Also racing is dangerous, even for us, so our heads are always on a swivel. Also have to perform client management, relationship building, and all the fun things that comes with trying to get a photo business off the ground. Its a lot of work. But after all that, I still have a desire to vlog to not only get myself some exposures, but also the drivers, series, tracks. I love racing and I want to do my best to amplify those around me and bring awareness. So I was determined to figure out a way to make this work. I was digging through my box of camera junk and I found a magnetic GoPro mount. Great I thought to myself and decided to just run with that. I do have an elastic head strap but never really liked them. I placed the magnetic mount under my shirt and no issues with the GoPro. This being my first one, of course its too long and clunky, however I have already come up some ideas to make it better. That’s the thing, you’ll get better with repetition and practice. I will have more of these coming in the future.
Blue Angels Scanner Frequencies
Air Show season is getting close. Here are the scanner frequencies for the Blue Angels.
SOLO BLUE ANGEL 237.8
DIAMOND BLUE ANG. 275.35
FAT ALBERT. 305.9
BLUE ANGELS SHOW. 284.25
BLUE ANG STARTUP. 255.2
BLUE ANG COMM. 246.5
BLUE ANG SHOW. 251.6
BLUE ANG REFUEL. 289.8
BLUE ANG GND OPS. 284.55
BLUE ANG GND. 142.6125
BLUE ANG GND. 139.8125
BLUE ANG GND. 141.5625
BLUE ANGELS UNK. 305.5
BLUE ANGELS UNK. 346.5
A Photographers Journal Podcast EP 1
There is a saying that has been drilled into the brain of every writer, “Write what you know”, I think that can apply to all forms of creativity. The best photographers I know are all SME’s or subject matter experts. When someone is passionate and knowledgeable about that subject, it shows in their work, their compositions, the story they’re trying to tell. I wanted to start a podcast series where I am talking with interesting and cool people that I have crossed paths with to learn more. I am a naturally curious person and knowing more about what I am shooting will help with my journey and growth as a creative person.
The first episode is in the book with my friend Trent Williams. I love dirt track racing, I love sprint car racing and while knew what I know, I still had some knowledge gaps. While I was in conversation with him about sprint car racing, a lot of lightbulbs popped in my head. I left that conversation inspired and I can’t wait to hit the track again in March.
The podcast is almost 2 hrs long, wasn’t expecting it to take that long, but Trent had a lot of info to flesh out. Ive watched it several times and as always there is room for improvement and I will get better each time.
So I hope you enjoy this and as always, I appreciate feedback, a like, subscribe, and please share.
Thank You
Christopher Batt
New Interview Series
In my honest opinion, I think it’s important to learn new skills. I have always wanted to learn how to interview people. It’s an important skillset to have especially as I get into more video work. I didn’t quite know where to start, but an idea popped into my head. I have been following the USAC/CRA guys and gals since March. Been having a great time networking, meeting people, and photographing them. I have noticed this series doesn’t get a ton of exposure. So I figured let’s fix that. I have been posting onboard Gopro videos on my YouTube, which are cool, but I really want to give the drivers some exposure. I figured id start a series. 3 questions. Nice short videos, have a couple of laughs, and get these names out there.
Photographing Las Vegas Video Series
As I ramp up my YouTube channel. I am starting a video series of interesting locations in and around Las Vegas that you might want to add to your shot list. I get asked a lot from people visiting town on where to shoot. There is a lot of info on the net, but some of it is old and those locations aren’t viable today. Figured id use this opportunity and make some videos.
Perris Auto Speedway On-Board
On-board for the full feature from the 51T. Again thank you to Eddie Tafoya Jr and team for letting me mount my GoPro to their car. I am just learning how to edit videos, add graphics, etc. Using race car footage is cooler to watch than me doing a talking head about cameras and photography IMHO. I had a few people reach out to me for more info on photographing a dirt race and I am currently thinking about how to go about doing that. I am currently writing out an outline. So that will happen sooner rather than later.
Perris Auto Speedway On-Board
Thank you to Eddie Tafoya Jr and team to allowing me to mount a GoPro on their car. I am planning on doing a photography vlog here soon. I am just planning out the logistics. How do I film myself while also shooting? Talking points, etc. I am getting some great footage so I am getting that boost of inspiration. I went ahead and posted a full heat race.
My first GoPro Onboard Footage
This was the most fun I have ever had in my short stint with video. Long story short, I want to start vlogging again. I have recently gotten back into motorsports and began photographing dirt track racing. It has rekindled my love for dirt track racing and gave me a massive boost in inspiration in my photography. It's so much fun to watch the races, photograph, learn new techniques, and meeting the drivers and teams. As I post my photos on Instagram, more and more drivers follow me. I posted a quick story, hey, I want to mount a GoPro to a car and catch some onboard footage. I have never done it before and want to develop a workflow. And several drivers reached out and were cool with it. While shooting at Bakersfield Speedway, I visited the pits, mounted my GoPro, and captured some great footage while in the infield shooting. It was a successful experiment except for the lens cover breaking on the protective housing. I'll be doing more of this. I uploaded the heat race in full to YouTube to checkout.
