Minotaur I / ORS-3

I'm not entirely sure how, but my photos of the Minotaur I / ORS-3 launching from Wallops Island, Virginia tonight got picked up by meteorologists in North Carolina, and are enjoying a small bit of virality on the Interwebz  this evening. Minotaur I was a quick mover; much faster and smaller than the LADEE launch I previously captured from the same position, ~200 miles from the launch site.

Since some are curious, photos were taken with a Canon 1D X at 400mm, f/5.6, 1/30th, ISO 102,400 at a range of ~200 miles from the launch site.

This photo shows an aircraft on approach to Dulles in the foreground, with Minotaur I in the background.

Katie's Cars and Coffee, November 2nd, 2013

It's been quite some time since my last visit to Katie's, but now that I've wrapped up some client shoots I've had waiting, and am back in the area after several trips, I decided to stop by Katie's.  There were some interesting additions to be seen; until last weekend, I'd only seen one C7 Corvette Stingray in the wild, out at Leesburg Outlets of all places.  It's clear that the takeover is imminent, because there were 5 C7s that I counted at Katie's this past weekend - I wouldn't be shocked if there were more.  It won't be long before these beautiful cars will become commonplace, and, well, not shocking anymore, like most Corvettes (sorry Corvette lovers...  it's true.  But don't be sad; Ferrari has quite a few models that are the same way.  Let the flames begin...).  I think it looks good in silver, but better (evil) in black.  The Corvette finally has been given a proper, though long overdue, refresh.

With the time change, Cars and Coffee began wayyyy before the sun was up, but this also prompted some folks to show up a bit later, and run Cars and Coffee a bit longer.  Even given the Daylight Savings Time change, I think most people missed seeing the Shelby GLHS, and Washington Nationals Right Fielder Jayson Werth arrive in his lifted F-250.  This was the first I can recall seeing a Carrera GT in person.

This street rod and Toyobaru are what I love about Katie's; it's about car  enthusiasts coming together to appreciate car culture, young and old, stock and modified.  Katie's is very Come As You Are.  Anything and everything can fit in.

And the most Jalopnik-ist car ever goes to?...

...and yes, it was a diesel.

"Ohhhhhh shit....  OHHHHHH shit!  Shit, shit, shit!  Ohhhhh shit!...  Awwwwwwwwwwww......."

This thing died pretty hard; note the black smoke as the engine says it's had enough.  It got trailered home... but not before the amazing reactions of the two gentlemen riding it.

This blog post has been republished by J. David Buerk onto Oppositelock.  For the full set of photos, view the album at his Facebook Page. All photography is by J. David Buerk, and is copyrighted All Rights Reserved.

Punkin Chunkin 2013

I've always watched it on The Science Channel, but until last year, I didn't realize how close The World Championship of Punkin Chunkin actually is - just a few hours away, in Southern Delaware, halfway between the Chesapeake Bay and Rehoboth Beach.  2013 was my first Chunk as a spectator.  I'll preface by saying that what you see on The Science Channel is nothing like the actual event's atmosphere - Discovery Communications has some fantastic videographers and editors that manage to condense three days of competition into just one hour of highlight footage. Unfortunately I missed the Trebuchets, which were my largest interest in the competition.  I did, however, see most of the Air Cannon class, and a few of the Centrifugal and Catapult Chunkers.  "Bad to the Bone," the Chunker I wanted to see most, unfortunately broke down and was unable to Chunk.  Other highlights included  "Chunk Norris," and the Human Hamster Wheel powered Chunker, to which the crowd cheered, "GO, HAMSTER, GO!"  Pumpkins were painted green for visibility, though they often travel so far so quickly downrange that you still lose sight of them.  Occasions where Chunkers "pied" resulted in tiny gobs of green pumpkin spraying onto spectators due to the strong wind contestants were firing into.  It was a blast, and I can't wait for the 2014 Chunk!

See all my Punkin Chunkin photos on Facebook... and don't forget to Follow me for updates!

Many long distance Chunks, a few pies, and a handful of breakdowns... but nothing compared to Young Glory III (Punkin Chunkin World Record Holder), which was the very last Chunker to fire in 2013's competition.  Young Glory III fired with brute force of air pressure; so much that it blew off and collapsed the last 1/3 of its barrel.  Clearly my 1D X is an overpriced 18 megapixel GIF machine, because at 12 frames per second, I captured Young Glory III's self-destruction.  Luckily for the team, the damage didn't look too terribly difficult to fix for next year's Chunk.

The result was so impressive that Kari Byron live-tweeted it.  I replied to her, and Tory Bellaci retweeted my photo.

