-2014 Through My Eyes-
It's been a good while since I have had a chance to post anything, so I guess I'll get back into the swing of things with my favorite images from 2014. I thought 2013 was wild with adventures and traveling, but after going through the 100,000+ images I shot in 2014, I realized that the previous year was rather mild.
Here is one of my favorites from my 3 week stay in Indiana in June.
One of the coolest parts about traveling 6 months out of the year is all the awesome things you get to see. I visited a ton of states in 2014. Some I was fortunate enough to return to on multiple occasions. The best part about shooting Drag Racing is that you have a good bit of down time during the week to explore and check out the towns surrounding the track. Here are some of my favorite shots I took while living at racetracks across the United States.
A Brown Fence Lizard posing for me in Bradenton, Florida.
This was without a doubt the most beautiful sunrise of 2014.
Super Buck Blast - SGMP - Adel, Georgia.
Tennessee is my favorite state aside from Ohio for more than a few reasons. Here is a shot from
the creek that flows through the Bristol Motor Speedway complex in Bristol, Tennessee.
Unfortunately my visit to Bristol was a few weeks before the Fall color really filled in. Here is another photo about a mile up stream from the waterdrop photo. Nothing beats the scenery of a mountainside stream.
The infamous crossover bride at Lucas Oil Raceway silhouetted by a gorgeous sunset.
The coolest part about staying at Lucas Oil Raceway for 3 weeks was getting to walk around during the week and photograph every nook and cranny of the facility. In my opinion Indy is the most historic track in all of Drag Racing. It sure is a beautiful place. In the 3 weeks I was there in June, I probably took 2,500 photos.
The Christmas Tree at Lucas Oil Raceway.
A picnic table silhouetted by a pretty sunset shortly after a thunderstorm from my fall visit to Indy for the NMCA World Finals.
A helicopter helps to hang high tension lines outside of Bradenton Motorsports Park in Bradenton, Florida.
A vibrant sunset lights the motocross track at Silver Dollar Raceway in Reynolds, Georgia.
I Since we covered some of the tracks I stayed at throughout the summer, how about I show you my favorite Drag Racing photos from a few other tracks I visited. Bring on the horsepower!
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Tyler Bohannon on the bars at the Ohio Crankshaft No Box Nationals in Lyons, Indiana. My maiden voyage to Lyons Dragway. Very neat track!
You never know what you'll see at Lucas Oil Raceway's Wide Open Wednesday's. The new Chevy C7 Stingray Corvette sure is a beauty.
Jerico Balduf doing some testing prior to Bradenton Motorsports Park's Outlaw Drag Racing Championships. His Batman themed 1941 Willys Promod definitely knows how to make you do a double take.
Larry Higginbottham waits under the bridge at Memphis International Raceway prior to a sub 4 second test run at the inaugural PDRA Memphis Drags. Memphis, Tennessee.
Mick Snyder wheels his beautiful Powersource Transportation, Pro Extreme '63 'Vette down the 1,320' at U.S 131 in Martin, Michigan.
Kyle Rokosky takes the NW Photography "Beast" Rhino hunting at Mid Michigan Motorsports Park in beautiful Stanton, Michigan.
John Vergotz of Erie, Pennsylvania boils the hides on his extraordinary R&R Auto Body painted 1968 Pro Nitrous Chevrolet Camaro at Thompson Raceway Park. Thompson, Ohio.
The infamous nitromethane belching Harley Davidsons of the IHRA Nitro Jam circuit. Pittsburgh Raceway Park. New Alexandria, Pennsylvania.
Kenny Lang burns some rubber on the Canada based 1968 Camaro backed by Summit Racing Equipment during some Pre-Gator Testing at Bradenton Motorsports Park. Bradenton, Florida.
Don Walsh Jr. makes a hit in the alluring new Precision Turbo & Engine house car built by Larry Jeffers. Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park. Norwalk, Ohio.
Mike Williams hugs the centerline at Thunder Valley just a second before getting into the retaining wall. Bristol, Tennessee.
