NASA

Here are a couple pictures from The Kennedy Space Center from when I was down in Florida a while back.

Pictured here to the right is one of the last remaining structures of Launch Pad 34. This Pad is probably the most significant launch pad in NASA's history. It was at this very site on January 27, 1967 that astronauts Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White II, Roger B. Chaffee, were killed by fire during a test and training exercise. For more information about the Apollo 1 disaster you can go here.

Also pictured here is a heat shield or flame deflector as some refer to it. This shield hasn't moved from this very spot since the last mission some 40 years ago. The last launch from this pad was Apollo 7 which was piloted by astronauts, Walter M. Schirra, Donn F. Eisele, WalterCunningham. Ironically these men were the backup flight crew for the ill fated Apollo 1 mission. For more information on the Launch Pad 34 complex go here.

Lastly pictured here is the actual command center that was used to launch Neil Armstrong and the rest of the Apollo 11 crew to the moon.

To checkout more of my pictures from the Kennedy Space Center click here.

OOPS I DID IT AGAIN!

Just received a little bit of good news the other day when I received another cover shot. This cover shot is from the Formula Car Magazine Can Am Cup that was held late in September. The cover shot is of 2006 Ontario Formula Ford Challenge winner and back to back Can Am Cup winner Shane Janzi.

This issue was probably by far my best issue, having 15 photos published including the Cover, inside cover, and a two page spread inside covering the Can Am Cup. Also included in this issue was Vallis Cup coverage from a couple weeks earlier, in which I had a few images published for.

Sea World

Well it's day three of our vacation and so far the weather has been outstanding. After breakfast it was time to decide what to do. After it was all said and done we decided on Sea World. We walked over to the automated ticket both and purchase our tickets, like all the attractions down here it's not cheap, $65 bucks each to be exact. After a quick pit stop to the restrooms, it was off to see some dolphins. I suggest to anyone if you get a chance to see these beautiful creatures up close do it, you won't be disappointed.

After the dolphin exhibit, it was off to catch the tail end of one of the shows over at the main stadium. This was an incredible show full of acrobatics from both humans and dolphins. One of the coolest moments wasn't from in the tank or on the stage. They had a Bald Eagle fly in over the top of our heads. You want to talk about an impressive looking bird, it's an eagle. I am just sorry I didn't know it was going to happen because I would of loved a picture of it.

Now that the dolphin show is over, we headed over to the Sea Lion and Otter display. They put on a good show and they weren't even performing. The Sea lions are very boisterous and animated, but man do they ever stink. This is one example of when getting too close isn't a good thing.

It was then off to the Penguin pavilion. This was far and away the best Penguin display I have ever seen. They actually have a snow machine pumping in snow from the roof so it kind of looks like it's snowing and the Penguins have real snow to play in. It's little details like this, that set this place ahead of similar types of theme parks.

Lastly, one of the coolest displays was the shark aquarium that you can walk underneath and totally surrounds you. There was your standard Lemon sharks and what not but there was these two giant sharks and I didn't catch their names or get a picture of it because it was to dark to shoot in. But the had what looked to be a hedge trimmer for a nose and they were big and scary, not something you would want to see if you were swimming in the ocean that's for sure.

Well that's the low down in a abbreviated version of our trip to Sea World today. I have posted a link down below of just some of the pictures I have taken on our trip to date.

http://never2fast.com/florida

Daytona International Speedway

Well as you may or not be aware, I am spending this week in Florida on vacation. My girlfriend and I flew in yesterday morning. The flight was generally good but the 2 hours through customs left something to be desired. Honestly it was easier getting into Washington DC Back in August than it was getting into Florida, but I won't bore you all with line up stories.

Today was a beautiful day. We took a long long stroll up the beach. In total our walk was 5 miles long and we were dead tired by the time we saw our hotel again.

After a quick recharge and some lunch, we headed over to the Speedway to check it out and man is this place huge and impressive. We wandered around and I took some snapshots, when I heard what sounded to be sports cars on the track. Did that sound ever get me jones'n to figure out how to get into the track so I could have a look at what was going on. After speaking to a rep from the Daytona 500 Experience she directed us to where we could get into the grandstand to watch the cars.

