Budds Creek BMX practice

St. Mary's County Camera Club/Southern Maryland Special Interest Group and Bowie-Crofton Camera Club had a joint outing to Budd's Creek Motocross Park to watch the BMX practice.  Beth Fabey set up the special trip.  I didn't know anything about it, except that it wasn't the type of thing I usually watched.  It was quite exciting to watch all those crazy thrill seekers go flying over the hills.  Lots of mud and dirt everywhere!  I learned quickly that it was best to get out of their way if you wanted to stay safe.  It took a little practice to find a good photographic technique.  I tried panning, but didn't have any luck, since it takes a lot of practice.  I tried a whole lot of different locations.  Some places were partially blocked or had lots of distractions in the background.  I kept trying places until I found a spot where I could see their faces or at least the front of their heads.  I tried a variety of places and angles.  I did bring a long lens, but by the time I found a good spot, I knew I couldn't go all the way back to get it due to recent leg pain.  These are mostly heavily cropped. 

High Flyer.

In the turn.

On top of the hill

Loved the shadow

High twisty hop!

Removing the dust.

 

Solomon's Offshore Grandprix boat race

We spent most of the day on Sunday September 15th on Solomon's Island watching the exciting boat races from about 12-5 pm along the boardwalk section of the Patuxent River. It was the national finals.
I photographed a red boat (623) and Cisco with the bows off the water and Cleveland Construction (green) racing by the Solomon's pier restaurant. I am sharing some interesting pictures of Wazzup (purple with yellow flames) accepting a winning checkered flag and the crazy celebration circles it made in the water afterwards.
Some of the winners included Tug It, Cisco, Wazzup, and Miss Mary Mac.
For once, the day was lovely, bright and sunny, which made for poor photos with bright overhead light and a happier crowd.
(overcast days and photos early or late in the day have better contrast)
To learn more about the race, see
http://www.solomonsrace.com/

Going to the Races, the Boat Races that is

We attended the Third Annual Offshore Grand Prix Boat Race on Solomon's Island recently. We almost missed it, because it was in September instead of October. Some of the biggest boats were particularly exciting with their powerful jet engines, very loud and rumbling. The local favorite was Tug It, (from Maryland, I believe) which won unexpectedly when another boat missed a buoy. I am sharing a photo that portrays a little of the excitement of this race for the National 2012 title. There is usually a helicopter or two around for fast rescues.