REPSOL Honda have announced that 2011 Moto2 World Champion and official HRC MotoGP test rider, Stefan Bradl, will be stepping in for the team this weekend to fill the vacancy left by Marc Marquez.
Marquez was confirmed yesterday (29 March 2022) to be missing the 2022 Argentinian Grand Prix scheduled to take place this weekend.
The reason for Marquez’ absence is his most recent episode of diplopia which was diagnosed on his return to Spain after the Indonesian Grand Prix, where he suffered a colossal high side on Sunday morning during the warm up session.
Bradl has become somewhat accustomed to filling in for Marquez in recent years, especially in 2020 when he completed the majority of the season in the red, orange and white of Repsol Honda.
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Bradl also has some experience with the all-new 2022 RC213V, having started testing the early editions of Honda’s latest Grand Prix racer in the middle of 2021.
The German has not raced at Termas de Rio Hondo, the Argentinian home of MotoGP, since he left the Grand Prix paddock at the end of 2016 to go and ride alongside Nicky Hayden in the Ten Kate Honda WorldSBK team.
That year, the race started wet and dried out, requiring a bike change quite early on. Marquez won, and Bradl finished seventh, 24 seconds in front of his then teammate at Aprilia, Alvaro Bautista.
Bradl also had a decent ride at Termas in 2014, when he held off Valentino Rossi for a significant portion of the race before eventually finishing fifth, 4.4 seconds ahead of Pramac Ducati’s Andrea Iannone.
Ahead of the race weekend, Bradl said, “The most important thing is sending my best to Marc and hoping that he recovers quickly. Until then, I will do my best for Honda HRC and the Repsol Honda Team in his place.”
“I have already done a few tests this year so I am familiar with the new Honda RC213V but of course coming into a MotoGP weekend is a different situation,” Bradl said. He added, “I have some good memories of Argentina; I was fifth there in 2014 and seventh there when I last raced in Termas in 2016. We will work with the team to define the plan for the weekend, I have no doubt it will be a busy one.”
On the other side of the garage will be Pol Espargaro, who will be looking to return to the positive form that saw him finish the opening race of the season in Qatar in third place, after suffering in Indonesia with the special, harder tire Michelin took to Mandalika.
Speaking before the event, Espargaro said, “I am looking forward to getting our season back on the right line after a difficult weekend in Indonesia.” He continued, “What has happened is in the past and now we focus on the future. We are close to the top of the championship and the objective is to put together a weekend like in Qatar.”
Four days before the 2022 MotoGP season gets underway at Losail, Qatar. WithU RNF Yamaha have confirmed BP Healthcare as a new team sponsor.
Following two pre-season tests in Sepang and Mandalika, Andrea Dovizioso and rookie Darryn Binder will compete in their first MotoGP race for the newly-named RNF Yamaha outfit this weekend.
Dovizioso, who finished the Mandalika test in 16th place, will be expected to lead the team in 2022 as Binder continues to get to grips with MotoGP machinery following his switch directly from Moto3.
As expected, the transition to the premier class has looked like a steep one so far for Binder as he finished testing in P22.
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The South African is part of a five-rider rookie class including Tech3 KTM riders Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez, Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio that will all make their MotoGP debut this weekend.
Established in 1982, BP Healthcare Group has over 40 years experience of innovation and transformation, while remaining committed to core pillars such as healthcare in research, education and clinical care.
The partnership is aiming to provide members of the team with general healthcare services such as BP Healthcare COVID-19 PCR test for their travels competing around the world including the saliva test kits to ensure safe and consistent testing, face mask for protection during the race week and health screenings for the season.
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In addition, as an effort to promote health awareness in a fast paced working environment like MotoGP, BP Healthcare and WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team will host ‘Health Talk’ for knowledge to be shared across the MotoGP paddock, team members and guests.
New to MotoGP racing, the BP Healthcare logo will be visible on the swingarms of Andrea Dovizioso and Darryn Binder’s bikes, their pit box and team trucks throughout the 2022 season.
WithU RNF Yamaha Team Owner, Razlan Razali said: “It could not have come at a better time as the team is preparing to embark on our first journey for the season opener in Qatar.
“These two years have been challenging times to travel due to the pandemic and we always focus on the safety of the team members and our riders.
“I am pleased to welcome BP Healthcare, not only as a new Malaysian partner and a leading healthcare company, but also to know that we will be well cared for during our travels for the 2022 season.
“I would like to thank Mr. Garvy Beh and the family at BP Healthcare for coming on board with the team. BP Healthcare will provide support, care and health necessities required to protect the team as we compete globally throughout the year.”
Fabio Quartararo doesn’t hide his concern in the post-race of the Styrian GP, which gave him a disappointing 13th place. The French rider is still the world championship leader, but many riders have gotten close to his throne, which undoubtedly (as he himself confirms) begins to seriously falter.
“We’re fighting for the title,” he said, “but I don’t feel as confident as I was in Jerez, where everything was fine, Now we’re suffering and have various problems. It’s impossible to fight for the title with such an irregular trend and this type of problem.”
What everyone notices is the braking, but Fabio also focuses on other things.
“It was not a positive race, and we need to understand the reasons why. Today we clearly saw all our weaknesses. I was behind Aleix for many laps, and the M1 was lacking in many areas, primarily in terms of top speed. In breaking, I went long twice, once because of me and once because of the brakes. I changed the position of the lever during the race, and I felt it softer each time, which certainly makes you lose confidence and is dangerous.”
Setting aside his own situation for a moment, the French rider tells us about his close encounter with his fellow countryman, Zarco, and indirectly contradicts Franco Morbidelliwho spoke of a more cautious behavior on the part of various riders at Turn 2.
“Honestly, I haven’t seen any particular behavior from anyone. In the last laps, I fought with Zarco, and he passed me in the same spot where Franco passed last Sunday. I think he thought about what happened, since he braked earlier than usual, but I behaved normally.”
Now Quartararo is thinking about the double appointment at Misanocertainly less unbearable for Yamaha, but not without pitfalls, given the current situation of the factory in Iwata.
“Misano is a better track for us, and the tires should be more suitable for our bike, but these factors are not enough. Yamaha has to work to fix the problems and respond to our requests, since everyone is more or less suffering. What did I ask? I can’t say, but I hope they can do it.”
In the 1940s, the photographer Gjon Mili teamed up with Pablo Picasso to play with light painting using a simple penlight. During a period of experimentation in the 1950s, Weegee used prisms to create kaleidoscopic distortions. In the 1960s, the film Easy Rider made lens flare look cool.
For generations, photographers have used creative lighting to push the medium in new and unexpected directions. Sometimes, they’ve made mistakes, but just as often, they’ve broken the “rules” and broken ground in the process. Light is the photographer’s pen and paintbrush, and wielding it well can create images that wouldn’t be possible with any other art form. Here are some experimental techniques to try on your next shoot.
