A Dirty Valentines Day

The Bike Monkey Cyclocross series final ended on perfect day for cyclocross - rain, mud and cold! From a photography perspective, a cyclocross race in these conditions offers some exquisite photo opportunities if you know what to look for.

If you are not familiar with cycloross racing, it has its roots in Europe and is getting more popular in the US. Riders race a short course which forces the rider to dismount from their bike and walk, run and jump over various man made and natural obsticles. My wife took over photo duties for me since I was racing. She got some incredible shots of the action. Nothing like photographs of people suffering on purpose!

I took over photo duties once the kids race got underway with my two boys doing everything the could to keep the rubber side of their bikes down. Mud was a fly'n and kids were having an absolute ball!

Photo Notes: I am always on the lookout for different perspectives. A cross race is a great time to experiment since the racers are doing laps you can try different shots with each lap and see what works. This includes getting low and shooting from the ground. Also taking the time to really see some of the "simple details" that tell the story of the day. In this case, close ups of the bike parts/people covered in mud. There was a band that showed up after the kids race and people were crowded around them so getting a wide shot of the band was out so I instead focused on the individual band members.

Photo Info: Canon 1D Mark II, Aperture Priority, 1/25 sec, f/16, ISO 200