How to Photograph a Triathlon

<p>Howdy all sportogs (word play on photogs), <br /> I have been asked to shoot a friend, and her team, in a upcoming triathlon. Nothing professional, they just want to be able to remember the event (The team is participating in tribute to a member's husband, who was a triathlete and died of cancer a few months ago). I have never shot sports, just landscapes, and I have also never seen a triathlon. So, I am here looking for advise on how I should prepare for it and to gather any tips on what are the typical got-to-get shots from the sport.<br /> Thanks for any tips for general sports photography and triathlons in particular.<br /> --greg.</p>

<p>http://www.seafair.com/events/triathlon/</p>

<p>MORE INFO:</p>

<p>Canon XSI (1.6 crop body, 12.1 MP)<br /> 70-200 f4 IS<br /> 17-40 f4<br /> 24-105 f4 IS<br /> 100mm f/2.8 (macro)<br /> 50mm f/1.8 <br /> 2 canon 580EXIIs<br /> polarizers for most lenses.<br /> tripod of course and many 4GB memory cards</p>

<p>I go out photographing with the widow and she is very familiar with my amateur status as a photographer and my complete lack of sports experience. So, don't worry about that part. I'm free, so the price is right. :-) She just wants to have someone take some shots so they have something to remember the day by, not a huge deal if I don't produce much.</p>

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<p>The trick here is probably planning... I dont know the order of a triathlon, but the shots that I have seen are a wideagle shot of a million people swimming, because its darn near impossible to figure out where your friends will be in the water, then standard biking from the side of the road shots and the same for the running...</p>

<p>the hard part will be knowing where they will pass, then when, and then being able to scoot to another location and getting them again, before they get there. A map of the course, along with rough expected times will be critical for planning... and then probably a spotter so that you dont miss them when they come by! </p>

<p>The good news is that once you find your locations, you can practice aquiring focus and getting exposure right on tons of people before the shots that matter!</p>

<p>Thoughts: how will you move to different spots on the course? how well do you know the course? If driving, are you certain about parking? If being driven, make sure the driver knows which roads will be open and which will be closed.</p>

<p>Any chance you can practice shooting moving targets before the event. If you're not accustom to using things like AI Servo mode, race-day isn't the best time to try and learn...</p>

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<p>Great suggestions from both of you.<br>

I have now arranged to go with my friend, who is swimming and knows the course well from previous years, to scout out the route. I will be driving and she says parking will be a problem. So, I might have to just pick one, or perhaps two, spots and just get those shots. Group shots of the whole team, before the event starts, will be important.<br>

While we are scouting the route, I can practice shooting moving targets. I have done a *little* AI Servo with birds, but not much. There are a lot of cyclists and runners on the route on any given day, so I should be able to look at the light, as long as I am out there the same time of day, and practice. As far as the swimming goes, that should be fun. I am looking forward to morning light on the lake with the swimmers doing their thing. Should be beautiful, given good weather.<br>

Thanks again.<br>

--greg.</p>

 

<p>If you can only pick two locations, I always find my run and bike photos come out the best. If I'm shooting an event as a hired photographer, I tend to shoot the start of the swim, a shot of everyone in the water (just to have it) and then the swimmers exiting the water, bikers in a predetermined spot and runners in a predetermined spot. The transition can yield entertaining shots, too.</p>

<p>The bikers tend to like shots when they're down low on the bars and churning out a lot of power. They're harder to get because they're moving fast, but look great. Run shots all tend to look about the same. The most dynamic ones are when the runner is in mid-stride with both feet off the ground. Burst mode is your friend!</p>

<p>Since you're shooting one team, you have the advantage of more time to move around. If you've got a bicycle, that has been helpful to me in the past, but it all depends on the layout of the course. I've got the same Tri a few years in a row and it has an out and back run and bike which is convenient. </p>