Light painting
This technique uses a moving light source and a long exposure to capture those movements, with the light itself effectively becoming a kind of paintbrush (except the paint, in this case, is light). It’ll require darkness, so you can set up at night or use blackout curtains indoors to cut any ambient daylight that might show up during your exposure.
As you’ll be using slow shutter speeds, you’ll also need a tripod to keep the scene sharp, and you want to make sure your subject holds still while the light moves. Experiment with different movements, light sources, and camera settings. The light itself can be anything from a flashlight to a fiber optic brush. Eric Paré and Kim Henry, a photographer-dancer duo who’s mastered this technique, even sell photo-ready light tubes via their store.
Color-effect gels
Gels are thin, translucent filters that change the color of your light in the studio. You can use them with your main light to color the entire scene, or you can light your background using a gel to create contrast with your subject. For just a touch of color, you can use a multiple-light setup and only gel one light, perhaps a hairlight. You can even combine two colors (perhaps complementary pairs, such as orange and blue or yellow and purple) and place one gelled light on either side of your model for a more dramatic effect.
Dragging the shutter
You can achieve this effect by first setting your exposure for your subject and flash before slowing down your camera’s shutter speed to catch some of the ambient light around you. Try it in the studio using a constant LED light for your background. The long exposure won’t influence your flash exposure, so your subject will remain sharp, but you’ll still get those lovely streaks of ambient light.
To create a sense of motion, shoot handheld and move the camera (or have your subject move within the frame). You can try different movements for various effects, so make sure you have time to play around with it. Just remember to turn off the modeling light for your flash and any additional lights, as these will register as ambient light.
Butterfly lighting
Butterfly lighting is a portrait lighting technique that creates an attractive, butterfly-shaped shadow under your subject’s nose. To get the effect, position your key light above the model at an angle, perhaps around 25 to 45 degrees. Have your model face the light, and raise your light until that shadow appears beneath the nose. You can try different modifiers, such as a beauty dish or umbrella, to tweak the light to taste.
Lens flare
Lens flare occurs whenever a bright light, such as the sun, hits your lens to create a starburst or desaturated, hazing effect in your photos. You can achieve it by shooting into the light without the use of a lens hood. For a crisp starburst effect rather than a hazy orb, you’ll need to stop down your aperture for a wider depth of field. Keep in mind that zoom lenses are usually best for creating lens flare, as are older lenses.
This effect is particularly popular during the golden hour, when the sun is low on the horizon. Another way of creating a more appealing lens flare would be to have your subject partially obscure the light, so it’s just peeking out from behind them. Move around your subject to find the perfect angle. Filters can also have a dramatic effect on the appearance of your lens flare, so it might take a bit of trial and error to find what works for you.
Safety first: Pointing your camera directly into the sun can damage your eyes, so exercise caution and care!
Bokeh balls
Bokeh describes the blurry effect you can create in the out-of-focus parts of your image when shooting wide-open. Because a wide aperture (small f-number) is essential for this technique, a fast prime lens is ideal. To make bokeh balls, or those glowy orbs of light, you’ll want some highlights in your background—holiday lights will work, as will street lights or other points of colorful light. The wider your aperture, the bigger and smoother the balls.
Prisming
Glass prisms can create a wide range of effects when placed in front of your lens, from rainbows to reflections and pretty distortions. Fractal Filters makes prisms specifically for photographers, and they’re always popular among the pros, but you can also use a regular triangular prism. The effect will change depending on the lens you use and the positioning of the prism, so try a bunch of things to see what works best, remembering to remove your lens hood.
Light leaks
For this technique, you’ll need an old-school film camera. You’ll shoot a roll of film as normal, but once you’re done, you’ll load and run it through your camera again (you can use a leader retriever to get the leader back out of the canister). Put your lens cap on and click through the entire roll, periodically opening the back of your camera just a crack and for a split second, allowing light to leak in, before closing it back up.
The ambient light in the room will, of course, affect the appearance of your light leaks; the more light you expose your film to, the more blown out it will be. Be prepared to lose a few frames; this is an experimental technique with unpredictable results, but there’s nothing quite like those colorful analog leaks.
If you’re ready to put your lighting skills to the test, you can submit your images to the Controlled Lighting Quest for a chance to be rewarded.
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YART Yamaha Ready for 2022 Le Mans After Topping FIM EWC Test
The YART Yamaha EWC Team enjoyed a successful two days of testing at the Bugatti Circuit, as it gears up for the 2022 Le Mans 24 Heures Motos, the season opener of the FIM Endurance World Championship, which takes place on 16-17 April.
Marvin Fritz (7) on the YART Yamaha EWC Team YZF-R1. Photo courtesy Yamaha.
With riders Niccolò Canepa, Marvin Fritz, Karel Hanika, and reserve rider Robin Mulhauser, the Austrian outfit dominated the timings throughout the test, topping all four sessions and completing 264 laps of the 4.185 km circuit on board the #7 Yamaha R1 machine.
On the opening day, the YART Yamaha squad was fastest out of the blocks, setting a 1’35.807 lap time, which would give them the top spot by the end of the day. With 142 laps complete, the rain ended Tuesday’s running early but the riders were pleased with the set-up and electronic improvements.
The wet weather returned on Wednesday morning, but it provided a good opportunity for YART Yamaha to test the electronic package in the rain. They once again managed to go fastest in the morning session, and on the dry track in the afternoon the team could improve their fastest time to a 1’35.707, having run 122 laps.
The YART Yamaha squad will return to the Bugatti Circuit for another test just before the 45th edition of the Le Mans 24 Heures Motos.
Niccolò Canepa
YART Yamaha EWC Team Rider
“It went very well, we were on top in every session, dry and wet, so we are really confident. We had some improvements, trying new Brembo callipers and master cylinders that worked well. We worked a lot on the electronics and found some good engine brake settings. The lap times were really good, so I am looking forward to the first race of the season here.”
Marvin Fritz
YART Yamaha EWC Team Rider
“Today and yesterday went well, despite the weather. Conditions got a little hotter in the afternoon and it made it a bit difficult, but today we found some ways to improve this. We were very fast in the end and the team did a fantastic job to prepare the bike, while we also made some big step forwards with the electronics. Each of the riders did a great job as well. It couldn’t have gone much better and now we have to look forward to the race. We are prepared for all conditions and our lap times show that we’re in a good position, it could have been even faster, but we’re really happy.”
Karel Hanika
YART Yamaha EWC Team Rider
“The test was really good, great to be back here in Le Mans. It has felt like being at home since we arrived, and since the first day we’ve felt very good. We had to work on different set-ups with the tyres when the weather changes. It’s positive to be able to ride in both the wet and dry, and overall we made some steps especially with the electronics. There was some room to improve in that area and step-by-step we have reached our goals in the end. Really looking forward to the race weekend, my teammates did a great job, we improved our speed and I think we won every session. This shows our bike is working really well and the team are doing a great job. It was an important test, we still have a lot of work ahead to make sure we’re competitive across the weekend, but I can’t wait to get going.”
