Hi all, March 3, 2012 was the first road event for the 2012 Colorado racing season...I mean bike racing Anyways, after shooting cyclocross all winter, which is slower moving, it is good to get back on the asphalt and get a better feel what settings need to be adjusted before the season goes into full swing. I was shooting for myself on spec. The Frostbite Time Trial was an 11.5 mile out & back time trial along the frontage road of I-25 near Buckeye, Colorado...15 minutes north of Fort Collins. The weather was in the low to upper 30's F with some of the windiest conditions I have ever raced & shot in...wind speeds ranged from a sustained 30 miles per hour with gusts reaching over 50 mph! Real intense! Anyways, time trials are generally sorta boring to shoot in terms of the race dynamics. Because of this, I have included a cross section of images...some shot very tight, others I threw the creative flare. On many of my images, including these, I used fill flash. Comments appreciated! Thanks for looking!
Awesome shots Dejan! It looks like you really have your panning technique down pat! Were you shooting some of these from a car or a motorcycle?
Were these local club racers because, most of them are riding some pretty expensive gear. That Specialized Shiv and the Parlee are both pretty sweet rides. I'm kind of suprised that some of the riders were using a full disc in the rear with such high winds.
Very pretty and clean. Nice work. It looks like you were up on a plain of some kind. Any shot wide to give a sense of wide open space? Maybe not what the riders want, but can work well for general editorial usage.
madmat wrote:
Awesome shots Dejan! It looks like you really have your panning technique down pat! Were you shooting some of these from a car or a motorcycle?
Were these local club racers because, most of them are riding some pretty expensive gear. That Specialized Shiv and the Parlee are both pretty sweet rides. I'm kind of suprised that some of the riders were using a full disc in the rear with such high winds.
Can't wait to see more posts.
Matt
Thanks Matt! I was shooting from the ground surface. I had some nice options...road, ditch or berms...all along the course. The race was sanctioned by the USAC. Out here in Colorado, we have few, if any, club races. There are soo many large teams in a small area...unlike say Buffalo, NY where there are numerous smaller teams and one very large club / team which puts on club races. The wind was a cross tailwind out, and a cross head wind back. Kevin, the rider in the green kit, is a former team mate of mine, who also had the fastest time of the day, said this was the windiest he had ever raced in. Kevin rode close to the yellow line back to take into account those strong gusts which could throw him into the ditch!
cocodrillo wrote:
Very pretty and clean. Nice work. It looks like you were up on a plain of some kind. Any shot wide to give a sense of wide open space? Maybe not what the riders want, but can work well for general editorial usage.
Geoff, I usually do pretty good with sales on TT's. But I was more interested in getting settings figured out and trying new techniques in prep for the upcoming road season. I try to balance out images for rider sales and editorial / commercial use. I threw up another image (#14) to give viewers a sense of open space.
Really nice set, you did well to provide some variety here! Had to do a double take on #1, thought he had a disc brake up front! #10 suffers from frozen wheel syndrome, other than that, they're all great.
Love the changing perspective and agree that in most of these your shutter was awesome.
Shiv, me want.
I can see why riders would buy your TT shots. You capture the scene and their effort (strain on their face) well and your photos make them look like they're moving at light speed. Cant ask for more than that.
disci wrote:
Very nice pics and interesting variety across the set Dejan. Any hints on how you achieved number 8?
Thanks for sharing Dejan.
Regards
Des
Hey Des...I took a series of shots from the turnaround point of the TT. I used a wide angle lens & SB900 flash, stood on the inside of the turnaround, lifted the camera over the rider(s) at 6'2" plus my 45 degree angle reach and took a 3 shot burst.
gonzo-junior wrote:
Nice set photos,good colors and perspective.
What for techniques and settings are you using by photo #11,looks very interesting.
grt,
Hi...I was shooting this perspective with a Nikon D700, Nikon 24-70 f2.8 (also switched to a Nikon 16-35 through the morning), SB900 flash TTL (I think with diffuser), ISO200, 24mm, f/13 and 1/160 sec with pan. Kevin, the rider in the pic, rode up to and past me fairly close... giving me a nice shot and with the gusty wind to my back, I was able to keep the camera steady. Hope this helps. :-)
Paulthelefty wrote:
Love these! Question about 11 and 12, is that a post effect or in camera? LOVE the sharp face and blurred everything else!
Cheers,
Paul
Hey Paul. The effect you see is the result from in camera. I shoot spot metering the face, try for the eyes...use a slow shutter speed, like between 1/120 or 1/160 sec, flash & pan. Hope this answers your question.
DejanS wrote:
Hey Paul. The effect you see is the result from in camera. I shoot spot metering the face, try for the eyes...use a slow shutter speed, like between 1/120 or 1/160 sec, flash & pan. Hope this answers your question.
Anyways, after shooting cyclocross all winter, which is slower moving, it is good to get back on the asphalt and get a better feel what settings need to be adjusted before the season goes into full swing. I was shooting for myself on spec. The Frostbite Time Trial was an 11.5 mile out & back time trial along the frontage road of I-25 near Buckeye, Colorado...15 minutes north of Fort Collins. The weather was in the low to upper 30's F with some of the windiest conditions I have ever raced & shot in...wind speeds ranged from a sustained 30 miles per hour with gusts reaching over 50 mph! Real intense! Anyways, time trials are generally sorta boring to shoot in terms of the race dynamics. Because of this, I have included a cross section of images...some shot very tight, others I threw the creative flare. On many of my images, including these, I used fill flash. Comments appreciated! Thanks for looking!