We went and stood on the outside of the turn 4 grandstand and watched the cars come off t-4. I'll I can say is wow. What we were witnessing was a historic sports car race. The particular cars we were watching where some old LMP600 and GT1 and GT2 cars from the late 90's early 00's. I couldn't believe how fast the LMP car was coming off 4, I am guessing somewhere in the 185 mph range. I was doubting the speed I was guessing at until I heard who was at the wheel of the LMP car. The car was being driven by Elliott Forbes-Robinson and Paul Dallenbach. Also participating in a GT2 Porsche was sometime ALMS driver and Speed World Challenge driver Cindy Lux.

Never one for settling for shooting through a fence, we drove over to the tunnel to get into the infield. Thinking we were going to be stopped and turned around, after all this is Daytona, we tried to casually drive in. Well was I ever happier to hear the friendly old lady at the gate say "go on in, it will probably be the only time you'll ever have a chance to." Once on the infield, you can really see how big this place really is. We drove over to the corner 3 hairpin and I took some nice snaps of the cars coming off the corner.

Then it was off to corner 4 to take some snaps of the cars on the banking and man is ole DW was right TV doesn't do it justice it's frigging steep.

In all, we probably spent about an hour and a half at the speedway taking pictures. I have included some other pics below so enjoy. Even though they weren't "Nascar cars." Seriously getting to see any kind of cars on this track whatever they are is cool!

These two pictures I took standing on the roof of our rental car so I could shoot over the fence.

RAPTORS EARLY SEASON WOES

So as I sit and write this blog, it's a half hour to tip off for the Toronto Raptors home game against the Orlando Magic. The Raptors have so far not lived up to expectations in this very young season. They won their first two games of the season, thumping the woeful 76er's and thoroughly trouncing Vince Carter and the New Jersey Nets on the Nets home court, holding them to a measly 69 points.

That brings us to this past week. On Sunday afternoon the Raptors played one of their worst games in a long time, shooting 36% but somehow managed to dig deep and tie the game sending it in to overtime, only to lose on a last second shot to lose by three points.

Then when you thought that the Rap's couldn't play any worse then they did on Sunday, they come out and lay a huge egg in Milwaukee last night. At no point in this game were the Raptors even in it. Missing easy looks and jacking up needless 3 balls. What can you say when their leader Chris Bosh is held to one point in 16 mins. I am sure he could help his cause more if he stayed out of the early foul trouble he's been getting himself into.

It's becoming apparent very early on that a lot of Toronto's problems this year are the same as they were last year, they can't REBOUND. Everybody admits that the Raptors are a more athletic team then they were last year, it's got to make you wonder what's the problem and where's the heart and the will to win?

I give big props to Kris Humphries, who every time he's on the floor gives it everything he's got. I just wish he had more of an edge to him because I think that is what the Toronto Raptors really need. A big that won't take any guff in the paint and is going to make someone pay who comes into his house.

Oh well it's almost tip off and it's time to go watch.....

Pleasant Surprise

So I received a pleasant surprise the other day when I opened the mail and seen the latest copy of Formula Car Magazine. The only difference this time around in opening the envelope was when I realized I got the cover. (whoo hoo!)

The cover picture is of Daniel Morad just after winning the Formula BMW crown at Mosport this past August. In getting the cover, it looks like it was well worth it for me to stand in the rain getting soak en wet for most of the weekend.

Figured I haven't posted in a while and I just wanted to let everyone know about the good news.

How Is This Possible?

So there's some something that I have had my chest for a while, it's the price discrepancy between camera gear in the US and Canada. I first thought about this when I purchased a cable release for my camera back in June and it's been bothering me ever since.

