Lowline Media’s already been blacklisted at a handful of drag racing tracks in and around Sallisaw, OK but it looks like this photog and her questionable shooting techniques made an appearance at Outlaw Armageddon 5.
I spike in traffic from a post about an Oklahoma based photog’s near run-in with a small tire Mustang at a small Sallisaw track from a few weeks ago piqued my interest if there was a related incident that caused this traffic burst. Lo and behold, according to Alex Rocheleau and a photo he shared earlier this weekend (Aug 2, 2019) he caught Lowline Media’s one and only photog at Outlaw Armageddon 5 at Thunder Valley Raceway Park shooting way too close to the 60 foot line, a Chevy Nova warming up its tires inches away from her lens.
Check out the photo for yourself below.
From this photo alone it looks like she’s got a bit of distance between her and the drag cars until another photo popped up in the comments showing just how dangerously close she really is.
As per one spectator at Outlaw Armageddon 5 who witnessed her shooting technique,
“She was even closer than this during open testing yesterday. She put a tripod within a couple of feet of them doing burnouts and stood over top of it with a camera. What got me was when the car’s came past her she was so close she had to turn her head. I saw her multiple times on camera cleaning out her eyes and her face covered in rubber.”
If you thought that was the worst of it, shortly after the event Lowline Media posted up arguably a non-apology, herself admitting she was in the wrong again.
“Just to clear this portion of the air, I spoke to the track owner BEFORE the race ever started and we agreed where I was able to shoot from but didn’t go into specifics. I shouldn’t have been at the 60 ft. line I agree. But I also wasn’t scolded about where I was sitting.”
Youtube and social media is all but full of near misses at the start of drag races where cars careen out of the way when the Christmas tree turns green, not to mention exploding engines.
You simply can’t bank on cars always going straight, even if it’s a drag race.
I’m in no position of authority to suggest banning a photographer, but for the greater good of all motorsports photogs in the area and before a potential lawsuit, it would behoove any event media organizer to seriously consider if you should allow any photographer who displays this type of behavior the privilege of a media pass.
It’s simply not fair for photogs who actually have the common sense to not do to potentially go through potential future added restrictions and additional safety meetings with rules they know by heart.
Did you see this particular photographer at OA5? Care to share anything about safely shooting motorsports? Let me know in the comments below.