<p>You will have lots of folks to practice your framing and focusing on during the day of to make sure you can get the right shot by the time your friends come through, assuming they're not top contenders. Definitely practice beforehand with AI-Servo (even shooting cars in a neighborhood can work - if the neighbors don't freak out.) </p>

<p>As for equipment & configuration -- I use a 20D with a 70-200 on it for most of my shots. I have it set to AI-Servo and I have the * button on the back programmed to start auto-focusing. That was I can put the middle focus point on the competitor, start focusing with my thumb (hold it down so it tracks) and then as I feel it's locked up pretty well I trip the shutter a few times. On the 20D it's Custom Function 4 set to 1 that does this -- I know it's possible on your camera but I don't know what function will do it. If you decide to try this, definitely practice with this configuration before the day of the event! It takes a bit of getting used to.</p>

<p>If it's a really sunny day and you decided to use one of your 580's for fill, pay attention to your shutter speed. 1/250th for cyclists is not that fast.</p>

<p>Have some fun & post a few photos here so we can see how it went!</p>

<p>Thanks Benjamin for the tips. I am definitely getting out for some practice. From the race pamphlet I see that it is a short race. Swim in a circle, bike out and back, run in a circle. All around the park it takes place in:<br>

http://www.seafair.com/docs/2009_TriBrochure.pdf<br>

So, I should be able to get some shots of each segment of the race without having to do anything except walk/job from place to place. I can not move at all and it looks like I can get the start and end of each segment. It is a big wooded park area surrounded by lake Washington.<br>

My friends are not competitive, they are doing a relay and should all be wearing the same shirts.</p>

<p>Thanks again.<br>

--greg.</p>

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<p>Greg, in situations like this where you're really throwing yourself into uncomfortable territory, you might want to think about really trying hard for one or two great shots of each leg of the relay. Even if that means google image searching "triathlon" and finding like five or six shots you really like that you know you can get with your equipment and essentially just copying them, at least you'll have a plan. When it comes to sports like this where you only have a few limited opportunities to make good photos, you absolutely need a very specific plan going in to get your keeper shots, and then anything else you happen to get it extra. </p>

<p>For instance, look at as many tri shots as you can find, and once you find one swim shot you like that you think you can get (maybe like right when the swimmer is coming out of the water, so you get the water clearly dripping off them, you can see his/her face, and get a great "ugh, I just swam" expression, and they'll be closer than in the water and easier to recognize) do everything you can when you get there to make sure you're in a position to get that one shot. Obviously you can also get shots of the athlete entering the water, swimming, etc, but having a plan to get that one shot will make your chances of walking away from the day with at least one really great image of that person extremely high. Do the same thing with the running and biking legs. Cycling shots are inherently more exciting than running shots, esp if you get a nice motion pan (but that can take a LOT of practice, so don't bank on that as your money shot), but running is so much slower you'll have more opportunities to get a couple shots, even if that means taking one photo, sprinting up the road past your friend and getting another. But since you have more time to plan with running, try to use what's around you. Use trees to get really good lines or framing, find a spot where you can use the sun as backlight, etc.</p>

<p>I know it sounds bad to say you're just copying someone else's ideas, but this isn't for a job, and it's your first time, so unless you're exceptionally artistic or creative, at the end of the day in this situation you'll be happier with the results, and your friends will be happier with the results if you're making really good copies rather than not so great originals. If you find that you enjoy this kind of thing, do a few more and give yourself time to scout the location, look at the same images online again but this time say "I like this, but how could I make it my own", and over time get better at it.</p>

<p>Since triathlons are the main sport I shoot, some of these pointers might help:<br /> -If the swim exits on a gently-sloped beach, shoot them as they exit the water, works best when then they're in knee-high water. If the swim exit is rocky or steep, don't bother with it.<br /> -On the bike, sit down or kneel, never stand. Not only does this eliminate most of the road from the background, but it's also a much nicer perspective.<br /> -Don't shoot the bike portion within the first 500m or so of the course, otherwise you'll get alot of pics of people drinking or trying to clip in to their pedals.<br /> -Shoot the bikes when they're going uphill, if possible. It'll make for a much more dramatic shot. Conversely, shooting on a downhill makes for a rather boring pic.<br>

