Capturing the Excitement

I’ve been asked several times lately about my photography so this entry will be dedicated to that (and because I’ve taken some time off from riding to recover from being sick, which apparently means an impromptu trip to Santa Cruz to visit a friend and cyclocross photography). You should know before you continue that I'm not an expert, nor do I claim to be.

The number one question I'm asked is “What kind of camera do you use?” I’d like to start by saying that it’s absolutely nothing special (well, to me it is, it’s like a third limb). I’ll start with a rundown of my equipment. Pretty basic stuff really.

Camera: Nikon D40x
Lenses: Nikon DX AF-S 18-55mm; Nikon DX AF-S 55-200mm with vibration reduction
Software: Photoshop CS (run on a PC with Windows Vista, no kidding!)

Camera Settings
I usually leave the camera on full auto when shooting sports because I don’t have time to mess around with settings. Anybody who has ever tried to photograph sports knows that the action doesn't wait for you to be ready. My shutter is set to continuous. In addition, I have my camera set at the finest image quality and the largest size. Always. Without fail. I don’t care how much space it takes on the memory card (always have more than one). I personally shoot in jpg, however, I’ve heard many people swear by using RAW. For some reason I can’t get RAW to open on my computer. Try it, you may like it.

Setting Up for a Shot
One of the most beautiful things about photographing cycling is that you can move around and plan for shots. Well, most of the time. When photographing the 2009 Tour of California, I actually went out the day before and scoped out the perfect spot, only to not be able to get to that location due to road closures. I then had only a few seconds to get pictures. Didn’t work.

1. Take the time to find places where you may anticipate attacks, sharp turns, hills, run ups (for cyclocross), etc. It may be fun to be at the finish line, but it’s not always the easiest place to get a shot, especially if the media is involved and they’re in your way.

Up and out of the saddle, juniors' race at the 2009 Nevada City Classic

2. It’s also interesting to find places where the road snakes around. This can make a beautiful shot with a colorful peloton or a small group making their way around the curves.

3. Be aware of your surroundings. What is in the background? Nobody wants to see a photo of some hot young (or old) pro with a Port-a-Pottie as a backdrop. (Been there, done that, learned from it, sorry Levi!)

4. If possible, move around during the race so the shots you do get aren’t all the same.

5. If there are many groups racing but you’re there to see a specific group, take photos of the others as practice before the one you want starts. With luck you’ll notice if the location is or isn’t working.

6. Backlight is usually bad. If at all possible have the lighting behind you and not the subject. This may seem obvious, but it’s not to a lot of people I talk to. I don’t know why. Photoshop can only do so much to fix a not so great shot. However, I have had backlight work in the past.

Capturing the Excitement
I won’t lie. Catching that perfect moment is hard. I can take 500 shots and only get a small handful of shots that are ones I’d want to share with anybody. When you have a group of cyclists rushing by at some mad speed, the chances of getting what (or whom) you are looking for are slim.

1. Be ready. Watch, listen, and wait patiently. If they’re doing laps, time how long it takes so that you know when they’ll be back for another round.

2. Don’t be afraid to get a little dirty. Maybe this works better for me because I’m freakishly tall, but I’m the one you see on my knees and elbows in the dirt. I tend to get the most interesting angles when shooting from very low. I've also seen a lot of interesting shots that were taken from the top of rocks on the roadside looking down.

3. Zoom in… focus on the face and capture those moments of pain. Let's see the beads of sweat on the cyclist’s face! Not every shot needs to include the entire bike.

"Owww!" Up close and personal with Andy Jacques-Maynes, Surf City Cyclocross, Aptos CA, January 10, 2010

4. Wide angle… show the entire group, or a single rider. This works best when there is an interesting background like a massive crowd or beautiful countryside.

Even with the huge blob in the foreground and the backlight, I like this shot of Levi Leipheimer from the 2009 Nevada City Classic because I feel it captures exactly how massive the crowd turned out to be.

5. Avoid shooting from head on or directly from the side. This seldom works.

6. If you’re shooting from a distance, don’t center the subject.

Editing
Now that you have 500 photos of guys and gals in lycra, it’s time to edit. First rule of thumb is that nobody wants to see all 500 shots because chances are, 480 of them suck (I’m saying this out of love). Choose the ones that are the most interesting. They’re in focus, they capture expressions, movement, etc.