2022 NASCAR Scanner Frequencies
It's been a long time since I have been to a NASCAR race. In the last race I went to, I used a FanVision for my media and scanner, and I just found out that FanVision is no longer in business. I checked with Racing Radios, and it turns out their track scanner rentals are a Uniden Bearcat BC125AT, which I already own to monitor air traffic. I use ARC125 to program my scanner and manage my frequencies. I scoured the internet for team, track, and MRN frequencies. I did find a good source; however, I could not right-click and copy the values to paste into the app. I managed to get all four touring series, ARCA, Truck, Xfinity, and Cup, into an excel spreadsheet to make it easy to program as I can just copy and paste. The download link is below.
Growler Banking on Final to 21R at Nellis AFB. Red Flag 22-1
My Nikon Z9
Since people have asked about my Z9 while I’m out shooting or on social media, I figured I would give my initial thoughts now that I have had it for a few weeks. Do I have any buyer's remorse? Absolutely not. While the price tag was high, I think it will probably save me money during the long term, and I'll explain here shortly. 2021 was when I started going to Nellis to try aviation photography. I was a landscape, city, and architecture guy. The camera I had at the time was a D810. It was a fine camera, but it was meant to sit on a tripod and photograph still life, not for action: Low 5 fps (without the grip), small buffer, and slow autofocus. I managed to take some plane pics I was happy with, but conditions had to be correct, and I felt I was lucky more often than not. October 2021, I retired the D810 and picked up a Z7 II. While an improvement over the D810 in every aspect, again, sports/action wasn't its strong point. The Z7 II, I could shoot at nine fps, without a grip, which was better than the D810 but not great. The subject tracking only works for people, cats, and dogs. But I did manage to take some aviation photos that I was happy with. While shooting my Fuji X-T4, that camera won me over with mirrorless, my Z7 II cemented all the positives of mirrorless to me, and I can't fathom going back to a DSLR. I like night street photography, and with IBIS and OIS on the lenses, I don't need a tripod. I can go to places in the middle of the night that might be considered "sketchy," get my shot and leave—no tripod, no setup, no backpack, no extra gear, etc. I can shoot at locations where tripods and monopods aren't allowed, like antelope canyon, and get sharp images. I can work quickly and not stand out. The only time I use a tripod now is for long exposure, video, or if I want to shoot a timelapse. Soon after I bought the Z7, Nikon officially announced the Z9. When I saw the price tag, I was shocked because I was expecting a price tag that would be competitive with other pro bodies like the Sony Alpha 1, Canon 1DX Mark III, and the Nikon D6 at roughly $6500. Photography for me isn't a hobby, it's a passion, and while I make enough money on this endeavor to be self-sustaining, photography is not my primary source of income. It's hard to justify over 7 grand, with tax, on a body.
I tend to reinvest in glass. As the saying goes, "You date the body, but marry the lens." The Z9 at $5500 was a slightly easier pill to swallow, but then I started reading over the specs, and it met all the performance rumors for the type of photography I am now getting into. To help pay for the Z9, I began making plans to sell my Fuji gear. Since I got my Z7 II, I stopped shooting my X-T4. Shooting one brand is more cost-effective and overall just easier to manage. I can carry x2 bodies and x1 24-70 vs. x2 bodies and x2 24-70's. Once I got my finances figured out, I placed my preorder with my local camera store two days after the official announcement. The Z9 was delivered to my camera store in January, and I immediately rushed down to pick it up.
I have had the camera for about 3 weeks now. Red Flag at Nellis AFB is currently in progress, so it was perfect timing. For image quality, to my eye, I do not see a massive difference over the Z7 II. I am sure the pixel peepers will see something, but overall I do not. Where I see the Z9 excel is with the autofocus system. Subject tracking on the Z9 does include vehicles and does very well with military jets. Military jets are difficult compared to commercial jets and general aviation. They fly a lot faster, are smaller, and are painted for low observability. They are one color and black markings. Sure there are exceptions, with some planes having high contrast liveries, color birds, and aggressor and demonstrations teams with colorful paint. But for the most part, they are dark gray with black markings. You have the autofocus work hard trying to find a panel line, marking, or something to focus onto. With the D810 and my Z7 II, my best shots tend to happen in the middle of the day, with a nice bright sun lighting up the plane. I struggle in the early morning and late afternoon when the light is good. The Z9 generally has no problem simply because of the canopy/cockpit detection. It will initially see the airplane, and as it gets closer to me, it will find the canopy and lock on with the yellow box. If the canopy/cockpit is sharp, the rest of the plane is sharp. My keeper rate is much, much higher with the Z9. Planes that are difficult for me to shoot like Wraith are not a problem. I am not fighting the camera, and the camera isn't fighting me because it was made to handle this kind of work. Prop blur and panning shots were always a problem, but not anymore. Yes, you do need to practice and implement good shooting techniques.