Paul Molnar takes his maiden voyage in the freshly painted Absolute Machine Tools Outlaw Dragster. Thompson Raceway Park. Thompson Ohio.
John DeCerbo of Canfield, Ohio suffers a horrendous nitrous backfire during testing at Memphis International Raceway. Memphis, Tennessee.
Outlaw 10.5 standout Taylor Lastor during the opening round of qualifying at the Las Vegas installment of the Street Car Super Nationals. Las Vegas, Nevada.
Camp Stanley pulls the flawless 2014 Jeffers built Cadillac CTS-V, piloted by "The Giant Killer" John Stanley into the beams at the Street Car Super Nationals. Stanley & Weiss Racing managed to get their hands on the first of these monsters, and let me tell you, "It ain't your Daddy's Cadi!"
As I looked through photos for a few days, I realized that this post would not be complete without some of my more extreme images. I now present you with my favorite BMX and MTB photos of 2014.
Pro MTB rider Reed Boggs tries to convince that he's Clark Kent with a Massive Superman at Ray's MTB of Cleveland, Ohio.
Ryan Pillar rips a lookback air on the 6ft Quarter Pipe at Painesville, Ohio's Recreation Park.
Up and coming Supercross rider, Dakota Reed gets his footing on a Can Jam at Ray's.
The Lord of the Flair. Gage Sharp gets upside down on the street spine at Ray's MTB of Ohio.
Jason Perz of Thriller BMX Team cranks out a 3 Flatty at Ray's. Click the photo to see what Thriller is all about. You won't regret it!
Gage Sharp Dips a big ol' 360 over the Deity Box.
Ryan Pillar does one of the highest Tabletops Ray's MTB has ever seen.
Reed Boggs blasts an Underflip in front of some spectators at Ray's MTB #CLE
The one and only, Gage Sharp Snaps an Invert on the Kenda Hip.
Reed Boggs Manuals through some rollers in Ray's freshly revamped Dirtroom ,constructed by Pump Trax USA.
Now that we got rad with some of the coolest dudes on bikes, let's get soft with my favorite Nature images of 2014. I had a blast getting lost in the woods, walking through the river, climbing up trees, and doing so many other things to snap these. I hope they paint a picture in your mind that makes you feel as if you were there with me when I captured them.
A midnight image of the Fairport Harbor Lighthouse Museum. Fairport, Ohio.
Long exposure of some fast moving clouds during a vibrant sunset. Fairport, Ohio.
This overly friendly Garden Spider loved posing for me. Painesville, Ohio.
An elegant sunset reflects in a puddle at the old concrete plant in Fairport, Ohio.
Enjoying clouds in a field in Mentor, Ohio.
On a trip to Pittsburgh for an IHRA Pro-Am I stopped on the side of the road cause I found a cool stream running through the woods. To my pleasant surprise I found a field of these as well.
Anyone who knows my style of shooting knows that I will capitalize on any opportunity I get to shoot a silhouette.
Enjoying the boats and the stars at the Fairport Harbor Pier. Fairport, Ohio.
One of the last images I shot before the change of the year. Something about the Shale just really caught my eye. Location Unknown. Somewhere upstream of Indian Point.
90% of the population wouldn't believe this photo was taken during the middle of Winter. 100% of Ohio citizens won't argue it. Helen Hazen Wyman Park. Painesville, Ohio.
I love shooting stars any chance I get. Fairport, Ohio.
There's something about Icicles on rock faces that is quite intriguing. Helen Hazen - Painesville, Ohio.
My overly aggressive Green Iguana, Iggy.
A long exposure abstract image I shot in the front seat of my car, waiting for a rainstorm to pass so I could shoot at the Pier.
During the months I'm home, I would say I spend about 50% of my free time at the Pier. I apologize for the ridiculous amount of images I post from here, but there is always something neat happening here. Not to mention it's the most peaceful place in Lake County.
Stuck at a red light trying to hurry to the pier to shoot the image posted before this one. My burned out mirror defroster gives the image a nice warm feel.