1. Don’t be afraid to crop. Use it, it’s your friend. You’ve just spend a day shooting people whizzing by and while the composition on a particular shot may totally suck looking at the original, some clever use of the cropping tool can turn an ordinary shot into something special.  As a general rule, don't crop at joints. You do want to be a bit careful with this though if you plan to print the image, especially at larger sizes. What looks awesome on your computer may not be suitable for printing.

2. Play with the settings such as brightness & contrast, shadows & highlights, dodge, burn, etc. I like to burn the corners just a bit.

Before editing

After editing, cropped and lightened - Ben Jacques-Maynes, Surf City Cyclocross, Aptos CA, January 10, 2010

3. Don’t be afraid to play with black and white. This can capture a mood nicely.

Practice Makes Perfect – Sort Of

Chance are you’re never going to be Graham Watson or Liz Kreutz. Deal with it. These people have press access to events and get closer to the action than the rest of us could ever hope to get. However, like the rest of us, they didn’t start out by taking perfect pictures every time. Enjoy yourself and don’t expect each shot to be perfect. The more shots you take, the more likely you are to capture something special.

When "The Buddy System" Fails

I was in third grade the first time I went to a movie with a friend and no adult supervision. I remember two things about that day. The first being that we saw Annie. The second thing being that our mothers lectured us on sticking together and that meant if one of us had to use the bathroom during the movie then we both went.

We’re all familiar with “The Buddy System” since we’ve had it hammered into our heads since we were young. I’m pleased to announce that while I don’t need a friend, no matter how close of a friend, to accompany me to the bathroom anymore, I do find myself in situations where “The Buddy System” is recommended if not essential. Yes, twenty something years after my very first memory of using “The Buddy System” I’m still using it in ways.

However, what do we do when we don’t have a buddy to accompany us on a ride (or run, walk, hike, whatever activity floats your boat)? As a single woman living in a somewhat ghetto-ish city, I’ve given this a lot of thought. Safety is my number one priority when I’m out on a ride and because I have no friends who are roadies I ride solo 99% of the time. In fact, the only time I’m not alone is if I’m participating in a charity ride or if I’m mountain biking.

The obvious solution to said dilemma would be to join a club. However, as a person who is painfully shy this isn’t something I feel is an option. I’m also a little embarrassed about my sometimes questionable bike handling skills and my probable inability to maintain the same pace as a group of more seasoned riders.

That being said, I’ve come up with some tips/strategies that give me some peace of mind when out on the road.  These are things that for some reason didn't occur to me when I first started riding again last winter and if even one person can benefit, then this post is worth it.  They are above and beyond the obvious like knowing traffic laws, wearing a helmet, carrying water, and keeping your bike well maintained.

1. Carry a cell phone with phone numbers of friends who have already said they’d be willing to pick you up if you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of being stranded. Nothing ruins a good ride like having to walk 15 miles (or 24.14 km for the #LCC or those who otherwise use metric) home. Bonus if it’s a camera phone because then you can take pictures of interesting things you may see on your ride, just don’t do this when riding.

2. Know your bike and how to make basic repairs and adjustments such as fixing a dropped chain or a flat. Carry the necessary tools to do this such as spare tubes, patch kit, pump, levers, etc. Carry an allen wrench set for saddle or pedal adjustments even though you shouldn’t need it if your bike is properly fit in the first place, but I’m a fiddler. Last, but not least, I also carry pair of latex gloves because I hate getting chain grease on my fingers then on the bar tape or inside my riding gloves and ruining a good manicure. Again, nothing ruins a good ride like having to hoof it home or back to the car.

3. Don’t just carry identification – wear it. Many companies out there make medical identification bracelets, tags, etc. I wear a RoadID. The idea is that your bike, helmet, clothing, etc. might not make it to the emergency room, but an ID on your body will (and if your limbs aren’t making it to the ER, then not having and ID on you is the least of your worries). And hey, if it’s good enough for Levi Leipheimer, it’s good enough for me (see his right wrist... he's been seen "wearing it" because it's who he is).

Paul Mach and Levi Leipheimer at the Nevada City Classic in June 2009

4. Carry a small coin purse type thing with the following items: Driver’s license, or other photo ID for when you get pulled over for violating traffic laws that you studied but have chosen to ignore; Cash in case you find the need to stop at Starbucks, refuel at Chipotle, or visit your LBS for repairs; ATM card in case your find yourself in need of a larger sum of money (see previous comment re: stopping at LBS); and Health insurance card even though the information is on an ID worn on your body. I also keep my house key in this and it goes into my jersey pocket, not my bike’s saddlebag in case I get jumped by one of the ghetto-folk who keeps asking me what my bike cost and they steal my ride.

