"Baber K. Khan" (beekay)
04/03/2015 at 17:01 • Filed to: None
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"Baber K. Khan" (beekay)
04/03/2015 at 17:01 • Filed to: None | 11
| 14 |
I enjoyed photography, the thought of saving how you're seeing the world in your head, to share with everyone else later on is an immersive experience but! You miss out on enjoying the view, the serenity for yourself and you're just wondering about how to best capture the scene in your lens, as you're seeing it in front of you. And thus, I haven't taken a camera along myself since the past few trips.
It's a race against reality. Capturing star trails, the milky way may not allow you to just lay down under the blanket of stars as you continuously get up and check whether you have the focus right, the right ISO, the right exposure, etc, and its never one picture which comes out accurate. You take at least a dozen of the same frame. And thus, I am not a photographer. I was just trying to save that moment, which was in my head.
Same case is for auto sports.
For some action or exciting shots, you really need to exercise patience, be on guard with your camera like a spec ops. soldier is ready to burst few shots on to the way he heard the shots fired at him, all in just a fraction of seconds. Such reflexes and attention means that you can't really enjoy on all that's happening in front of you.
Even the auto shows, where some times, we waited for as long as 15 minutes just to get an all clear for a particular angle shot of a car.
So I put up a small bonfire at the Jhal Magsi Rally at night, as the pigmentation of my eyes was already disturbed due to cars coming in from recce every now and then, cozied up in the chair, under the blanket of stars and said fuck it! Let's enjoy the hoonage that will be at display on the track.
There were quite a lot of people around when this happened. But only Hanif Bhatti had the reflexes to capture all of it as he was on guard with his camera, while some only got to take few of the shots. What about me? Well, I got to talk to driver, and the co-driver and fully understand what thoughts came to their mind, and how did they process it.
Saeed's 4×4, which is a Willys M38 1955 with a 3400cc 5VZ engine with Rancho shocks on leaf set up and no springs, all prepared to be brought in for some pure hooning action in the diverse terrain of Jhal Magsi rally circuit.
The terrain features almost everything; from sand, gravel, dirt, water fording, mud, etc etc and thus, makes up for a challenging and exciting terrain for drivers. But such a terrain also requires high confidence amongst the partners when you're just amateurs, out there for the love of motorsports.
Both the driver and co-driver were childhood friends so they have been driving together for a long, which means that there is no useless shouting when the driver, Saeed, goes in a sharp at 100 KM/H.
Though, Zulqarnain, the co-driver did insist Saeed to go with the right speed as to not loose time, but Saeed was a thrill-seeker and both were motivated to finish the rally rather win it. And when they went in to a sharp corner at 100 KM/H, the car flipped on two wheels as there was gravel, and the suspension wasn't set up for such terrain but when the two wheels were leaning on the left side, Saeed steered to the left to keep the car from flipping over. and just as the car touched base again, Saeed shifted down from 3rd to 2nd and floored it again, the car got its traction back.
Though crashes isn't what the spectators seek rather displays of amazing corrective measure and driving, and the duo gave us that since they have had such experiences before and knew how to control it.
And, I had left the camera behind but the fact is, most of the people saw the scene with the tiny viewfinder of their cameras while the rest of us, saw it all with our own eyes and we could see every movement of the suspension, the steering and the men who made the save.
The complete timeline:
SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
> Baber K. Khan
04/03/2015 at 17:05 |
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Wow!Killer shots, man!
HammerheadFistpunch
> Baber K. Khan
04/03/2015 at 17:07 |
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Great shots and great story!
kanadanmajava1
> Baber K. Khan
04/03/2015 at 19:21 |
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Looks wild. The Jeep seems to have pretty interesting roll cage in it. I have seen bars in the middle of the windscreen only in some salt lake racers.
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Baber K. Khan
> kanadanmajava1
04/04/2015 at 03:13 |
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This Willy's CJ7's top and front panel is quite weak, so they put one around there for enforcement.
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kanadanmajava1
> Baber K. Khan
04/04/2015 at 17:54 |
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I guess there isn't much of roof to protect the drivers either.
ZShortage
> Baber K. Khan
04/22/2015 at 16:41 |
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“Just keep your head straight and it’ll all be fine.”
J-Tenno
> Baber K. Khan
04/22/2015 at 16:58 |
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Awesome shots! Do you know what camera and lenses were used? Exifviewer can’t find the EXIF data in the pictures.
OttoMaddox
> Baber K. Khan
04/22/2015 at 17:58 |
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I witnessed a similar save on a long sweeping on ramp to I5 in Tacoma, WA. I was stopped in rush hour on that ramp when I heard tires screeching behind me. I looked in the rear view and saw an early ‘80s Ford Bronco II (the small short one) up on two wheels, WAY up, with a terrified woman sawing at the wheel. She got it down but overcorrected and put it up on the OTHER two wheels. She overcorrected again and put it up on the driver’s side wheels again, finally getting it stopped before she hit the Jersey barrier, or me.
These pictures look like that.
Krautastic
> Baber K. Khan
04/22/2015 at 18:13 |
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Couldn’t agree more! I see the people who go to landmarks and out in nature and have their giant ipad in front of their face to capture everything around them, yet they never take the time to capture it for themselves! I got to do a ride along on track at the long beach grand prix this last weekend. I turned my camera on and recorded what was happening. I kind of wish I didn’t I did my best to just look out the windshield, but I have to say, alot of what I remember is me trying to keep the camera from flying out of my hand. I sometimes go hiking with friends/family, and I’ll pause at a really scenic spot. Whomever I’m with will often join me, snap some pictures then ask, aren’t you going to take a picture? And I just point to my eyes and say “that’s exactly what I’m doing.” Technology is great, but if you never take in the moment, that picture isn’t a memory, it’s just a picture.
monkeyracing
> Baber K. Khan
04/23/2015 at 00:38 |
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My wife and I have a tradition of vacationing with our phones turned off, even if we’re just out for a day trip. We avoid TVs, phones, newspapers and radios. There was one trip, however, when I took my home made pinhole camera. It makes photography a whole different experience. No viewfinder, no screen - just point the thing in the general direction you think might look nice, open the “lens” cover and enjoy the view while you wait. Even on sunny days it could take a while, as the pinhole was just a touch over 0.001”. Between guessing at the exposure and having only 24 shots available per roll, it was very fun and unpredictable.
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Baber K. Khan
> J-Tenno
04/23/2015 at 06:15 |
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It was a 7D, with 18-200 lens. And pictures were taken by Hanif Bhatti.
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Baber K. Khan
> monkeyracing
04/23/2015 at 06:21 |
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I enjoyed the nights, the most. SInce it was clear sky, light bonfire, and just had a great chat with friends and listened to song while staring at the sky. Brilliant.
You guys are doing it right though. That’s what vacations in the nature should be like.
Gonemad
> Baber K. Khan
04/23/2015 at 09:04 |
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The driver is da sh*t! Great non-flipping!
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J-Tenno
> Baber K. Khan
04/23/2015 at 09:54 |
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Nice, thanks!