Rapid Fire Sequence Photography - very common today. . .
. . .but years back it was something special to own a camera that was capable of shooting a rapid fire sequence of racing action. The original cameras that racing photographers would use to capture this type of photography came out of aerial reconnaissance in World War II. I've always understood that one of the first sports sequences ever published was the horrific fatal crash sequence of Rex Mays (an Indy 500 standout of his time) at the Del Mar racetrack in 1949. If it wasn't the first sports sequence published it might have been the first auto racing sequence published. It ended up being used as a 2 page spread in LIFE magazine.
A rapid fire sequence camera is by loose definition in between a still camera and a movie camera. A typical movie camera shoots 24 frames per second or as they say in the industry 24p. Traditional video cameras shoot at 30 frames per second or 30p. The photo pictured above shows a World War II recon camera in the hands of a (unfortunately unknown) photographer that captured an incredible sequence of an early NASCAR driver by the name of Russ Truelove. Russ had a spectacular crash about halfway through the 1956 Daytona Beach race. (This race was on the beach, 3 years before the Daytona International Speedway was done in 1959 and ran it’s first race.) Anyway, back in the day, a photographer would have to lug around a big ole' camera like that pictured to shoot still photo sequences.
In 1970, at the early part of my photo career, I bought a Nikon Photomic Tn with a motor drive unit. This was the first factory motor driven camera by Nikon. It was supposed to list for about $817.00, but I was able to buy it for $613.75. A sizeable sum of money for a 15 year old boy. (Maybe in a later blog I tell the complete story of how I paid for it and other details).
This camera was able to shoot at a maximum speed of 3 frames per second. A very impressive speed for that time and still respectable today, but Canon just released a new professional level digital camera that will shoot at 10 frames per second! Of course it's not uncommon today to find your average Joe with a camera that can shoot rapid fire shots. It's just another example of how technology has brought what was once only available to a few and placed into the hands of many and at a much lower cost too!
So if you're lucky enough to own a camera that is capable of shooting sequences, give a nod to those before that didn't have it quite so easy.