5. Know your limits. When planning a loop route, make sure you know you can do the distance and any climbing involved. If you’re doing an out and back, it’s much easier to turn around when you feel like you’re getting tired, but on a loop sometimes there is no way to take a shortcut.

6. Know the roads. Unless I’m cutting through a neighborhood on a whim, I stick to routes I know. If you’re considering a new route, take the time to drive it first. Are there bike lanes and if not, for how long? What is the condition of the pavement? Is there a lot of traffic, light traffic, or none at all? Take note of construction zones, speed limits, and the kind of vehicular traffic. Are there places to stop for water? Will you be in cell phone range? Could you give a friend directions to the location if you were to find yourself stranded? If it doesn’t look safe, you may want to find someplace else to ride.

No bike lane, little traffic, far from civilation, 13 miles from home... ironically, I dropped my chain about 50 yards ahead.

My basic point is that if you take measures to make yourself feel safer, you're more likely to get out and ride.  And as the great Eddy Merckx said, "Ride as much or as little, as long or as short as you feel.  But ride."

I should note that while I also ride a mountain bike I never go mountain biking alone. I prefer to keep to roads where there is some sort of traffic (“witnesses”) in case of an emergency ("eating asphault").

Now… where did I put that RoadID?

New Year, New Attitude

I'm not 100% sure why I've decided to start a new blog. I already have another one that's kept very private. This one won't be. Here is where you’ll find modest tales from my life. Not that it’s an exciting one, but I can be enthusiastic about it.

I’ve already decided to dedicate this blog to a couple of my favorite obsessions – photography and cycling – generally not two activities that I do simultaneously, but I have been known to.

Odds are that you’ll read anecdotes of my feeble attempts to photograph cycling as well. This endeavor stems from a trip to the 2009 Tour of California. I was fortunate enough to have a cold, rainy week off in February of last year and decided to watch the local stage in an attempt to get photos of Lance Armstrong.

Results? Crappy photos of professional cyclists (holy cow they’re fast!) and a rekindled passion for the sport.

This is when the downward spiral began. Before I knew it I had purchased two new bikes, both road and mountain, had begun participating in charity rides, and was traveling out of town to photograph races. Thousands of dollars and hundreds of sluggishly pedaled miles later, I think it’s safe to say that I’m addicted.

In fact, I was informed just the other day that I’m a #cyclingdiva. At first, I denied it, but all of the symptoms are there:
• Traveling out of town to go to races
• Stalking Following pro cyclists on twitter
• Speculating on rider transfers
• Noticing names missing from team rosters (in my defense, it would have been last alphabetically, how could I not miss it?)
• Thinking up stupid pet names based on pro cyclists (e.g. “Dave Zabarkskie,” “David Meowllar,” and “Levi Hopheimer.”)
• Learning to knit argyle for the sole purpose of creating a Garmin messenger bag
• Signing up for and riding in Levi Leipheimer’s King Ridge GranFondo (Okay, only the Piccolo, but Graton Road kicked my butt!)

The signs were there 15 years ago as well; I just didn’t see them as warning signs. I should have known there was a problem when I purchased as my very first brand new car, a Saturn. Yes, the fact that they sponsored a cycling team did have something to do with my decision. Should I be surprised that the actual cycling team outlasted the car? Probably not.

Anyhow, back to the topic of my very first blog entry (not that I was ever on topic anyhow…). Despite some ups and downs for 2009, I feel that I had a pretty good year. I’m usually very cynical and I complain. A lot. However, cycling is quite literally changing my life. I’m healthier, happier, and more positive about life than I probably have been in decades, I’m in love with my bikes, and I did finally get a good photo of Lance Armstrong.

Now I don’t make “resolutions” because I associate those with broken promises. Instead, I set goals. My goals build on what I’ve already started so as long as I continue what I’m doing, I should continue see progress. No new routines. No impossible expectations. Just me continuing with a lifestyle change that I know is working out for me.

Velo related goals for 2010:
• April – photographing the Copperopolis Road Race
• May – Delta Century (metric)
• May – photographing the Tour of California with some level of success
• July – LIVESTRONG Challenge, San Jose, 50 mile course
• October – Levi Leipheimer’s King Ridge GranFondo, Piccolo route and this time I’m kicking Graton Road’s butt
• In general, drop some more pounds because when you’re climbing a hill, the extra weight is so not your friend!

Stay tuned to see how I do.