Robin Mulhauser
YART Yamaha EWC Team Reserve Rider
“I’m learning the bike and the team step-by-step, every component is very new for me. The package is just amazing, the tyres, suspension, electronics, the people working on the bike, it is all very professional and new for me. I’m getting used to it and I want to thank the team for the confidence they put in me, as well as my teammates for the help and tips they gave. I think the team is completely ready for the 24 Hours.”
Andrew Pitt
YART Yamaha EWC Team Crew Chief
“We had some mixed weather today, but yesterday in the better conditions the lap times were coming really easy, even with some issues we were working through. We were trying to identify which were the right tyres for the track temperatures, plus some things we had to improve with the electronics on the engine brake side, and traction control. We started with a wet track today, and we had a good feeling straightaway. When we went into the dry conditions, we were able to make some good steps and the riders were happy with everything. The track never actually completely dried out today, so the pace was very good considering this. The only thing left to do is the one-hour stints on the Tuesday test before the event, but all-in-all the riders are very happy and the pace is coming quick. The boys were fastest in all conditions, so I think this was a really useful test overall and bring on race week!”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
POSITIVE LE MANS TEST FOR YOSHIMURA SERT MOTUL
Xavier Simeon (1) at speed on the Yoshimura SERT Motul Suzuki GSX-R1000. Photo courtesy Team Suzuki Press Office.
Reigning World Champion Yoshimura Suzuki Endurance Racing Team Motul have been on track at the Bugatti Circuit in France yesterday and today to test ahead the 24 Heures Motos on April 16th.
The team, which has won numerous races at the circuit, focused on technical innovations and learning about the new tyres supplied by Bridgestone.
Held behind closed doors, pre-Mans testing allows the various teams to work on the bike’s configuration, adapt new parts and get a feel for their bikes before the season-opening race.
After an outstanding 2021 season, there were no changes in the team. The #1 Suzuki GSX-R1000R is back with its three experienced riders Gregg Black, Sylvain Guintoli and Xavier Simeon. And even if they knew the track perfectly, the tricky weather conditions of the Sarthe region are always a source of learning.
The time spent on track was not for pure performance but for working on the race pace and adapting the settings to the new tyres. And for this, a first sunny day and then a second wet day perfectly simulated the changing weather conditions that could be expected during the 24 Heures Motos.
The consistency of the riders and the good impressions following the improvements developed in Japan were confirmed. But a crash by Black at the end of the first day prevented him riding the next day. Thanks to a sunny spell, Guintoli and Simeon improved the team’s time by setting the third fastest time of the second day of testing at 1’36’250.
Yoshimura SERT Motul, the winner of the 2021 24 Heures Motos, confirmed its ambitions to defend its title and to be at the front.
Yohei Kato – Team Director:
“We confirmed our pace on the first day by using the new features brought for the 2022 season. We are happy because everything works well on this track. Bridgestone provided us with new specification tyres, so we focused some of our work on that. Unfortunately Gregg suffered a heavy crash but should be fully recovered for the race. The rain on the second day allowed us to keep learning the tyres in more difficult conditions.”
Damien Saulnier – Team Manager:
“We had two completely different days with track conditions that are likely to be encountered during the race. During the first dry day, we were able to try a lot of things that Yoshimura had prepared during the winter tests with Kazuki Watanabe, which proved to be positive. The reunion with the whole team was very nice because we didn’t see each other all winter long! The only drawback of the day was Gregg’s fall at the end of the afternoon. Then the mixed weather conditions of the second day, with a greasy track in the morning, were used to prepare for the race. In particular, we worked on the usage limits of rain tyres and slicks and rotated the riders so that they could adapt to these delicate conditions. As the track dried at the end of the day, we were able to set some fast laps and improve on the previous day’s lap times.”
Sylvain Guintoli:
“It’s a good test for us. It was my first time on the bike since the final in Most (Czech Republic) so it was good to test the new stuff. We worked mainly on the new tyres and the rear of the bike. We are also happy that we could ride in all conditions; hot on the first day and wet/ dry on the second day to be ready for the race.”
Gregg Black:
“The first day went well, in dry conditions with sunshine. We were able to set good lap times on relay tyres, so in race conditions. We are quite satisfied with the new settings and the evolutions on the bike. It bodes well for the race. I had the only opportunity of the day to start on new tyres to do a fast lap but I had a high side between the Dunlop bend and the Chapelle corner. It was a pretty fast crash and then it started to rain. Having a little pain in my ankle I didn’t ride the second day to recover and be in shape for the race.”
Xavier Siméon:
“It was two very productive days for us! The weather conditions were peculiar; we were lucky to do the first day almost 100% dry but it was rather wet/ dry conditions for the second. We were able to validate a lot of things because in endurance racing, the race does not stop with the rain and we have to take the right decision at the right time. This test also confirms the good feeling we had in Almeria in February. The package is still very good and we are on the same wavelength with Sylvain and Gregg about the settings, so I think we are ready for the race. I can’t wait for it to start!”
More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport:
BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team enters final phase of preparations for 2022 season of the FIM EWC with tests at Le Mans.
Markus Reiterberger, Ilya Mikhalchik, Jérémy Guarnoni and Kenny Foray take part in two days of testing with the #37 BMW M 1000 RR at Le Mans.
Season gets underway with the 24 Hours of Le Mans over Easter weekend.
Werner Daemen: “I think we are very well prepared for the race.”
Markus Reiterberger (37) on the BMW Motorrad Motorsport M 1000 RR. Photo courtesy BMW Motorrad Motorsport.
Le Mans. The countdown is on to the start of the 2022 season of the FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC). BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team has started the final phase of preparations with two days of testing at Le Mans (FRA). The team and its four riders Markus Reiterberger (GER), Ilya Mikhalchik (UKR), Jérémy Guarnoni (FRA) and Kenny Foray (FRA) worked their way through an intensive testing programme with the #37 BMW M 1000 RR.
Over the winter break, BMW Motorrad Motorsport and BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team made further optimisations to the #37 BMW M 1000 RR in many areas. This improved the performance of the engine and optimised fuel consumption, which is key in endurance racing. There have also been innovations in terms of suspension, brakes and cooling. These various areas were evaluated in-depth during testing at Le Mans.
The 2022 season of the FIM EWC gets underway with the renowned 24 Hours of Le Mans (FRA) over the Easter weekend (16th/17th April). The 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (BEL) is scheduled for 4th/5th June, and the 8 Hours of Suzuka (JPN) returns to the FIM EWC calendar on 7th August. The Bol d’Or at Le Castellet (FRA) will be held on 17th/18th September. A fifth race event is being planned.
