ASSIGNMENT 2: Braveheart Fundraising Ride & Dinner

I intend to tell the story of the Braveheart Cycling fundraising bike ride and dinner for Assignment 2: People and activity. The charity was founded in 2003 to support up-and-coming Scottish cyclists and its patron is Sir Chris Hoy. Well known cyclists often attend and this year Bradley Wiggins and Nicholas Roche are signed up. There are 20 and 44 mile rides then an evening dinner and auction.


INITIAL PLANNING STAGE
The event takes place on Saturday October 31st and is quite local to us. We have assisted the past two years and know the co-organisers (Walkers Cycling) well, so I contacted them by email last month to ask if it was possible to take pictures. I then visited them last weekend to make arrangements and discuss the types of shots I wanted.

The weather has not been kind the past few years and it again looks like rain, so I will plan accordingly and just see how the days goes.

I have looked at the Braveheart website to plan the day, as I wish to be at the HQ for the start, then out on the road. I have downloaded the course route map and will drive round beforehand to find a good vantage point.

The website has online galleries of previous events so this has been helpful to see what type of shots are possible and to plan equipment I might require. Also been looking at various cycling magazines to get ideas.

I have written a list of the equipment I think I will need, based on a list of the shots I would like to take and since I am still getting to grips with my new camera and trying new techniques, I have been reading about shooting indoors (ISO, white balance), using flash, capturing action and working with depth of field.

ASSIGNMENT 2 UPDATE  29/1/10

After an unacceptably long gap for various reasons I am back working on this assignment. Narrowing down a whole days worth of images was quite challenging, so I focused on images that capture the spirit of the event and shots that feature 'telling moments' as the brief suggests. I have almost finished post-processing and am working on the analysis. This will be the first assignment I have submitted for tutor feedback, so I am very keen to receive feedback to guage my progress on the course. I feel I am learning so much but not making enough time to practise camera techniques and experiment.

Ex 14: An organised event - Scotland's Festival of History

I spotted this event in our local paper and it proved a great family day out for our nephews who love  Horrible History books and DVDs. I perhaps have not focused as much as I should on capturing candid spectator shots but there was so much of interest with the reenactors that I got caught up photographing them.

 As I mentioned in Ex 9, I used a 55-200mm lens for candid shots and to help me feel unobtrusive. I think each picture is a story in itself and the set shows the diversity of historical periods. The event was held at Lanark Racecourse and each historical period shown had a specific link to Lanarkshire. The event is the largest of its kind in Northern Britian.

Nikon D40, F5.6, 200 mm, ISO 200

Nikon D40, F5.6, 200 mm, ISO 200

Nikon D40, F5.6, 200mm, ISO 280

Nikon D40, F5.6, 200 mm, ISO 280  

Nikon D40, F4.8, 122 mm, ISO 280

Nikon D40, F5.6, 200 mm, ISO 400

Nikon D40, F4.5, 90 mm, ISO 250       Nikon D40, F4.3, 85 mm, ISO 200 

Ex 9: A comfortable situation

I attended Scotland's Festival of History at Lanark Racecourse on August 22nd. My primary objective was to use my 55-200mm lens to try to get candid photographs of the spectators and participants. Using a medium-long focal length to keep my distance, I hoped to feel more comfortable and less intrusive than I had at the Ayr Flower Show. I used aperture priority and portrait mode, giving a shallow depth of field, to defocus the cluttered backdrops of cars, tents and spectators.

The day went better than I could have imagined. The reenactors were expecting to have their picture taken so were friendly and quite happy to pose, which quickly put me at ease. They went about their business in the living history camps, so candid shots were plentiful.

I think the fact I didn't feel uncomfortable taking the pictures enabled me to get some great shots. I am very pleased with the results and intend to return next year with greater confidence.

Nikon D40, F5.6, 150mm, ISO 200

Nikon D40, F4.8, 116 mm, ISO 200

Nikon D40, F5.6, 200 mm, ISO 360

 

Nikon D40, F4, 55 mm, ISO 250 

Nikon D40, F5.6, 200 mm, ISO 200 

Nikon D40, F5.6, 116 mm, ISO 200 

Nikon D40, F6.3, 55 mm, ISO 200 

Nikon D40, F4.3, 80 mm, ISO 360