Bicycle wet day race photos

[pedalrun]

These are from yesterday up in Denton from a local crit, 1st time I've shot racing in a while and these guys are fast. The tough conditions made for great expressions. I was using a D5000 and 70-200vr & 24-120vr. The camera held out well in the rain and I was very happy using a "non-professional" camera(of course if I could afford a full frame I'd be really happy)! The last two photos I was playing around with topez that I'm still trying to figure out if I like it or not, I just downloaded a trial last week.

[CaptainTom]

tough day to ride and to shoot.

Do these guys/gals put on special tires for the rain ?

[tukaniray]

Nice Shots.

The Pan shot and the last shot are my fav.

That last shot almost looks like an HDR Shot ... did you do any post to add some extra contrast?

-Ray-

[Brad Bedell]

Wow, this confirms that I'm happy that I didn't spend more than about 5 minutes thinking about going to race. I do somewhat wish I had driven out to photograph my teammates. The rain made some very cool pics.

Tom: No special tires for the rain. *most* race rubber is pretty soft, but often guys just run with whatever they have on their bike.

[Hogleg 44]

Nice series. Those guys all look like they are in pain!
I like those Topaz shots BTW.

[pedalrun]

Tom.. yeah the conditions were cold and soggy.

Tunkaniray... Thanks, the last two I was playing with topez

Brad Bedell... Cool another rider on this forum! It was cold and damp, but no crashes thanks to the newer surface and no oil on the roads. I used to race a long time ago, now we'll I'm trying to get back in shape. What team do you ride for?

Hogleg44... Thanks! They were in pain and I'm sure alot of bike cleanup afterwards.

[Brad Bedell]

I ride with PACC.

[Sheldon]

I really like the last image.......nice series!

[greenman]

Jere,

Another rider here, but I've never raced. This is my first time on this forum, too. I usually hang out in the Macro and Wildlife fora. I like the panning shot, as well, and I also like the first shot because you can see the effort put out by the rider reflected in his face.

We're heading over to Italy, in the Turin area, in May and we'll be staying long enough for me to see the TTT stage of the Giro. I'm pretty excited about that and hope to get some good shots! I'll be taking over my D300 and current lenses (35-135 and 16-85), but I'm also hoping to get something like the Sigma 10-20 and a 70-300. Any tips on shooting you'd care to pass along? I'd be GREATLY appreciative of them!

Thanks for sharing!
Sam

[dbphotos]

You've got some nice shots. The colors look off on all of them. I'd recommend adjusting the levels to boost the colors and contrast.

Here is a sample of just running a quick "auto level" in PS. You could even add a little saturation to make the colors pop. I'll remove the photo if you want, but thought I'd show you what I meant.

Welcome to the forum and keep posting. You've done a great job with panning on these.

[RKEnnis]

Nice action series. The last shot is fantastic!

[Rags]

I really like the last image.

[pedalrun]

Originally Posted by dbphotos

You've got some nice shots. The colors look off on all of them. I'd recommend adjusting the levels to boost the colors and contrast.

Here is a sample of just running a quick "auto level" in PS. You could even add a little saturation to make the colors pop. I'll remove the photo if you want, but thought I'd show you what I meant.

Welcome to the forum and keep posting. You've done a great job with panning on these.

Thanks for the tips.. I don't mind you editing the photo, it looks much better. So here are two of the others with an auto level and brightness & contrast adjust, and a little sharpening on the guy with his head down. Thanks for the advice, and any and all tips are welcomed, I'm here to learn.

[pedalrun]

Originally Posted by greenman

Jere,

Another rider here, but I've never raced. This is my first time on this forum, too. I usually hang out in the Macro and Wildlife fora. I like the panning shot, as well, and I also like the first shot because you can see the effort put out by the rider reflected in his face.

We're heading over to Italy, in the Turin area, in May and we'll be staying long enough for me to see the TTT stage of the Giro. I'm pretty excited about that and hope to get some good shots! I'll be taking over my D300 and current lenses (35-135 and 16-85), but I'm also hoping to get something like the Sigma 10-20 and a 70-300. Any tips on shooting you'd care to pass along? I'd be GREATLY appreciative of them!

Thanks for sharing!
Sam

Wow... Italy that sounds like fun! I was lucky enough to go to France and see the Tour de France in 2004, it was a blast, we followed them around with a tour group and we were able to ride our bikes on portions of the course. I just carried my D100 with my 24-120vr and a fisheye lens(I guess the just the opposite of macro), I wanted to stay as light as possible. I actually road my bike up Alp De Huez with my camera on my back, stopping (frequently!) to take photos.

A TTT should make great photo opportunities, since they won't be in a giant pack that comes by at one time... Just try and find a space you can shoot from, if you have your 70-300 that would be great, but that 35-135 would work as well. Cant wait to see your pics, I bet you will have incredible scenery shots as well.

[bburton]

Great action shots: you really captured the essence of road racing: bumping and pain.