-If you have time, see if you can get yourself in the transition area. Pics of them running with their bikes to/from the mount/dismount line usually come out decent<br /> -On the run, get a full-body and 3/4 length pic of each person you're shooting. The closer to the finish line you can get, the better. If there's a turn before the finish line, position yourself on the outside of the turn.<br>

Also, be prepped for weather...and you can never bring too many pairs of socks. Good luck.</p>

<p>Some great advice already given but I'll throw in my 2 cents:<br>

If you don't have much freedom of movement then theres always a lot of action around the transition area (where all the bikes are kept). It'll be near where they get out of the water and they'll come back to start their run. <br />While they're out swimming it can be really tough to tell who's who when they're all neoprene clad and splashing about, plus your 70-200 might be a tad short to pick out your friend.<br>

The bike and run legs depend on the course, if they do several laps or if its an out and back etc. will determine what kind of shots you could get. Ask your friend for her predicted splits (how long she'll take to complete each section) so you have a rough idea of when to expect her.</p>

<p>I asked and found out that all the events are out-and-back. That is, the swim, bike and run all start at the same spot, they go out 1/2 way and come back to finish where they started. So, sounds like I can just stay in one general area and not worry about having to drive somewhere. I might have to run a bit though. :-) <br>

Here is one tip if you are trying to pan with a rider/car with AI Servo, turn off IS. :-) My 70-200 does have mode 2 IS which I will finally get to try out though.<br>

I do agree that it sounds like my long end, 200mm, is going to be a bit short. Maybe I will take this opportunity to rent a nice lens. I am always looking for an excuse to $pend. Well, nice thought anyway, but this close to the event is not a time to mess with new equipment I think. Especially a big 400mm rental, or whatever.<br>

Look at these day rental rates though:<br>

300mm f4.0L IS..................................$25.00<br />400mm f2.8L IS..................................$80.00<br />500mm f4.0L IS..................................$80.00<br />600mm f4.0L IS..................................$80.00<br />800mm f5.6L IS................................$100.00<br />Extension Tube EF-12..........................$5.00<br />Extension Tube EF-25..........................$5.00<br />1.4x and 2.0x Extenders....................$10.00</p>

<p>I COULD just get an extender, not much to those right? I eventually want to own a 1.4x. But, I am saving up for a 450d replacement (come on 5D!).</p>

<p>Thanks again for all the really great feedback. I have already learned a lot. You all are very helpful. The event is this Sunday. I will pick a shot or two to post here so you can all see how your student did. :-)<br>

--greg.</p>

<p>The order is Swim, Bike, Run. The usual swim stroke is freestyle, which produces decent shots if your 90 degrees/perpendicular to the swimmer. If it's a pool swim, getting a 90 degree shot should be easy. If it's an open water swim, it may be difficult to impossible. Also, entering and exiting the swim will offer photo opps. I've found that a head-on or trailing shot of a freestyle stroke isn't as dramatic as catching someone from the side. The swim exit is usually close to the bike transition, so you should be able to follow the triathlete from the swim to the bike transition. Catching them putting on helmets, shoes, etc. should produce some sports documentary shots also. Once they're off on the bike, your opportunities will depend on the course layout. You should get a map of the bike and run course before the race. For the run, you can position at a water station and/or the finish to capture the pain of giving it all you've got for several hours. Good luck.</p>

<p>Thanks everyone, had fun, didn't get any good shots. :-) </p>

<p>I am going to start a new thread to update you all on what happened and, as promised, show a couple of my photos, such as they are. <br>

Take a look in this forum for a post with "Triathlon update" in the subject. It should be posted in a few minutes.</p>

<p>Thanks again to each and every one of you.</p>

<p>--greg.</p>

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