I first carried a bag for Joe DiMaggio as an assistant at the 1982 Indy 500. That year Joe captured the quentisential final line image for Sports Illustrated of what was then the closest finish in Indy history. Twenty-four years later I followed in one of my mentors' footsteps when my photo of the 2006 Indy 500 finish was double-trucked in the same publication. As a youth I was amazed at Joe's ability to come up with unique angles to frequently photographed subject. I still have a racing wall calendar from 1978 that features an image of Joe's that still grabs my attention... It was a wide angle photo of one of Tom Sneva's pit stops with a nomex clad crewman staring back at the camera after he drew the "catch can" back from the car. It's that type of angle I try and seek today.
(Oh, and Joe's great for learning how to bluff your way into a fully booked steak house (such as St. Elmo's in Indy) without a reservation on race weekend!)
Geoff Miller, Photographer