Quotes after the Le Mans test. Werner Daemen, Team Manager BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team: “It was a really good test. We almost went through our full test programme. We did one very fast lap time but as always we mainly focused on long distance tests and we found everything we were looking for. We just had some minor technical issues that we could solve for the race weekend. We still have some small things to do in the free practice just before the race but in general I am happy with everything, including our new rider and new team members. The bikes were really well prepared by the technical crew – better than ever! Together with our tyre partner Dunlop and BMW power we are very happy and I think we are very well prepared for the race.”
Jérémy Guarnoni: “It has been really two good days of testing because we got some dry action but also rode in the wet. So we could try the bike in absolutely all conditions and that is really important in view of a 24-hour race. The bike was good in the wet and we have a great pace also in the dry. We still have some work to do, especially to prepare for the fast lap time in qualifying where we still have a lot of potential. Overall, I am happy with this test and I think the package riders, team and motorcycle can fight for the win. We just need to work a little bit more during race week and try to do our best.”
Markus Reiterberger: “It was great to be back at the race track with the entire team after the winter. It also was nice to ride the bike with what I think is the most stunning design we have ever had. Is has been two productive days. As expected, the weather was changeable but we were able to ride more in the dry than we thought. We started our test program yesterday in the dry, tested many parts and got mileage on them. We did a lot of set-up work overnight and were able to confirm that with a good feeling this morning in mixed conditions. We were always at the front on rain tyres, intermediates and slicks. But we didn’t go chasing times and then it started raining hard at the end. But we were at the forefront there, too. We have great pace and a good base to fight for victory here at Le Mans. We only have a few small things to work on, but we’ll use the time until the race. We definitely have a lot of potential and I’m looking forward to a great time in a few weeks.”
Ilya Mikhalchik: “It was a good test. Regarding the weather, we had all conditions, with wet, intermediate and dry so we could test things under all conditions. I felt quite good on the bike and we also made some steps from last year, especially in race trim so we are well prepared. Maybe we were not the fastest at this test but this is not the main thing at the moment. Now I am looking forward to return to Le Mans for the race weekend in a few weeks. We keep working and try to do our best.”
Kenny Foray: “The test was a good preparation for the 24-hour race and the season. There have been many further developments on the bike and it was good that we were able to try them in all conditions. It has been busy two days and we learnt and confirmed a lot. It was great to be back at the track with the team and my team-mates Markus, Ilya and Jérémy. Of course we still can improve in some areas and that will be our focus until the big race. I can’t wait to be back at Le Mans soon.”
Quartararo dominated the opening rounds of the year in July at Jerez, but struggled from Brno through to the second Misano race – scoring just 33 points from five events and not registering another podium finish.
He corrected this form last Sunday at Catalunya and scored his third win of the campaign to return to the lead of the standings by eight points.
“It was the best moment of my life, honestly,” Quartararo said. “Better than both Jerez [wins]because when you arrive at a good moment and you win, you expect it and you know that you’re going to do it well.
“But then you have five races in a row and you are doing not so great, to arrive the victory, not just the podium, but the victory directly is amazing.
“A lot of emotions, thinking of my family who was watching me. I talked to my brother just before the start, because I went back to my office and he sent me a message.
“I was in full confidence, I was feeling great and honestly it’s great to be back in front.”
Quartararo labeled the first Misano race, where he knew he had to capitalize on Ducati’s weak form and ended up crashing – relinquishing the championship lead to Andrea Dovizioso – as the worst point of his season so far.
“In 2020 I think it was Misano 1,” Quartararo said when asked what the lowest point of his campaign had been.
“We spoke with team that, we knew that the Ducatis were not so great and we needed to make a great result and I crashed.
“So, that was one of the worst moment of my year. But also, when you make three races in a row, Austria and Brno, where we score 20 points in three races, we suffered a lot.
“So, this year we had quite a lot of moment that we struggled a lot.
“But, in the tough moments I was working hard, even harder. So, it’s great to be back in front.”
Will any Suzuki GSX-R750s, sans lights and streetbike equipment, be on the grid at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta next month? Photo courtesy of Suzuki Motor USA, LLC.
As we previously reported, the 2022 Suzuki GSX-R750 has already been approved by the FIM for World Supersport competition, and also by the AMA and MotoAmerica for both the 80th running of the Daytona 200 and the 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship. However, due to a bit of a “Catch-22” situation, there weren’t any three-quarter-liter GSX-R motorcycles on the starting grid for the 200. Here’s why:
For the GSX-R750 to be legal in Supersport competition, it needs to be equipped with an electronically controlled throttle or “fly-by-wire throttle. As delivered from the Suzuki factory, all stock GSX-R750 motorcycles are equipped with cable-operated throttle assemblies, which is a mechanical system that’s been around pretty much since the very first motorcycles were invented. Not acceptable in the “Supersport Next Generation,” however.
A servo motor, associated linkages, and electrical connections transform the Gixxer 750 into a Supersport Next Generation racebike. Photo courtesy of Bike Sport Developments Ltd.
To bring the GSX-R750 up to snuff, Team Hammer’s John and Chris Ulrich took it upon themselves to work with a couple of overseas manufacturers to design, develop, and manufacture an electronically controlled throttle system that could be retrofitted to the GSX-R750 and make it legal for worldwide Supersport Competition.
The entire GSX-R750 fly-by-wire throttle system as created by Bike Sport Developments. Photo courtesy of Bike Sport Developments Ltd.
Bike Sport Developments Ltd in Oxfordshire, England is the lead company that Team Hammer has been working with to develop the fly-by-wire throttle, and today on their Facebook page, the company announced that the “first shipment of the new WSSP Suzuki GSXR MecTronik system (is) on the way to the USA.”
Presumably, the address on the shipment is Team Hammer’s race shop in Alabama. With the opening round of the 2022 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship taking place on April 22-24 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, will we see any Suzuki GSX-R750s on the grid there?
Since Team Hammer is spearheading this effort, one would think that the team’s Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki Supersport riders Sam Lochoff and Liam Grant would be the first to race the GSX-R750 in MotoAmerica. Also, since Team Hammer builds the race bikes for Altus Motorsports, their team’s Supersport riders Jaret Nassaney and Justin Jones might also debut the Gixxer 750 at Road Atlanta.
We shall see.
For the full 2022 MotoAmerica schedule and to purchase tickets for MotoAmerica events, click HERE
For information on how to watch the MotoAmerica series, click HERE
Stefan Bradl will ride in place of the recovering Marc Marquez after his Indonesian GP fall as Pol Espargaro aims to show his and the Honda’s true pace.
For the first time since 2019 the MotoGP World Championship will return to Argentina and the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit. The 4.8-kilometer-long track has produced some thrilling races over the years with the final corners on track a particular hotspot for overtaking action.
