In addition to spending my time as a trail/map geek for IMBA’s Trail Solutions, I also work as a freelance photographer. And since we’ve settled back to our hometown of Eagle, I’ve had the opportunity to get out to shoot some big events close to home.
A couple of weeks ago I got to know the slopes of Winter Park Ski Resort very well as I shot at Crankworx Colorado. For four days I was immersed in the world of gravity and came out of it jazzed about an exciting subject for photography as well loving a new (to me) style of riding in my favorite sport.
This weekend I’ll tackle a mountain bike event of a different nature, the Leadville 100 ultra endurance race. I’m anticipating it will be as equally tiring as Crankworx but in a different way. Bottom line – I’ll be busier than a one-armed paper hanger. At least the course is a 50 mile out and back and I’ll be able to capture the action and emotion in both directions.
The thing that has kept me sane throughout the process of shooting events is preparation. First, I always try to make some sort of effort to preview the course and other event venues beforehand. It’s the worst feeling to think you know where you’re supposed to be and get on site, only to be totally overwhelmed with the size of the location or spectators. In addition, generate a list of shots I want to capture. This includes certain riders as well as the lifestyle shots that capture the essence of the event. Just writing something down on paper is enough for me to remember (subconsciously) to shoot everything. In the end, I always seem to be able to get images that tell the story.
I guess the big question for Saturday is…will Lance be there?