F-35 Cockpit
So how is this camera going to save me money? It's going to ensure I get the shot the first time. Even in my landscape and astro work, There have been a few times I have gone out on a shoot, traveled out in the middle of nowhere, spent gas money, permits, food, spent all day and/or night, everything looks good when reviewing on the camera, come back home, and my images are slightly off. Or I missed a shot because the autofocus wasn't cooperating, and I missed an opportunity. So I had to go back and redo it. Time is money. Being able to get it right the first time is priceless to me. Gas is expensive, and my weekends are short.
As I get my Z9 setup for aviation, I'll start providing some insight on what settings work for me. I don't see any Z9 info for aviation out there yet. This camera, while not perfect, has helped me focus on what's important, and that's being creative, not trying to get my gear to work for scenarios they weren't designed for..
KC-135 Landing after Red Flag sortie
B-2 Spirit of Missouri on final to Nellis AFB, Red Flag 22-1
F-16C from the 148th FW departs Nellis to head out to the range for its FAM flight in prep for Red Flag.
Red Flag 22-1 is almost here......
Red Flag starts Monday January 24th but I did head out today, Saturday the 22nd to catch some departures for FAM flights. I took a 2 month break from photographing airplanes so I can work on some other projects, but the sound jets and the smell of jet fuel is getting me motivated. Its perfect timing because I received notification that my Z9 had shipped and its on its way to my local camera store, so I should get it before the end of Red Flag. I did upgrade my Z7 II to 1.31 and I will agree, the autofocus did improve a little bit. All cameras struggle when you have a fighter jet flying over you at 200+ mph so any improvement is welcomed.
B-2 Launch during WSINT 21b
While B-2’s do show up on occasion at Nellis Air Force Base. I have never seen one before. Photographing a black plane at night was interesting, but I did grab a quick video with my iPhone.
Website Update
Thanks to the pandemic and a busy work schedule, I have not been traveling as much as I would like. I couldn’t even come up with enough images for my 2022 calendar. 2022 is going to be my year! ha! and I have several trips planned. I also have some ideas on how I want to move forward with my YouTube channel. Look for some updates and exciting content over the next few weeks. Red Flag at Nellis Air Force Base starts in a few weeks!
- Christopher Batt
Tripod Maintenance
Its that time of year. My tripods are a little crunchy and its time to service them. I do a full service and cleaning once a year. I’ll service the twist locks when they feel gritty. I created a video with my process. Your mileage may very depending on the brand/type of tripod you use. Just need to keep it clean and lubed.
Please reference your documentation for your tripod. If you are uncomfortable talking it apart, please consult a professional.
Here are the links to where you can purchase the tools and products that I use.
“I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.”
Cleaners
MG Chemicals - 99.9% Isopropyl Alcohol Electronics Cleaner https://amzn.to/3scxVXe
Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner and Degreaser https://amzn.to/3sk4VND
Tub O' Towels Heavy-Duty Multi-Surface Cleaning Wipes https://amzn.to/3d76TfM
Tools
Microfiber Cleaning Cloths White-50PK https://amzn.to/3saOJhm
9mm Wide Flat Paint Brushes https://amzn.to/323PnCS
Pangda Swabs Tipped Applicator Double Tipped https://amzn.to/3tfMcDZ
Menda Bottle, One-Touch Pump, 6 oz, Blue https://amzn.to/3wZ5FLA
Pocket Screwdriver Set https://amzn.to/3uKHDSA
Capri Tools Standard Hex Wrench Key Set https://amzn.to/3dZGOhM
Grease
Phil Wood Waterproof Grease, 16oz Jar https://amzn.to/3wPrf4X
Phil Wood Waterproof Grease, 3oz Tube https://amzn.to/324XKhh
Super Lube 21030 Synthetic Grease, 30z Tube https://amzn.to/3tbAHgT
Photography | Fire Wave
I have always wanted to photograph this formation. 3 am wake up, on the road by 4, and on the trail by 5. I got lost in the dark, did manage to find it, but a mistake almost cost me the shoot. It didn’t pan out liked I had hoped but that just means I need to keep trying till I get it right…
Chuck Yeager was here!
Visited my favorite abandoned WWII hangar…