I decided it was sink or swim and in the car on the way to class decided that I would swim. I did this about 12 months ago when I moved into race control. Someone had their idea of shocking me to see if I would sink or swim. Whilst they were hoping I would sink, I swam. For my life. Doing that 12 months ago, proved to me then and now that I can do this.

I’m now only nervous about exams, tests, quizzes and assignments. I’ve met the lecturer for this semester and he seems like a nice enough person. Yay.

Given that I’m working full time throughout this and my library time will be limited, I’m taking the expensive route and purchasing the recommended text books instead of borrowing them and copying what I need. This way, I have everything, when I need it and I’m not limited by my own timetable.

So now, I’m a student as well as a full time wage slave, photographer and race ‘troll. I’m as prepared for all of this as I ever can be. Bring it.

I set my camera up on the top level of the members grandstand. It had a view of the start/finish line, a bit of the grandstand and the area behind “Jennian Homes” as well as across to Buckland and the skies above the track. This time, I had the power of 3x spare batteries up my sleeve. Or so I thought. Turns out I grabbed 2x Spares and a spare for another nikon camera that has *very* similar looking batteries. Le Sigh. But I didn’t know this when I set up my tripod.

Basing my calculations on a 4gb memory card and two batteries every 3 hours, I should have been home and hosed, but given my f**k up with the spare battery, I had to change my plan and it worked in my favour I think.

Equipment:

1x D200
2x 4gb CF Cards
3x EN-EL3e Batteries
1x MB-D200 Battery grip
1x Slik Tripod
1x Tokina 12-24 f4 Lens

I used my auto focus to focus a point on the track just in front of the flag point at pit exit and then engaged the clutch on the lens to manual and adjusted the focus. The images are very slightly out of focus, but there isn’t much I can do about that now, and you wouldn’t know looking at the video either.

Set to ISO 200 and aperture to f11 and the camera in Aperture Priority mode, I left the camera to make the best decision about shutter speed. While this does deplete my battery even faster, it allows for long shutter speeds as the light fades. And the lower the ISO, the longer the shutter speed. That whole triangle of exposure thingymajig. We kicked off with a shutter speed of 1/200.

Using the built in interval timer in my camera, one exposure every 15 seconds. As the light failed, and so did my batteries, I darted out onto the balcony and changed it down to one every minute and by then the shutter speed was adjusting itself to 1.5″ every minute. Awesome.

Over two compact flash cards, I came home with 1597 photos. It took a while to import them all into Lightroom. From there, I adjusted the exposure for the sky to bring the clouds out more and cropped them to 16:9 widescreen for HD video format. I took the finished product and exported them to ProShow, where I dropped the image count down to a more respectable 1326 frames and display them for 0.125 seconds, and so, the whole positioning period, safety car, rolling start, race, safety cars etc and to parc ferme are all captured.

Of course I’m really impressed with the results. Dropping down the shutter at the end of the day means a lot less boring stuff at the end, but meant I was able to capture the whole race. Funny how these things work themselves out.

So without further ado, I present 300x Laps, 1326 frames, 6 hours all squeezed into 2:47

IDENTIFYING

This shy and retiring creature can be found at motor racing circuits around the world. Colouring differs, but the common marshal or Pumpkinus Maximus will generally have orange plumage. There are 2 common variations on this plumage in the UK and Ireland – the Pumpkinus Silverstonius which can be identified by its handsome black plumage with orange stripes; and the Pumpkinus Rescuecrewinus which is generally green. The Rescuecrewinus is an interesting specimen. This type of marshal usually starts with orange plumage, but when they reach maturity, the plumage changes colour. Strangely, unlike most creatures, the plumage of the marshal seems deliberately designed to attract attention, rather than camouflaging the creature. Naturally, this makes it vulnerable to predators, which may account for the decreasing numbers of this fascinating beast.

HABITAT

The habitats of the marshal are as varied as its plumage. For the purposes of this article, we will concentrate on the Pumpkinus Maximus variety. Pumpkinus Maximus can be found on grassy banks around race circuits. This creature seems to thrive in cold, damp conditions and is often mistaken for a form of fungus on wet days. Marshals become confused and lethargic when exposed to sunshine and exposed patches of skin can become red and irritable.

BEHAVIOUR PATTERNS

The common marshal becomes excited when exposed to a racing vehicle in difficulty. In a response comparable to lemmings jumping off a cliff, they congregate around a stranded vehicle and start performing various interesting rituals. These range from pushing on the car to pulling the little red handles on the front. Marshals that participate in this ritual always bring little red bottles with them. It is believed that these red bottles contain an offering for the big metal god they appear to be worshipping.

