Speed

Cyclist speed past in a track event at the Burnaby Velodrome. Canon EOS XSi EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 at 20mm f/4 1/30 ISO 1600

Here I am, standing in the straight away as it exits the corner.  I am standing on a rickety ladder so that I can see over the top of the steeply sloped track and the sense of speed as the riders approach doesn’t really build until they are almost on top of me.  In that last moment before the first one passes by I am aware, almost too late, that these guys are moving really, really fast and then he is past and the wash of air rushes past me.  The main pack surges and goes by as well and I feel as though I am standing in a temporary wind storm.

I was in Burnaby at the Velodrome to watch some track cycling and getting a sense of the speed that is involved with a still image was difficult.  I was able to get up on a ladder that I think someone had put there for official photographers but no one was using it so I clambered up.  I wanted to use a slow enough shutter speed to get the motion blur of the rider as he went by and that worked out pretty well, the only trouble was that the riders in the background are blurred as well.  I am still trying to figure out a way to get this shot without blurring the background riders.  If you are interested in more cycling photos I have other entries here and here

-Russell Berg

A Blur In The Corner

Catching cyclists on the track as they blazed past at 50+ km/h was an interesting challenge. Canon EOS 7D EF 50mm f/2.2 at 1/100 ISO 1600The access at this event was really remarkable.  My daughter and I were able to get into the infield of the track and right up to the edge of the track.  The sense of speed as these atheletes blew by us was really visceral.  I wanted to get an image that gave an impression of that speed.  I was able to get right into the corner of one of the very steep turns and because of the steepness of the turns it almost appeared as though I was looking down on the racers.  I felt as though I could reach out and touch their helmets and the wind that swept past as they blew past was remarkable.  I had to keep my aperture almost wide open because the light was low so it was difficult to keep everything in focus.  I was able to keep a shutter speed of 1/100 which was fast enough to freeze my subject but slow enough to allow the feet and wheels to blur, giving a sense of the speed.  The fact that I was tracking allowed the trach to smooth out to a blur as well.  I was really happy with the image that I got.

-Russell Berg

Canon Eos 7D EF50mm f/2.2 at 1/200 ISO 1600

Rolling Alone

Cyclist on the track at the Burnaby Velodrome. Canon EOS 7D, EFS 50mm 1.4 at f1.6 1/250, ISO 1600My daughter and I went to a track racing event at the Burnaby Velodrome a few months ago and it was a wonderful time.  I will feature a few photos from that event in coming posts.  This one, however, was probably my favourite.  The races are filled with speed and tension, the acceleration of a leader and the response of the pack, it was very exciting.  If we stood next to the track the wind that the cyclists created as the rushed by so silently was quite forceful.  There was huge energy and excitement in each race but I know enough about cycling to know that that energy and excitement only comes about at this level, (Tour de France sprinter Tyler Farrar was there), if the riders are prepared to spend many lonely hours on the track.  This race was a matched pursuit with 2 riders starting at opposite ends of the track and racing agains the clock.  I was looking down the track from the infield and there were a couple of patches of light and a long length of track leading into the corner.  There was such a lonely feel to rider all by himself pulling through the pools of light and on into the corner that I thought it was a great representation of all the lonely hours that he had spent preparing for this moment.  After I saw the photo I knew that it had to be presented with an extreme aspect ratio, I want the viewers eye to hit the near foreground in extreme right and then track through the light to the rider on the left just as mine did as he sped past me.

-Russell Berg