On the 6th of August, we went to the velo29 cycle races in Bishop Auckland.
There were a number of classes, from junior (primary school age) to adult
There were several very tight bends with only short straight sections and a very narrow race track hemmed in by barriers.
It made for some good action shots.
We found that the best place to take these shots was on the bends .
To make sure there were no mishaps, there were outriders ahead of and behind the races.
The organisers had kindly given us a press pass which allowed access to all areas, including the pit lane.
While the races and action shots were the main focus, there were also opportunites for other subjects such as candid shots…
..and the awards.
Between races, Matt Hemmings, a champion ‘flatland’ BMX stunt rider, gave a short demonstration of his skills.
I for one could do with some tips on catching movement and action – my panning skills were clearly hit-and-miss, mostly miss! Perhaps something for one of our discussion meetings?
Panning is definitely one of those things that needs to be practiced. It’s very difficult to do with the camera handheld, though not impossible and will partly depend on the speed of the object being photographed. A tripod with a pan and tilt head is the ideal. This offers a smoother way of panning with the object while restricing up and down motion. It’s certainly something worth looking at in one of the meetings, possibly by taking the meeting out into the street and make it a practical session.
Thanks for that.