Many drivers report that they have been rescued by these creatures and returned safely to the circuit. They also state that in many cases, the marshals appear to be almost human. This behaviour can be compared to that of dolphins rescuing stranded mariners and greatly adds to the mystique of these creatures. Some marshals can also be observed at the scene of a racing incident waving small pieces of coloured material and making a strange whistling noise.

At time of writing, speculation remains regarding the purpose of this behaviour. The most popular theory is that the creature with the material is building the nest and is encouraging other marshals to return to the nest with pieces of the racing vehicle to add to the nest structure.

EATING HABITS

This complex animal appears to be almost omnivorous. Like many woodland creatures, it has become increasingly urbanised and can often be spotted munching on the produce of circuit burger vans. There is no set dietary pattern for the lesser spotted marshal, but it is generally agreed that if you have a marshal living in your gravel trap, you can attract it by leaving out small dishes of coffee and doughnuts. Some conservationists have also reported the lesser spotted marshal being partial to beer!

CONSERVATION

Sadly, this fascinating creature is slowly dying out in the UK and Ireland. Increased urbanisation, modernisation and the loss of traditional values have all led to a decline in numbers and if the decline continues, the day may come when these amazing animals are no longer seen on our shores. This would be a terrible blow both to nature and to motor racing and it is imperative that the remaining marshal population are well treated and encouraged to reproduce.

The gestation period of the average marshal is 9 months, but it takes 16 years for a marshal to reach maturity. In an effort to prevent any further decline in numbers, hunting of these creatures is strictly prohibited. Anyone found attempting to run a marshal over is subject to severe penalties.

CARE AND TREATMENT OF MARSHALS

It is considered good luck within motor sport to have a colony of marshals inhabiting your circuit. If you follow the guidelines laid out below, you may be able to persuade the colony to stay. It is not true that if you touch a marshal, the other members of the pack will then reject it. However, marshals are shy animals and it is best not to touch them unless invited to do so. Do not attempt to lift them up. Marshals will struggle and may inadvertently injure you. Remember, they may look cuddly, but they are still wild creatures and should be treated with respect. Drivers should wave to the marshal colonies on each post on either warm up or warm down lap. Marshals appear to crave interaction and respond positively to friendly gestures by drivers.

Marshals should be fed and rested regularly. Provision of bits of paper with “lunch voucher” written on them provokes a positive response as does the opportunity to sit down and eat the produce of this bit of paper. Marshals are very social creatures within their own groups and can be observed sitting in clumps, swapping food items, making chattering noises and occasionally grooming each other. Marshals that are regularly denied food and rest become lethargic and unpredictable. Some have been known to snap at anyone approaching them. In extreme cases, the colony will dissipate and never be seen again.

Marshals are greatly attracted by shiny things. Some marshal colonies have a ritual that, to an outsider, might even appear to be a raffle. All the marshals gather in one place. One marshal stands in the centre and chooses random pieces of paper from a container. These pieces of paper apparently equate to individual marshals who are then provided with some form of shiny thing in what looks like a prize giving ceremony. Obviously, this is a very human interpretation of what is probably nothing more than an elaborate mating ritual. This being said, circuits and race drivers that leave offerings of shiny things that can be used as part of this ritual have reported that they find their marshals to be happier than circuits that do not.

THE FUTURE

If we start to recognise the danger to these amazing circuit dwelling creatures and start improving their habitat, we may still be able to turn the tide and return to a thriving marshal colony at every circuit.

SAVE THE MOTORSPORT MARSHAL!

]]> http://blog.alikatnz.com/2010/10/the-lesser-spotted-marshal/feed/ 0 http://blog.alikatnz.com/2010/01/my-daily-photo-2010-01-31/ http://blog.alikatnz.com/2010/01/my-daily-photo-2010-01-31/#comments Sun, 31 Jan 2010 06:47:36 +0000 alikatnz http://blog.alikatnz.com/?p=798

$5 on Tander/Davison on Pole
$5 on Muprh/Skaife on Pole

$5 on Lowndes/Whincup for the win
$5 on Murph/Skaife for the win
$5 on J Richards/McConville for the win

$5 on Johnson/Courtney to Place
$5 on Tander/Davison to Place
$5 on VanGiz/Davison to Place

Heres hoping for a payday, and a Kiwi win. I also realise that I picked more Holdens than Fords, but I believe this year, Holden have more hunger for the win and also picked cars that have speed or drivers that have talent and drivers that have a legacy.