Flat Track Art Prints

Pacific Nationals was fun, and making art from the pictures is even more so. This kind of reminds me of "Endless Summer II" Very retro! I plan on making a few as large-scale gallery wrapped canvas prints to hang up around here. Eric suggested T-shirts, we'll see! It's something I may add to my future product page.

Pomona Race Gallery now up!

Ventura Flat Track Race

What a fun race! Instead of the usual race photograph, here's a behind-the-scenes shot. I've never been to a race without a guard rail and it was exhilarating to be infield while these guys slid around.

Busy Season.

I'm very fortunate that I've been uber busy with assignments, as well as working on completely re-vamping my web presence. In the meantime, here's a picture of my sister Carolyn modeling my icon jacket and KBC helmet. I was doing concept shots, and while this one didn't make the cut I personally like it.

Cover!

Here's a bit of old news, one of my photo stories got cover in RoadRUNNER magazine. It was such a fun photo shoot, lots of great locations and wonderful weather.

New Site Now Live!

My new dedicated pet photography site! 

A New Dawn

I'm working on a new website just for pet photography. Stay tuned!

In this issue of Pop Photo....

One of my flat track pictures were used to illustrate panning technique in the June '08 issue of Popular Photography and Imaging. If you'd like to see more examples of flat track racing pictures or want to buy a print click here. 

Solana Beach

Here was the view from the bluffs the first night we stayed. When you think of the beach and the ocean you think of bright sunny days-- no one seems to visit the beach when it's not. I find that it's just as beautiful with the storm clouds blowing gently in.



















Sunset at dog beach. I got up on the bluffs as far as they allowed the dogs to. Amelie wasn't so enthused.























Amelie up on one of the bluffs. Eric was holding her butt so she wouldn't jump-- the angle of the photo obscures this fact.




















The colors and textures of the bluffs were amazing. I'm no landscape photographer but I can see the potential this place holds for some real nice shots.


















You can click on any picture to view a larger version

Frenchie Puppies!

I had the good fortune to be able to photograph a friend's litter of french bulldog pups. This poor unfortunate lil pup was born with a deformed eye, hence the profile shot!

Joshua Tree © 2008 Jackie Bass

Standing by the lone road that snakes its way across the Joshua Tree National Park, I waited patiently for my husband to ride by on the latest test bike we were photographing. Taking action shots of motorcycles involves a lot of passes for the rider, and a lot of exercise for the picture taker. The sun was baking my skin to a likeness of red leather, while the 6 pound camera was killing my neck. I grumbled under my breath, shifted my weight and pierced my heal with a cacti. Yes, this is what I chose for a living but at this moment in time I was questioning my sanity, not to mention, some of those cactus spines really hurt.

The sun moves faster when it's about to punch the clock at the end of the day, not unlike many people at their workplace ready to go home. One more go, I told Eric, and we'll go back to camp. I carefully picked my way over closing wildflowers and super spiny succulents, and... what was that? A still-convulsing lizard tail? No, it was a caterpillar, flipping this way and that, squirming.... fighting for its life as large black ants all over dragged it down their hole.

Perhaps I should try to save it? Perhaps I should quickly squash it so it doesn't have to be eaten alive? But it was gone, down the hole, it's number had been called. Life is harsh for those who live in the desert, and it kind of puts things in perspective.

Eric on Benelli Tre-K © 2008 Jackie Bass

Chuckwalla

Finally found me a chuckwalla while hiking in Joshua Tree. Ain't he cute? 

El Mirage

IMG_1495-2, originally uploaded by jbasspix.

Well, I didn't get to take any TTV shots with my vintage camera today, just had too many items on my to-do list. So here's an oldie but goodie, a race car being towed back after making a run at El Mirage.

New stuff.

This is a 1947 Kodak Duaflex Camera. I had been admiring the techniques of what some call "alternative processes" or in other words, creating pictures in the various ways that people have been making photographs all throughout photographic history. The only caveat I had was that I am completely addicted to digital photography... the instant gratification, the need for only a computer and not a dark room (no space in our tiny place for one of those). So when I found out about "TTV" or "Through The Viewfinder" photography, I was intrigued.

Basically, you take your digital camera, focus on the scene as seen in the viewfinder of an antique camera and take a picture. The result is unusual. Since the lens is so old, it's scratched and dusty... plus only the center is in focus while the edges are beautifully blurred. The lens only captures a square image, framing the picture with a black square. You get a mysterious, ghostly picture.

I haven't gotten to experiment with it yet, but when I do, I'll post pictures.

Amelie at Dog Beach

And after a long day of fun... Amelie loves to snore in front of the fireplace

Jenny

Being Dyslexic Can Be a Real Pain in the....

My favorite flattrack photo, on a mug. Why? To replace my husband's Beavis & Butthead coffee mug that I can't stand. I mean, it's not that I mind the cartoon or whatever, it's just so cracked, stained, chipped and generally nasty.

But then AFTER ordering it, I realized something was wrong...

I'm Gellin', are You Gellin'?

I picked up some movie gels to put over my lights, and was playing around with different combinations. Used gel "Blood Red" for background, and "Minus Green" with grid for face. Tried to get that moody, gritty feel to it.

A Must-See

You absolutely HAVE TO watch this in its entirety!

Mistakes can be a Beautiful Thing

I was reading Strobist this morning about how "National Geographic photographer Bill Allard famously said that in photography, interesting failures are more valuable than boring successes." Yes, that is so true.

Take the above shot. I was shooting a radial bike for a magazine when the front lights did not fire, only the backlights did. It created this dramatic silhouette, which was my favorite (and everyone elses') of the day. (Spotlights turned into smoke afterwards in photoshop)

Again, while shooting flat track racing, everyone was equipped with long telephoto lenses and powerful flashes. I had a short lens and no flash. They all got the same ol' frozen-in-action shots and I got dramatically lit ones that have won contests and will be published.

In short, sometimes you have to work with what you got, and be open for error. Experimentation and improvisation can be your best friends.