Paris-Nice 2011

[Dp-PARIS]

Last year I had so much fun photographing the prologue stage of the Paris-Nice bike race (Photos of the Paris-Nice bike race 2011) I decided that this his year I will follow the Paris-Nice race all the way to Nice!

I am not a sports photographer, though I am really enjoying learning. I will add some photos from each stage at the end of each day, plus you can find full galleries on my website (supposed to be all about Paris, so not really sure how I manage to fit this in). Take a look at Photos of the Paris-Nice bike race 2011 Stage 1 Houdan - Houdan for the full gallery of stage 1.

I did try to get a press badge, but was turned away. Still, don't try don't get. The professional photographers get great access to take some super cool shots plus they get facilites to work, so they can upload etc. Lucky!

Hope you like the photos. Feedback and tips (especially) very welcome.












And finally the guys that do it for a living. It would be great to follow one of those for a week or two!




I think I am going to try to find a nice mid-race spot to photograph them tomorrow, as the start today was ok but a little boring and over in a second. If I can find a good mid race point then hopefully dash to the finish to photograph the winner I wil be very happy.

 

[PASM]

Interesting shots. Which 'various Canon gear' did you use?

 

[Dp-PARIS]

Thanks. Mostly the canon 70-200 f2.8 IS II and a 1div. A few with a 5dII and 24-70.

 

[PASM]

Good gear. Hope the shooting is excellent for you tomorrow.

 

[Dp-PARIS]

Thanks, I just need to figure out where I should stop for some nice action shots. I guess at a top of a hill somewhere should give me some good facial expressions

 

[PASM]

You may get some nicer exposures looking down rather than up (against the sky). From watching it on TV sometimes, I recall competitors choosing to break from the peloton in the early phases of climbs also. Might need a helicopter for those shots

 

[Dp-PARIS]

Self-funded so helicopter is definitely way out of budget I do like some of the shots from waist level though, as you get to see their faces more, plus if I am looking down hill, the sky should not be too much of a problem. Only problem is tomorrow is not really a hilly stage, so I will just hang out by a tricky bend or something

 

[PASM]

I like waist-level too. Maybe even a few with the camera on the ground (timer). Do you have any ND filter? Some dramatic blur forcing slow shutter might be cool.

 

[Dp-PARIS]

yes, a good idea. I have an ND plus I have some pocket wizards, so I could set up a camera on a tripod nice and low and still capture the normal shots with hand held. I will try to pack it all tomorrow, if not will have to play on Wednesday. Thanks.
D

 

[PASM]

Great! And a tripod too. Sorted!

 

[Formatted]

Vertical portrait of someone sprinting to the line would work better, tighter crops would be better to and try and get straight on to the podium.

Last photo although is just a random one, is taken into the sun and the subjects face is completely under exposed a bit of flash would have really changed it.

Good start though.

 

[Dp-PARIS]

@formatted - thanks for the tips, though:

-straight line to podium is on the track and reserved for pros. I would if I could!
-tighter crops possible, when needed for sure.
-last photo was just for fun and taken from a distance. I would not give up my place just to take it right as I would have been behind a crowd...

Right, now to stage 2. At PASM, I forgot the ND filter, though I did manage to play with the tripod and wide angle. Results of course are hit and miss as I have no real control over timing. Still, I will try to develop it a bit more over the rest of the week as it was fun and I think the results are promising.

A bit more action in stage 2, as I decided to photograph the cyclists about 800 meters from the finish so that I could capture some good facial expressions.

The gallery for stage 2 can be found here.

These guys must breathe dust!




A shot with the tripod. I have no real control over the content as I focus on getting shots with the main camera. Initially I set the focus manually with a high aperture and focused on myself in the middle of the road, however the light started to go so I set it to auto and set it faster. Tomorrow I will try manual as the 5D has problems focusing so fast....


This was the tripod setup.


Me taking the photo above triggered this photo

 

[PASM]

It's very difficult task for one person with one or perhaps two cameras. I see the situation is tight and everything is kept clear to ensure the race passes smoothly. The main group passing is a one off occurence. In that brief few moments to get long range close-ups of details of the peloton AND some candids of individuals is tough! Good work with what you got today - especially the approaching shot of the riders in a line.

I can see this is more about making a collection of shots over a few days, at different phases of the competition.

The streetshooter in me imagines finding a position directly opposite a characteristic building or feature of the town/area and waiting for riders to come between.

 

[Dp-PARIS]

A good idea about using a nice building as a backdrop. Today I was near some standard houses, as further up towards the town there were barriers. We will see tomorrow I just packed the ND Filter!

 

[PASM]

Are you finding there is more than one big group of riders in the race? The ND might be too much risk to try with the main group if there isn't. If you fluff it..there gone I think the 'in profile/backdrop' idea will work with shutter-speed below 1/80 and high f# to give a sharp contrast with the fixed features beyond.