So I book my vacation to Calgary and Banff back in early May and I am thinking I need something for my relatively newly purchased D200. This happens up until a week before my trip and then it finally hits me! I NEED A CABLE RELEASE ASAP! So I hop on the net to some of my favourite camera stores http://www.henrys.com/ and http://www.vistek.ca/ . I find my release but man is it expensive or what (as if anything is cheap in photography anyways) $220 bucks, so I keep surfing and just for fun I go on the B&H Photo website (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/) in New York and what do you know I find my release for a $100 bucks US.

At this point I am thinking how can this be so much more cheaper then the one sold here in Canada? With only a week to go before my trip I didn't hesitate to call B&H and see if they can ship it to me before Friday. I speak to a great sales rep and he assures me that I can get it before Friday and If I get the express shipping I can have it in a couple days, but it's an extra $60 dollars. With what I saved I am like get it to me ASAP, so we work out all the payment and shipping details now I just have to wait.

The two days go by and I have my notice from Fed-EX, my package has arrived at the depot so off I go to get it. When I arrive at the depot to pick up my package I am charged the GST (thank you Mr. Mulroney) but after I get it home and I go through all the calculations with tax, conversion and shipping, I still came out ahead.

What I am wondering is how is this possible?? How can it be a product sold in Canada at a store 5 mins away from me is so over priced? Is it the mass volume of product sold south of the border, is there that much more that goes in to the cost of shipping to Canada? I just don't get it, if anyone out there can enlighten me as to why it's more expensive please do.

Prices

Now that I have my very first post under my belt, I guess it's time for my first rant of what I am sure will be many. So I posted on the Canadian Automobile Sports Clubs forum, it was a simple post about some pictures I took and posted on my site from their most recent Indian Summer event on September 15-16, 2007.

So I get some feedback, then I get a couple comments stating my prices are too high. So I proceeded to post a reply to justify why my prices are the way they are and the value you end up getting in the long run. The next post states that I some how insulted some of the other photographers that post on the board, but my whole point is that's a free market and I can set my prices as I see necessary in covering my expenses and to make a small profit. I simply stated that you get what you pay for in life and that I believe my prices reflect the quality of my work and the market will be the ultimate determining factor in that.

I don't want this to sound mean but I guess this is to be expected in a market where people have learned to expect less because most of the time the "photographers" at the track give their photos away, which in the long run hurts the photography industry, but then again I guess everyone now with a digital camera can call themselves a photographer.

Welcome

Welcome to the first of what I hope to be many blogs, where I'll talk about photography, sports and just about anything in between. Let me tell you a little about myself and what I am all about. My name is Scott Stiff and I am a 29 year-old freelance photographer from Toronto, Canada.

I mainly shoot motorsports but I love all kinds of photography. I first got into photography when I was about 19, my brother Al always shot pictures of all the races we attended together and I always thought it was kind of neat. So when I turned 19 I went out and bought myself an old used Yashica FX-7 slr camera with a 80-200mm lens. I cut my teeth with that camera for 3 years and it was a great camera but being a Yashica finding lenses for it was a bit of a trial, so being impulsive I went out and bought myself a used Nikon F90X.

At this point my photography was progressing rapidly as I fell in love with the hobby and was shooting anything and everything. At this point I started reading about all these fancy digital slr's that have just hit the market and there astounding price tags that went with them ($5000+).

So a few years later (2004) when Nikon came out with the their first affordable prosumer dslr camera the D70, I didn't heisitate to throw down my $1500 and purchase one. The purchase of my D70 was probably the single biggest help to my photography then any book, or workshop. Afterall you get to see instant resaults and the camera records all the data for you. (woohoo no more note pads!)

So that brings me to 2005 where I hook up with a magazine called Formula Car Magazine, it's a magazine dedicated to the junior and regional open-wheel formula. I have been working with them ever since and have photographed some of the biggest motorsports events in the Toronto area. That brings me to today 2007 where I have one last motorsports shoot of the year, it's the Formula Car Magazine Formula Ford Can Am Cup @ Mosport International Raceway.

I am currently shooting with a Nikon D200 and my lens line up is as follows:

300mm f4

80-200mm f2.8

and a 17-50mm f2.8

It's a pretty good lineup and it serves me well for the most part.