photofinish

A NASCAR official in the foreground waves the checkered flag as Daniel Suarez beats Kyle Bush and Ryan Blaney across the finish line.

Photographer Captures Unique Shot of a Legendary NASCAR Photo Finish

The second race of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season was an absolute thrill, with a trio of cars crossing the finish line side-by-side, creating a "photo finish" and one of the most incredible endings to a race ever. Photographer Alex Slitz was at the finish line next to the NASCAR official waving the checkered flag, capturing one of the best photos ever of a photo finish.

The Role of the Slit-Scan Image in Science and Art

The use of slit-scan photography is actually quite old. It is often called line-scan, photo finish, or streak photography. Slit-scan photography has a rich and colorful history rooted in chemical analog photography. This technique is often used to visualize high-speed events such as missiles and bullets, although it is probably best known as photo finish photography used to determine the outcome of races.

This Camera Ensures a Photo Finish at the Olympics

Since 1932, the renowned Swiss watchmaker Omega has served as Official Timekeeper at the Olympic Games 26 times. This year at the Rio Olympics, Omega is once again providing finish line cameras to provide officials and the public with the most precise view of the athletes.

Old Film SLR Converted into a Slit-Scan “Photo Finish” Camera

Slit-scan cameras are used to shoot finish line photos due to the fact that recording a moving subject along a strip of film makes it impossible to miss any frames. Engineer and photographer James Guerin was interested in the distinctive look, so he went about building his own slit-scan film camera using an old Pentax SLR.

He ended up with the heavily modified camera seen above: a Pentax ME Super SLR that's equipped with a special winding system that automatically moves film across a narrow slit as the photos are being exposed.