Do you shoot triathalons? Let's chat!

[artisitc_eye]

Hello PN'ers!

 

I'm looking to connect with other sports photographers who photograph

triathlons, either for your personal business or for another company.

 

I would love to pick your brain (and let you pick mine) on a few topics that

relate specifically to tri's.

 

Here are some ideas...

 

1. Swim, Bike, Run... do you get it all? I have recently been bringing my bike

along, even to the short sprint's, and getting out on the course for more

action! (Keep in mind, I am a one chick team, who hires for large events on

occasion) A customer requested more to choose from, so now I am busting my

behind and riding the course like lightning! :-)

 

2. Workflow, Workflow, Workflow! A never ending cycle. What do you find works

for you? My list goes on and on, but I have yet to find the perfect solution.

Sorting & re-naming photos by bib# is a time consuming task that must be done.

How do you do what you do?

 

3. Gear. That's a no-brainer. Monopod? Favorite lens? (no body wars, i like

what i shoot & so do you) Rain coverage?

 

Now the list can go on and on, and those of you who shoot tri's know the

pleasure and pain of it... So let's share!

[leopoldstotch]

1. I manage to get it all, but only because I'm still young, and pretty quick on my feet. For most races, I can get them exiting the water, coming in from the bike (500-750m out on the course), then later at the finish. If the race is a try-a-tri or half Ironman, and I can't get them on all 3, then I only get them going out on the bike, and finishing. I may also get them in transition during T2.

 

2. I don't sort, we simply present them in the order they're taken, which means customers do have to do a bit of work for bike & swim pics. however, for finish shots, I take a picture of the race clock every few minutes, so customers can find their finish by time.

 

3. Monopod, 70-200 f4. Rain coverage is a garbage bag which is "pastry bagged" into the lens hood to make a tight seal. For finish, there's an 8x8 tent which shelters pretty well.

 

The company I work for also does on-site selling, so there's no time for sorting anyway. Unfortunately, it also makes quality control very important, since we can't filter out the crap before they go on display.

 

It also helps to budget time wisely. If you keep in mind that pros will swim a 10-12 min 750m, bike at 40km/h, and run 3 minute km, it makes figuring everything out much easier.

[zackojones]

1 - I shoot my friends when they are doing triathlons. I try to get them when they are exiting the swim, returning from the bike, and finishing. Since I only have to worry about two guys it's a lot easier for me :). I do fill my spare time shooting other triathletes but since these events have official photographers I do my best to stay out of their way. What I should do is see if I can get hired on to shoot with them.

 

2 - My workflow is the same regardless of what I shoot. It goes like this: Shoot -> Download with DL Pro -> go through images with ZoomBrowser deleting the bad ones -> Tweak in Digital Photo Professional -> Convert to JPG -> Backup RAW files to external HD -> Embed GPS information into JPG using RoboGEO -> Upload to flickr -> Delete JPG or give them to my son if I shoot one of his football games.

 

3 - I don't use monopod. I find they restrict me too much. I shot first triathlon with 75-300 zoom which I have since sold. Most of the official photographers seem to use 70-200 f/4 lenses and I think that's probably what I would use as well if I shot them all of the time. Rain coverage is 1 gallon storage bag with hole cut in bottom for lens shade to poke through. This is held in place with a rubber band.

 

Do you typically shoot your events using a faster shutter speed or with the lens wide open to limit the depth of field to isolate individual competitors?

[artisitc_eye]

Zach - I do shoot wide open... depending on the scene. I use my 80-200 2.8, which is a fantastic "partner" in my business. :-) I still find no need to spend the extra chunk of $ for the VR, rarely do I use it in the back of a pace car/bike and if I use it inside a church with crummy light... I already have crummy light, so I feel like saying OH WELL! I'm sure I could be proved wrong if someone handed me their lens to switch back to and test... till then, I'm more wealthy! Take a look at some of the big frys like Brightroom & ASI.. they are always hiring & they have tons of events EVERYWHERE you can choose from. I'm sure you could give it a go with one of them.

 

Leopold - Those garbage bags seem to be popular! What does "pastry bagged" mean, could you give a description on that? I do have a pop up tent I got from Walmart for $110 (first up) that works wonders! Purchased it the morning of a pouring rain tri. & it saved the day... though those darn rainy day tri's just don't sell like the blue sky days. So the company you work with does not do any on-line selling? The thought of printing on-site makes me shake, my day is long enough as it is! Sounds like you have fun doing it :-)

 

Thanks for your feedback guys & enjoy the end of the season!

Laura

[zackojones]

Laura: Thanks for the leads. I also plan on contacting the official photographers for the series of races they have here in Georgia to see if they need any help for the 2008 season.

[leopoldstotch]

<p>Laura, L guess pastry bagged is an inside term (My Mom makes cakes as a side job), but in this case it means to cut a small hole in a plastic bag, stretch the hole over the end of then lens, then attach the hood over top a the bag, which makes a tight seal. I got lucky this year though, in 15 races, not a drop of rain!</p>

<p>yes, we also do online selling. We do both on-site and on-line, but pics are not up online until about 2 days later, so it is important to sell themn as soon as we can. Because I'm one of the official photogs at the world's largest non-Ironman or 70.3 series...we average 1000 athletes per race, it takes a while to get all of those photos up.</p>

<p> BTW, have you ever shot in transition during T2? Its one of those areas most people don't think to shoot, but you can get decent results, like this: <a href="http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPage.aspx?pi=037C00AQ080049&po=49&c=">link</a>

[zackojones]

Leopold: Any chance you'll be down at the Ironman event in Florida in November? I have a friend that is training for it and my head down there to shoot him during the event.

[leopoldstotch]

No, I won't, but my brother-in-law and sister are racing in it. They're both pros, and should hopefully place in the top 10 (They were both 10th overall at Ironman Canada). Good luck to your friend!