It was a little over two years ago, in mid-September 2022, and we were at Watkins Glen, NY for the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) racing event weekend. It was a great experience! I was there to fulfill a dream that I had since childhood, after reading about the race track and the legends that raced through the streets of this American small town.
The drive from where we were staying in Skaneatles, NY to Watkins Glen, NY was 70 miles or around 90 minutes. I was really excited to finally be making the trip. I had two Nikon cameras with me – the Nikon D850 and the Nikon Z7. I knew I was going to get some great pictures. But, as much as I thought I knew about what I would see, the actual experience took my breath away. Literally, I was so excited that I had a hard time talking.
Smalley’s Garage
I had been doing some reading to prepare for the day of picture-taking. I knew that Smalley’s Garage in downtown Watkins Glen was going to hold a re-enactment of the race car inspection process. There were going to be several cars in their parking lot for this event. (If you want to read up on Smalley’s Garage go here. )
We parked on the streets of Watkins Glen and started walking toward the center of the downtown district. It was less than a mile, and we could sense the excitement building as we got closer to Smalley’s garage.
I didn’t really know what to expect. In my wildest imagination I didn’t expect the collection of Bugatti race cars that were there that day. There was a wide variety of cars; MG’s , Morgans, and models I never heard of, like the BNC, Some of those are pictured here. Across the street from Smalley’s, a car show was underway. I am not kidding when I say that some of the finest cars I have ever seen were in that car show.
Near Watkins Glen State Park Entrance: The Car Show
Just down the street from Smalley’s Garage they were staging a car show. Here are some of the cars from that day.
A little later in the day there was a parade and I took the opportunity to practice some Intentional Camera Movement. This takes some practice to perfect and I am a long way from being good at it. Look up ICM or Intentional Camera Movement to learn more about the process, and why people are doing it. Here are some examples from the parade that afternoon.
It was a great day to be in Watkins Glen, New York. I intend to go back next year and capture some more great images. Maybe I will shoot some medium format landscape pictures of the hiking trails in Watkins Glen State Park.
What did I Learn?
The key take away was that I needed more time to fully participate in all the events going on. We should have planned to stay in Watkins Glen for the entire weekend. The Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) experience was good but I will be better prepared the next time. I will scout out the parade route earlier in the day and get a better vantage point now that I know what to expect. To get really good ICM pictures requires a lot more experience. Nailing the shutter speed and aperture settings takes practice. I don’t know enough to give any advice to people just getting started.
RiverDogs X -Words and Pictures from the River's Edge 