Three years later, one of my 2009 rally shots makes the cover

I was really pissed off when the BMW MOA Owners News editors didn’t use a single one of the scores of images I shot as a volunteer photographer at the 2009 national rally in Johnson City, Tenn.

I worked in a similar capacity the previous year at the rally in Gillette, Wyo. and several of my shots turned up in the rally wrap-up issue for 2008.

To make it worse, I was suffering from a very nasty case of plantar fasciitis at Johnson City that made standing and walking painful. (Happily, my chiropractor hooked me up with custom designed orthotics later that summer that cured my condition overnight.)

I got a message earlier this week from Indianapolis BMW Club friend Jim Stocking saying that one of my photos was on the cover of the July Owners News.

I pulled my copy out of the post office box today, studied the cover and was delighted to see one of my 2009 rally shots finally saw print – a nice portrait of Jim and his dog down in the bottom right corner of the cover. And Jim’s face is the most recognizable of all of those on the cover.

Now I feel vindicated.

But I’m done being an official rally photographer. I’m going for the fun this year.