Having started the season in incredible form, leading 17 laps and taking a well-earned podium finish in the opening race, Pol Espargaro sits just 10 points behind MotoGP World Championship leader Enea Bastianini. Enduring a challenging Indonesian GP, Espargaro’s determination has not relented and the #44 is as motivated as ever to continue his 2022 challenge. Having raced in Argentina since 2016, Espargaro has never finished outside of the points and holds a sixth-place finish in 2016 as his best result to date. With a two year break between visits, getting back up to speed with the Argentine circuit will be the first order of business of the weekend.
The other side of the Repsol Honda Team garage will see Stefan Bradl return, the HRC Honda Test Rider set to replace Marc Marquez in Argentina as the eight-time World Champion recovers after his heavy Warm Up fall. Bradl is familiar with the new Honda RC213V having completed multiple tests with the bike already in 2022. The German Test Rider is on a run of nine-point scoring finishes in a row in the MotoGP class and has a best finish of fifth in Argentina.
Since its return to the Grand Prix calendar in 2014, Honda have won four of the six races held in Argentina.
Pol Espargaro
“I am looking forward to getting our season back on the right line after a difficult weekend in Indonesia, what has happened is in the past and now we focus on the future. We are close to the top of the championship and the objective is to put together a weekend like in Qatar. I have had some consistent results in Argentina in the past and we know what the Honda this year can do. It’s time to keep working and show our potential.”
Stefan Bradl
“The most important thing is sending my best to Marc and hoping that he recovers quickly. Until then, I will do my best for Honda HRC and the Repsol Honda Team in his place. I have already done a few tests this year so I am familiar with the new Honda RC213V but of course coming into a MotoGP weekend is a different situation. I have some good memories of Argentina; I was fifth there in 2014 and seventh there when I last raced in Termas in 2016. We will work with the team to define the plan for the weekend, I have no doubt it will be a busy one.”
Gresini Racing stepped up to the premier class in 1997 with Honda, fielding a single Honda NSR500 for Alex Barros for 1997 and 1998.
Following a three-year hiatus, Gresini returned to MotoGP in 2002 backed by Honda again and would remain with the Japanese marque through to 2015, scoring runner-up spot in the championship in 2004 with Sete Gibernau and 2005 with Marco Melandri.
From 2015 Gresini became Aprilia’s official factory entry and has been with the Italian brand since, though announced late last year it would be returning to independent team status from 2022 as Aprilia moves to become its own factory squad.
Gresini will field Ducatis for the first time from 2022, with Moto2 race winner Di Giannantonio to step up to MotoGP from its Moto2 squad next year and join current Avintia rider Bastianini.
Lorenzo Savadori, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
Photo by: MotoGP
“It’s a very emotional moment for each of us,” Gresini boss Nadia Padovani said.
“In previous months, our efforts merged with a strong emotional push to shape the future of Gresini Racing, and now are immensely proud and happy to make the official announcement.
“It is a project born out of continuity and based on values upon which Fausto built this amazing institution.
“My thank you goes first and foremost to [Dorna CEO] Carmelo Ezpeleta for making sure we never felt alone during these months, to Ducati for trusting our projects, to Flex-Box who joined us in this new challenge as title sponsor and obviously to Fabio and Enea: I’m sure they will give their best to wave the Gresini Racing banner high.”
Gresini will continue in MotoGP despite being rocked by the death of its talismanic leader Fausto Gresini in February of this year, after the double 125cc world champion lost his battle with COVID-19.
The team is now being helmed by the late Gresini’s wife Padovani, with the squad operating in MotoGP, Moto2, Moto3 and MotoE this season.
Read So:
Ducati is expected to announce a satellite partnership with Valentino Rossi’s VR46 team for 2022 in the coming days, bringing the total number of Desmosedicis on the grid back up to eight for the first time since 2018.
As well as its factory team, Gresini and VR46, Ducati will continue to supply fully factory-supported machinery to the Pramac squad for 2022 after agreeing a new three-year deal with the team earlier this month.
Current Ducati satellite team Avintia Racing will quit MotoGP at the end of the season, with its grid slots going to VR46.
Luca Marini is certain to ride one of the VR46 Ducatis in 2022 as he already races a VR46-backed GP19 at the Avintia squad this season.
Team-mate and fellow rookie Enea Bastianini previously raced with Gresini in his first three seasons of grand prix racing in Moto3 from 2014-2016.
MotoGP: Quartararo says Yamaha need more power to be the best
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Quartararo made history in 2021 when he became France’s first ever MotoGP world champion, while also ending a title drought for Yamaha dating back to Jorge Lorenzo in 2015.
The French rider, who stepped up to the factory Yamaha squad in 2021 to take Valentino Rossi’s place, won five times and scored four other podiums to wrap up the championship with two rounds to spare – his winning margin 26 points over Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia in the end.
The 2021 Yamaha was a much-improved package over its predecessor, with Quartararo able to have much more consistency across the campaign than he did in 2020.
But the bike still lacked horsepower, with Yamaha unable to develop its engine in 2021 owing to a development freeze forced by the COVID-19 pandemic on Yamaha, Honda, Ducati and Suzuki (Aprilia and KTM could start 2021 with a new engine as they were approved concession manufacturers last year).
Following his title triumph at Misano in October, Quartararo was asked if he felt he had the best bike on the grid – but said, based on what he’d seen of his rivals, he didn’t.
“I do not know. I don’t try yet the Honda, the Ducati,” Quartararo said.
“What we can say is that looking at all the other riders and comments, looks like no.
“But for me it’s working pretty well, we are world champions.
“So, I think that we can be really happy. We need to work, to be honest I’m feeling really good with the bike but struggling in many, many areas to overtake.
“It depends on the track, this track was so difficult.
Read Also:Gresini feared MotoGP team would fold after team owner’s deathHow Williams helped a MotoGP legend after his own life-changing accidentDucati says Bagnaia keeps exceeding expectations
“But we know, everybody knows where we need to improve – horsepower.
“With horsepower I think we can have the best bike of the paddock, but I think Yamaha knows where they need to work and right now I can’t say if it’s the best or not.
“But we are world champions.”
Quartararo was left unhappy after November’s post-season test at Jerez with a lack of progress from Yamaha on its 2022 bike, and said he wouldn’t sign anything for 2023 until he’s seen what the team brings to the Sepang pre-season test in February .
Gresini feared MotoGP team would fold after team owner’s death
According to the recently-released Culture Rising: 2022 Trends Report by Facebook IQ, conversations about influencer marketing are on the rise. On Facebook, topics such as “brand ambassador” and “social influence” went up by 131% and 91%, respectively. Meanwhile, on Instagram, the topic #Microinfluencer rose by 384%, while #Creator saw a 76% boost. What’s more, 40% of their survey respondents said that they aspire to be successful influencers or creators.