A long exposure from the Train Trestle in Painesville.
I think the most entertaining part of my long exposure shots from 2014, is that my Tripod was MIA for 90% of the year. It really helped me think outside the box, and allowed me to capture images most photographers wouldn't be willing to set up for. I've used things like rocks in the middle of a river, fallen trees, a bird's nest, the roof of my car, and so many other odd things. Of course my camera ended up in a few muddy situations, got dropped in streams, fell out of trees and so on. Fortunately the folks at Sony build one hell of a camera!
Every so often I am able to make a trip to DB Signs & Designs in New Springfield, Ohio. My days with CEO Doug Baer yield images like this. If you wish to see what kind of work they do, click the DB logo at the top right of the page!
All through my childhood I would pick these flowers every year for my Mom to put in her little white vase. Now that I'm older, I've grown out of picking them, and I have moved on to capturing images of them for Mom to hang on the walls.
During 2014, I spent a great amount of time away from home. Any trip home during the Summer and Fall generally consisted of a few days to get gear and clothes, then right back to it. The hardest part of traveling is missing things like birthdays and weddings. Not getting to see your family, or hang out with your friends for months on end. Those are the things that make coming home all the more special though. Here are a few images of my closest friends that made it worth coming home.
My good friend Gage Sharp. If that name sounds familiar, that's because you just saw him upside down on a bike a few images ago. One of the most genuine people I've had the privilege of meeting, and all because of a camera.
Shane Richards. A kid I've known since I was just 6 years old. If I'm not working or shooting and you can't find me, chances are good I'm on his couch, raiding his fridge, or ripping up Ohio with him. Very fortunate to have people like this in my life.
The King of Flounders. Joe Sutch. Another person I've known since the age of 6. Always down for an adventure, tacos, and kicking stuff. Stay golden pony boy.
The Young Vanilla Killa. Ryan Pillar. Yet another good friend I've made because of a camera and some tuning with two wheels.
The one and only, Lauren Horst. Whether it be calling me to keep me awake on 12 hour drives to another track, skipping rocks at the pier, or arguing with people at fast food joints, Laureny always makes me smile when I come to town.
Little Brittany Ness. One of the few people I really connected with in High School. I was fortunate enough to get to shoot her senior pictures during one of my stops through town to get clothes.
There's a few other people who could end up in that group of favorites, but those are the friends I have photos of! The biggest group of people that are too cool for photos, but deserve a mention are my family starting with my Mom and Dad. They have supported me since I first picked up a camera in June of 2009. Whether it be helping me get new gear, or loaning me a truck to drive all over the country, a ride to the airport, or giving me a place to stay when I finally come home. They are the ones who make the dream work. Next, my kid brother Kyle. He parked the hotrod more than a few times last year to come help me work a race when I was in a pinch. My Mimi; The most knowledgeable person I know, and the greatest Grandmother on the planet. Your support and advice is like no other. My Nephew, for the entertaining phone calls when I was missing home or having a bad day. Bryan Epps and Chris Simmons, for believing in a 19 year old kid and letting him live his dream. Audra, for the excellent hospitality while I was on the road. All the racers and fantastic customers. Lastly, My Camera; for giving me something to pour my heart and mind into.
With all that said, I have one last image, and some exciting news that some of you already know. So here it is.
-"Mount St. Hell"-
Mount St. Hell. Lighting & Special Effects by Kyle Rokosky. Image by Cole Rokosky.
The first of five images from our new "Waves & Anger" collection available to you at the end of January 2015.
Waves & Anger will consist of 5 images. 25 8x10's, 10 Chroma-Lux Aluminum Panels, and 5 Canvas Gallery Wraps will be available for each image. A collaboration with artists of Ohio. Like nothing you've seen before. We will have more information in just a few short days. We can't wait for you to see the other 4 images!
Well folks, that's a wrap!
Hope you enjoyed my favorite images of 2014.
Until next time, stay safe and live happy!
-Cole
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