An air cannon just exploded and flew over my head! pic.twitter.com/JHqIn9o8N8

— Kari Byron (@KariByron) November 3, 2013

Here's the air cannon malfunction @KariByron talked about. @DavidBuerkPhoto: More on http://t.co/KAH0CQK2ie soon. pic.twitter.com/fKccOuy13Y

— Tory Belleci (@ToryBelleci) November 4, 2013

I later posted the GIF above, to which Tory responded,

@DavidBuerkPhoto@KariByron That's cool!

— Tory Belleci (@ToryBelleci) November 4, 2013

My pleasure Tory!  Thanks so much for retweeting, and taking the time to respond back.  Hey, if you're reading this, can you get me a photography job at Discovery Communications... or at least a Press Pass to next year's Punkin Chunkin?  I'm 100% completely serious, dude - Discovery is a dream job for me.

Here's "Young Glory III" in high-res.  See you all at next year's Punkin Chunkin!

I also have a few video clips of the Chunkers below. Don't forget to Follow facebook.com/jdbphoto to keep up to date on all my latest work and adventures!

Camera Gear for Sale

UPDATE:  All items have sold.  Better luck next time!

Since I've recently changed some items in my gear bag, I am selling some of my gear.  Some of it has been used quite often, and some of it is completely brand new. I am a Canon Professional Services member and take care of my gear by only trusting Canon Direct with maintenance.

Please email me at david@jdbphoto.com for any questions, inquiries, or offers to buy!

Here is the list of items I have for sale:

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Camera Body with BG-E6 Battery Grip - SOLD

This 5D Mark II has been my faithful secondary camera for almost 2 years now, but I have no more use for it after purchasing a 1D X.  This 5D Mark II is my least used camera body with ~41,163 shutter actuations (5D Mark IIs are rated for 150,000 actuations).  The camera is currently equipped with an Eg-S Super Precision Matte Focus Screen, and I'm including the stock screen in case you aren't shooting with f/2.8 or faster lenses.

Read Canon's details about the 5D Mark II here.

The Battery Grip is included, and works fine, though it does have cosmetic wear - belt rash; the paint has scraped off on a corner.  But hey, it looks battleworn and makes you look badass with your patinaed-ed out gear ;-)  That said, the scrape is on the Battery Grip and not the 5D II itself.  The Battery Magazine IS included with the Battery Grip, although I forgot to display it.

PocketWizard ControlTL System for Canon - SOLD

I am selling the PocketWizard System as a set at a discounted rate, OR individually.  All my Speedlites are 600EX-RTs now and have the radio function built in, so therefore the PocketWizard System is now redundant for me.

I have two of each PocketWizard item.  The AC3 ZoneControllers are BRAND NEW and NEVER USED - I have them direct from PocketWizard.  I have tested them to ensure proper function, and nothing more.

The ControlTL system is incredibly useful, especially in a fast-paced environment where there is little or no time for on-the-fly adjustments to wireless strobes, such as wedding receptions or rapid portrait sessions.  In the past I have used two MiniTT1s with AC3s (one on each camera... not these AC3s as they are brand new) to control my lights remotely.

PocketWizard MiniTT1-Canon: SOLD OUT
PocketWizard FlexTT5-Canon:  SOLD OUT
BRAND NEW PocketWizard AC3 ZoneController:  SOLD OUT

BRAND NEW Oakley Kitchen Sink Backpack in Black - SOLD

This bag regularly sells for $200.  I actually have used this bag one time, but found that it's actually too big for my purposes... maybe it's perfect for you!  It's incredibly well built and comes with all straps and the padded hip belt with pockets.  Make no mistake, this is a serious bag with a tactical look - it's bad-ass, well padded, water resistant, and has lots of space!  The side zipper for computer access is very convenient to take your laptop and gadgets with you.  Check out Oakley's description here.

Maryland Renaissance Faire 2013

This was my first time ever going to a Renn Faire; It was a lot of fun! It's too bad I went on the very last day of the Festival this year. The jousting served as my first test of the 1D X's abilities as a sports camera - even from my less-than-ideal spot as a spectator, the AF easily locked onto and tracked each knight as they barreled toward or away from me. Still ecstatic!  I hope to soon have a full write-up about my impressions of 1D X - we'll see what I decide to make out of it. I think since it was so close to Halloween that some people decided to just wear their Halloween costumes...  Some didn't really fit in...  Namely The Hulk, Captain America, and Darth Maul.  But I give them props, since many of them were well done.  My favorite was definitely the gun slinging priest - the man actually IS a gunsmith.

Here is proof positive that jousters have balls of titanium...