In recent years, social media has offered new opportunities for creatives to share their stories, showcase their talents, and earn income by doing what they love. We can see it in popular brand ambassadorships, influencer marketing, vlogging channels, and beyond. In turn, we’ve also seen images of everyday creators in their element crop up in the worlds of marketing and advertising. In this guide, we’ll cover some of our key tips for visualizing creator culture on social media in 2022.
Note: When photographing social media trends, only champion safe practices. Never promote dangerous challenges or activities that could cause harm.
Tip #1: Capture behind-the-scenes moments
Of course, the action often starts before the camera’s rolling. “Social media creators put a lot of time and effort into making their videos, so consider shooting the setup process and the behind-the-scenes aspects that help tell a story,” the 500px team urges. Here’s where collaboration pays off; by working with a real-life creator, rather than a professional model, you’ll get those natural shots of your models interacting with their gear.
Additionally, put some time into scouting and styling your location; in many cases, your models’ home will serve as your backdrop, so include items that capture their personality, identity, and self-expression. If you’re shooting on location, capture what’s unique or special about the space. Get some wide, environmental shots, and then zoom in to highlight the details.
Tip #2: Embrace tech
Embrace all the tools your model uses to create content, whether it’s a video camera, microphone, or ring light. As long as you avoid any branded details, such as logos, design elements, buttons, and ports, feel free to include any wireless devices in your shoots, while capturing them from all angles and perspectives. When it comes to social media, technology is a given, but beyond laptops and phones, you can get creative with wearable tech devices (for social media workouts, for example) and even VR headsets.
In a recent trend report, titled Into the Metaverse, Wunderman Thompson Intelligence provided a glimpse of what digital spaces could look like heading into the future. Social media platforms are helping to drive our expansion into virtual spaces; TikTok, for example, is creating an AR development platform, TikTok Effect Studio. Meanwhile, Facebook has pioneered VR and AR research through Reality Labs. Going forward, it might be worth illustrating how influencers and content creators are entering the metaverse and expanding their brands.
Tip #3: Get candid
Genuinfluencers is a term first coined by WGSN to describe an emerging class of influencers who prioritize relatability and transparency over being aspirational. Beyond just selling products, many of today’s influencers use their channels to engage in meaningful conversations, share advice, and spread valuable information. For that reason, it’s important to capture content creators in a candid, genuine light, rather than leaning into the “flawless” influencer trope of previous years.
In your lifestyle shoots, document the creative process itself, rather than staged or posed shots. “Photograph your subject in action,” the team at 500px suggests. “Candid shots work extremely well for this kind of content because authenticity and realness are key factors in the social world. Capture moments of joy and silliness. You might even consider asking your model to read comments from the community out loud to get honest expressions.”
Tip #4: Be inclusive
When we talk about authenticity in social media, we’re also talking about inclusivity. As part of a recent trend report, Getty Images drew our attention back to photo manipulation and unrealistic beauty standards on social media, encouraging creatives and marketers to embrace body positivity across the board. While their research indicates that two out of three people believe it’s important for brands they support to celebrate diversity of all kinds, fewer than 1% of top visuals included people with larger frames.
Of course, inclusive casting means hiring models across gender identities, abilities, and backgrounds. Age diversity is an overlooked but crucial theme in commercial photography, so celebrate everyone from teens/youth to seniors in the influencer space. Be sure to take an intersectional approach to diversity and champion underrepresented voices.
The stakes are high here: the influencer marketing industry has a history of underpaying Black women, so it’s especially important to give credit where it’s due and give representation to people who’ve paved the way yet remained undervalued. You could even offer to take photos for a content creator to use in their own marketing materials, supporting their business while growing your Licensing portfolio at the same time.
Tip #5: Anticipate trends
From dance challenges to virtual reality concerts, social media is often at the forefront of emerging cultural trends. The 2022 Instagram Trend Report, released in December of 2021, offers a valuable point of departure. Among their findings, for instance, is the fact that more than one in four teens report trying something new like baking bread and outlandish cakes, inspired by creators on Instagram. Meanwhile, more than one in three teens were excited to see more dance challenges in the new year.
Tellingly, one in four 13- to 24-year-olds agreed that micro-influencers with loyal and highly engaged followings are most important for the creation of new trends. Curate your Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok feeds based on the influencers and micro-influencers set to shape the new year. If your focus is on social media food trends, for instance, you might follow Tabitha Brown; if your interest lies in beauty, maybe you follow Nyma Tang.
Here’s where collaborating with a micro-influencer can also prove invaluable, as they can tip you off to some of the trends happening in their respective niches. “As with everything in the commercial world, you need to be quick in recognizing trends,” the team at 500px elaborates. “Trends that have surfaced online in the past have come in the form of challenges, community-based initiatives, flash mobs, and so on.” Next week’s trends could be something else, so keep your eyes peeled.
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The post Capturing the age of influencers and sharing on social media appeared first on 500px.
Ezra Beaubier up on the footpegs and spurring his BMW M 1000 RR on to COTA. Photo courtesy of Motorsport Exotica Orange Cat Racing Blood Sweat Tears team.
Former MotoAmerica road racer Ezra Beaubier is making his return to the MotoAmerica grid beginning next weekend at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas. The 21-year-old brother of five-time MotoAmerica Superbike Champion and current Moto2 World Championship rider Cameron Beaubier will compete in the entire 2022 MotoAmerica Stock 1000 Championship and Superbike Cup aboard the #16 2022 BMW M 1000 RR.
Ezra is racing for Motorsport Exotica, a Southern California motorcycle race shop that has entered into a partnership with Orange Cat Racing (OCR) and Blood Sweat Tears Vodka (BST) to create the Motorsport Exotica Orange Cat Racing Blood Sweat Tears team.
“I’ve been training and preparing for an opportunity like this for a long, long time,” Ezra said. “I was stoked when Motorsport Exotica called me two years ago to ride with them at the club level, but this really is my dream. With my family name now fairly well-known in the MotoAmerica paddock, I am really looking forward to giving people another ‘Beaubier’ to talk about!”
The team and Ezra were planning to compete again this year in the California Roadrace Association (CRA) and American Federation of Motorcyclists (AFM), but after team manager and crew chief Jarred Fixler had discussions with Andrew Sieja, founder of Orange Cat Racing in Chicago, and Umberto Luchini and Brian Kirschenmann from Wolf Distilleries/Blood Sweat Tears Vodka, they were able to make the jump up to the MotoAmerica Championship.
“Andrew and I, along with our existing sponsors, came to this final arrangement for the team on February 23, 2022, and we haven’t slept since,” commented Fixler. “BMW really stepped up and helped us secure not one, but two 2022 M 1000 RR motorcycles. We’ve had a steady stream of parts rolling in daily as we get these bikes ready and dialed in for COTA.
“The Motorsport Exotica Orange Cat Racing Blood Sweat Tears team is supported not only by OCR and BST but also by Motoworks Chicago, a BMW dealership that is helping us with all the team’s BMW OEM parts needs; CTML IT Consultants, who are providing IT assistance trackside; Apex Assassins, who are providing track time for testing; Core Moto; Superlite Sprockets; CT Racing; Weir Everywhere Racing; and Bell Helmets.
“We really couldn’t be happier with this program. We’re excited to step up and generate a name for the new team. With our opening race being the same weekend as MotoGP and Moto2 at COTA. I know both the Beaubier brothers are surely ready to roll!”
Ezra previously competed in MotoAmerica’s 2015 and 2016 KTM RC Cup Championships, and in 2017, he raced in MotoAmerica Superstock 600. Since then, he has done most of his racing in CRA and AFM. Last year, aboard a Motorsport Exotica Kawasaki ZX-10R, he won three out of the seven AFM Formula Pacific races and very nearly clinched the season championship, which was won by his good friend and fellow MotoAmerica competitor Cory Ventura, who has also returned to MotoAmerica for the full season and is competing aboard an MP13 Racing Yamaha YZF-R7 in the Twins Cup Championship.
For the full 2022 MotoAmerica schedule and to purchase tickets for MotoAmerica events, click HERE
For information on how to watch the MotoAmerica series, click HERE
Factory Ducati rider Danilo Petrucci set the initial pace in FP2 with a 1m58.583s, though this was quickly beaten by KTM’s Pol Espargaro with a 1m57.583s.
Championship leader Fabio Quartararo deposited the factory KTM man with a 1m57.564s, before Joan Mir leaped up to top spot on the Suzuki with a 1m57.445s.
This stood as the benchmark until the closing six minutes, when most of the field opted for a time attack on soft rubber.
Morbidelli blitzed the pack with a 1m56.509s, and this lap would remain intact until after the checkered flag, when team-mate Quartararo started lighting up the timing screens.
Quartararo was repeatedly caught on camera visibly angry, and was shaking his head after firing in the 1m56.502s lap which put him into top spot at the end of the session.
Tech3’s Miguel Oliveira completed the top three, 0.048s off top spot at a KTM circuit does come armed with recent data of courtesy of a private test with Dani Pedrosa last month.
Avintia’s Johann Zarco leaped up to fourth late on to end the day as top Ducati runner, with Maverick Vinales fifth on the works Yamaha.
Mir was shuffled back to sixth ahead of Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro, while his KTM-mounted brother Pol was a further 0.018s adrift in eighth.
FP1 pacesetter Takaaki Nakagami was ninth and top Honda runner on the year-old LCR RC213V, with Pramac Ducati’s Jack Miller completing the top 10 ahead of Brad Binder in 11th on the KTM.
Neither works team Ducati riders currently occupy a provisional Q2 place, with Petrucci heading Andrea Dovizioso in 14th – the latter not bettering his time from FP1.
Valentino Rossi was 12th on the sister works team Yamaha ahead of the still-injured Suzuki of Alex Rins, with Alex Marquez 16th on the Honda after suffering a technical issue early in the session.
Marc Marquez’s stand-in Stefan Bradl once again propped up the field, some 1.922s off the pace as he gears up for his first MotoGP race in almost a year.
Pramac’s Francesco Bagnaia was absent from FP2 while undergoing checks in hospital on a fractured knee suffered in a crash in FP1.
He will sit out the rest of the Czech GP weekend and will be out of action at next week’s Austrian GP.
Maverick Viñales believes 2018 has been the toughest season of his career, but believes his overall experiences with Yamaha’s MotoGP squad have been “constructive” and “positive” as he bids to become “one of the greatest.”
The 23-year old was speaking ahead of the season’s finale at Valencia, where he detailed his excitement at the possibility of testing parts of the 2019 M1 next Tuesday and Wednesday. “I’ve never been so motivated to start a season as I am now,” he said.
And Viñales went on to state his belief that he can be among the names challenging for next year’s title if the machinery is up to it. To do that, he said, “is the thing I want most in life.”
“Since I’m here, yes [2018 was the hardest]. 2012 was tough, but it was just Moto3. It’s not this big class. You know, when you grow up, you understand many things, you understand what you really want, and what I want is the title.
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“It’s the thing I most want in life. So going through, when I started here in 2016, I felt I could have it. Already in the first year, in 2017, when I started so good, so I said, this is my year. And then things started to go wrong and wrong and wrong, so…
“It’s always difficult, but I take these two seasons as constructive seasons, positive, trying to forget the bad moments. Because finally it made me stronger, and it made me a better rider for the future. So there are a lot of years to go, and I hope that I can be one of the greatest.”
What are his thoughts on testing on Tuesday and Wednesday? “I’m excited, I’m motivated,” he said. “I’m really happy to start the new season, trying to change a little bit the way to work, and I think we need to be a little bit more intelligent, a little bit more able to understand what the bike needs to go fast , not just for one lap.
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“[It’s] Important to know when conditions are difficult, that is when we struggled the most. And as you said, some changes in the box, but I think for my riding style, for my way to be on the box, it’s much better.
“So let’s see. I’m curious to see, and as I said, I’m happy that I’m really motivated, that finally, it works quite well in these last four races and I can be again confident on the bike, that was very important for me, because if you arrive here without confidence, no motivation, so difficult to work.
“But I felt good, I felt really grateful after the win in Australia, so my mind is just on working and trying to do a good weekend.”
Viñales also confirmed that he had a revised, reshaped seat on his M1 from the Japanese Grand Prix, which allowed him to move around more freely.
“The only thing I tested that was different was the seat, which is more narrow. I started in Japan. I started in FP1 in Japan. So some races. So it makes it easier to go side to side on the bike, so that’s the only part.
“But basically it was basic setup, just more weight on the rear, trying to make the rear tire work, and it helped for me.
“I ride a lot with the gas always, so when I have grip I can do really good, but when I don’t have grip, for me it’s really difficult. So I mean, we are trying to understand better also the Michelin tyres.
“I don’t think we still know everything about the tires, so we need to investigate and try to follow in this line we are following now.”
Quartararo has made no secret of his displeasure at an apparent lack of progress from Yamaha in getting more top speed from his bike and said in pre-season testing that he’d already reached the limit of the 2022 M1.
The reigning world champion could do no better than the 11th on the grid for Sunday’s 22-lap season-opener under the floodlights in Qatar, but was still predicted by rivals to be strong in the race.
However, Quartararo was unable to advance on seventh after a strong opening lap and was ultimately pipped to eighth by Pramac’s Johann Zarco by 0.007 seconds – with the Yamaha rider 10.543s off of winner Enea Bastianini.
With all five of Yamaha’s manufacturer rivals finishing ahead of him in Sunday’s Qatar GP, Quartararo admits going forward that he “cannot be confident” in the package he has.
“Well, knowing that last year we won both races and now we finish basically behind, quite far back, of course I’m worried,” he said.
“I will not say I’m confident. We make fourth row, going to Q1 in Qatar.
“So, I will say I cannot be super confident. But I’ll always say, I’m not an engineer.
“My job is to give 100% and focus for every race, and I give my 100% in every condition; if I’m fighting for the victory, P3, P5, P9, I give my 100%.
“So, that is something that for sure I will give my best whatever the position I get.”
Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Explaining what went wrong in his race, Quartararo says the pressure in his front tire went through the roof after just two laps.
This is typically a problem Yamaha riders face in the pack, with its lack of top speed stopping them from being able to overtake on straights.
Extreme front tire pressure problems are also nothing new to Quartararo, who had an Aragon race in 2020 wrecked by the same issue.
“I made a great start, then from second lap we had already tire pressure go super high,” he added.
‘”That was basically a bit strange that it was from second lap, and then the pace just dropped.
“Basically, I have no idea. I pushed my maximum but then our rear tyre, front, dropped.
“To be honest I don’t know. I expected a little bit more pace but right now we couldn’t do better and that’s the problem.”
In the spring of 2020, at the height of the pandemic, a Sotheby’s auction sale reached $3 million, breaking the existing record for an online sale of photography at the famed auction house. The sale included 227 images by legendary photographers, including Ansel Adams and Henri Cartier-Bresson, with the top lot going to a 1922 photogram by the Bauhaus photographer László Moholy-Nagy (it sold for $524,000).
The auction provided a glimmer of hope during an uncertain time for the art industry, while also underscoring photography’s growing importance among collectors. The fact that an early photogram by the remarkably innovative Moholy-Nagy took the top spot was the icing on the cake, signaling the enduring value of avant-garde and experimental photography.
Experimental photography is a broad category with shifting definitions, but for our purposes, we’re referring to any photo-based artworks made with unconventional processes or materials. This definition includes historic alternative processes like cyanotypes, tintypes, sun prints, chemigrams, or lumen prints, and it also includes avant-garde uses of digital post-production tools. It could involve using a homemade pinhole camera or “souping” your film by soaking it in various liquids. Maybe it involves forgoing a camera altogether to create photograms in the darkroom with light-sensitive paper.
While the worlds of cryptocurrency/crypto art and analog experimentation might seem unrelated, both have helped reshape and redefine how we think about photography today. After all, non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, are, in and of themselves, experimental. In recent months, we’ve seen ideas ranging from NFT-funded cafés to generative art projects made using hash attributes on the Ethereum blockchain.
Saudi Princess Reem Al Faisal, a passionate analog and digital photographer with an eye for medium format, recently ventured into NFTs, launching a metaverse art gallery. Prada and adidas even launched an NFT collab featuring user-generated artwork, while inviting their followers to submit their own anonymized photographs for a final piece to be created by the digital artist Zach Lieberman.
The rise of new and groundbreaking digital technologies has, perhaps paradoxically, also corresponded with a resurgence in analog experimentation and traditional photography. In 2020, NBC Left Field released a documentary on the film photography renaissance among the younger generation, citing the millions of pictures tagged #FilmIsNotDead on social media. The team at Kodak explained that social media, in fact, had helped drive the uptick in interest in film. Vintage camera sales soared.
The darkroom has always been fertile ground for experimental techniques and groundbreaking approaches in fine art photography. In 2018, the Tate Modern in London hosted a major exhibition on experimental photography, Shape of Light: 100 Years of Photography and Abstract Art, featuring influential experiments by Moholy-Nagy and Man Ray as well as Daisuke Yokota, who intentionally damages his negatives to create otherworldly abstractions.
Photo manipulation, whether in the darkroom or computer, also plays a role in the history of experimental photography. Nearly a decade ago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted a major exhibition to the history of photo manipulation before the digital age. Titled Faking It: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop, the show included works made from the 1940s to the 1990s. Among them were double exposures, photomontages, and more.
At times, the virtual and physical art worlds might feel disconnected, but both can work as sources of inspiration. In 2018, the same year Man Ray’s “rayographs” and Moholy-Nagy’s photograms stunned audiences at the Tate Modern, a digital art movement was brewing in the background—on the blockchain. Kevin Abosch, a photographer and conceptual artist we mentioned previously in our article on the history of digital art, made some of the most influential early work based on the blockchain, including a piece based on a photograph of a rose.
Heading into 2022, industry experts predict more and more overlap between the NFT community and the traditional art world as we know it. One inspiring example of analog-meets-crypto can be found in the oeuvre of the artist Rhiannon Adam, whose work explores the intersection of Polaroid film and web3. In conversation with the British Journal of Photography in 2021, she spoke about the possibilities of using the blockchain to preserve and archive analog works, rather than replacing them. Another can be found in the work of Justin Aversano, who is well known in both the photography and NFT communities, and his recent cyanotype collection on OpenSea.
Of course, experimental techniques don’t have to be entirely analog. They can also be digital, and this idea is perhaps best represented by the famous artist Lucas Blalock, known for mind-bending and surreal still lives. He uses a large format film camera, but after scanning the images, he uses Photoshop tools as a kind of playground or “digital darkroom.”
If we turn our attention back to photography NFTs, this new frontier expands to include Photoshop artists like Anna McNaught, known for her fantastical digital creations. Her vibrant photographic dreamscapes have made a splash on several NFT platforms, pointing to where the market might be headed in the near future.
The 500px team sees 2022 as the dawn of a new era in creativity, with personal expression and eclectic influences colliding to create artworks that feel new, layered, and decadent. “As we slowly leave the chaos and isolation of the past two years behind, we enter into a sonic creative boom, much like the roaring ’20s a century ago,” the team shares, citing new research from Trend Hunter. The collage renaissance and the emergence of maximalism across the worlds of fashion, art, and design also contribute to this vibrant and expansive sensibility.
“These trends come together to expand the possibilities of photography itself, featuring the process itself as part of the artwork,” the team at 500px explains. “The philosopher Marshall McLuhan famously said, ‘The medium is the message,’ meaning that the technology that conveys any message, whether it be paper or a non-fungible token, shapes our perception and understanding of it.
“The multi-layered nature of experimental photography fits very well with the experimental nature of the NFT itself, so we’re predicting a lot more creative mashups in the future, with photographers mastering new and historical processes and making them their own. That could mean layering and mixing various mediums, using scanner beds, chemical processes, homemade pinhole cameras, and beyond.”
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Check out these articles to get to know more about NFTs: What You Need to Know About NFTs as a Photographer
The 500px guide to understanding NFT and crypto buzzwords
Four Reasons Why NFTs Are A Great Fit for Photographers
What to Consider When Buying NFTs
How to Price your Artwork
How to Safeguard your Artwork or Art Collections
The post NFT Trends: How experimental photography is expanding into the NFT space appeared first on 500px.
