Should I stay at home, or go on what might be my last photoshoot for quite some time?
Both of us are staying in at the moment, one of us is over 70 and the other one has mild neutropenia. Okay, I'm a toyboy … I'll admit it.
Hold on: Toyboy - a young man noted for his good looks and sexual prowess
Err... no. Scrub that, I'm just a few years younger.
A last minute decision on Sunday morning, saw me heading out towards Crowden and the quarry below Lads Leap. If I kept my distance from the runners, I should be fine.
Took one camera and one lens; the D500 plus a 50mm prime. Regretted that a little, a 35mm would have been very handy, more about that later.
I parked up at the small layby in plenty of time. Being the only spot available and limited spaces, I knew that I'd have to arrive early. Two hours before the runners would be flying by me, was probably a bit extreme. Walking at a snail's pace was the order of the day.
Shortly after the start of the path, yellow flags directed me towards the gated entrance to the wood and quarry. Yellow flags with the odd orange one dotted here and there. Wondered what that was all about. Why two colours?
Nattered to a guy who was out for a VERY slow walk. He'd had a heart attack recently and was achieving a speed of around 1 mph. Hopefully he wouldn't have another episode, I really must buy a mobile phone in case I have to contact the emergency services.
Slowly climbed towards the quarry, very slowly. The odd bit of drizzle tried desperately to penetrate the waterproof layers I'd put on before leaving the car. Hopefully there wouldn't be a downpour, as sufficient shelter was at a premium.
Felt isolated, a magical experience if truth be told. Solitude can be a positive at times.
Des Gibbons has informed me that the runners would be taking the path that snakes through the woods and the deserted quarry. I wrongly assumed that they would traverse the moors above me, descend towards the road and then run up towards the top quarry stile.
With plenty of time on my hands, I scouted out a few possible snapping points.
There were three snap point possibilities:
One below the top stile with a great view of the valley below. Keeping the camera downwards would help to eliminate the sky. Hate those thin slivers of cloud .
One above the stile, but that would depend on the direction of their exit onto the moors.
And the last spot, which was my favourite of the three. Trees either side of the path would create interest as the runners emerged from the climb. The snaking path could just be seen in the background, whilst the rocky debris from the quarry littered the hillside.
A quick glance of the watch gave notice that the bog trotters would have left the campsite moments earlier. Thirty minutes or so and the leaders would be appearing.
Rain gave notice that my plans may have to change. Quick recce of the limited points revealed little in the way of choice.
"Rain, rain, go away … " and it did.
Twenty five past eleven, not long now.
"What the flip!"
A body flew by, Rob James of Royton Road Runners descended the course as only he can.
SUGAR!
Knowing his athletic prowess, I expected the next runner to be some way behind.
Why had I failed to ask Des about the direction they'd be taking? Automatically assumed that it would be an ascent of the quarry, not a descent.
Frantically tried to find somewhere to shoot from without including too much sky. Managed a few reasonable ones while descending the path to a more permanent snapping point.
Backing myself up against a tree, which was precariously rooted on a steep slope, I attempted to record the oncoming tide of athletes. Shooting landscape was out of the question, wrong focal length. WHY didn't I bring the 35mm with me!
I had to shoot in portrait mode, which I hate. Runners tend to have bits of their body chopped off. The image below isn't too bad, but I did have to bin quite a few that suffered from missing hands and arms.
Backing up even further into the supple silver birch, I eventually managed to come up with a number of reasonable shots. Keeping the sky to a minimum, meant that I'd be able to crop it out of the photograph when editing.
The image below is one of my favourites.
The flow eased and runners now came in dribs and drabs. With a growing realisation that many of the images were going to be of a similar nature, I was beginning to lose heart. Fifty odd images of levitating bodies would hardly satisfy the punters, let alone my artistic streak.
Hardly an exciting image. Hold on a minute ...
Out of the corner of my eye, and within earshot … bloody hell!
It was Rob James coming back up the hill. The orange flags I'd seen earlier must have been directing them in a loop to re-enter the wood and climb up towards the quarry.
Brain floundering, what to do. Make for the one of the spots I'd chosen earlier.
"Come on Frithy, SHIFT!"
Taking well over two minutes for the next runner to arrive, there was time for me to control my breathing and prepare for the onslaught
Ready, I think I'm ready.
I slip.
The steep slope offered up handfuls of heather plants for me to grab. I just managed not to move any further downwards. A close call.
With bodies, both ascending and descending, it made for some interesting close calls as in the image above. My left leg began to cramp up, the pressure of supporting my body weight on one leg was causing quite a bit of pain. I tried my best to shift from side to side on the sloped terrain, hoping not to slip even further down.
Although the amount of "action" provided by the runners at this point on the course was limited, I am pleased with the composition. The contrast between the vegetation in the foreground and the loose rocks from the quarry in the background, works really well in my opinion.
Two comments from my album post:
"From a runners perspective it's perfect, all the colours and terrain capturing emotions at the top of a tough climb. Many people I know will be jealous of the picture you captured of me here. Love it, thank you." - Aaron Hargreaves
"Not sure the runners worry too much about the scenery in pictures, just look for pictures of themselves. I know you like your pictures to be more than that and the scenery is a major factor in you compositions and that is why they are so interesting." - Chris Cull
As I've said before, I feel that the inclusion of the landscape is a given for fell races and I try as much as possible to achieve this in my compositions. The comprehensive feedback from Aaron was very welcome.
I'd informed Sal that I'd be home around half past 12, expecting the runners to be passing me just the once. The pace of the runners at the back was steady, it was a tough course to say the least. Fewer and fewer were attempting the climb.
12:15 and I decided to make a move, hoping to catch the remaining heros as I descended the track.
Image above: Love this quick snap. It looks amazing on a large screen. Well worth the effort I made to get out there. Available in colour, but I do prefer black and white in this instance.
Thoughts: So glad that I decided to go. With all events now cancelled, there are no opportunities for me to continue snapping you. And while I remember, thanks to all those people who said hello and thanks as they went by.
I was asked, "Are you Frank?"
"Nope, I'm Mozzie."
Wish I could name people as they run by me. My brain just doesn't work that fast, I apologise.
In hindsight:
Always take another camera with a different lens on. If you've thought about it, then do it. Don't end up regretting it later on.
I should have moved to the other spots that I'd recced earlier on, providing me with more variety within the album and made the editing process more of a challenge.
It just went out of my head. I'll be back next year, hopefully ... ready to snap you once again.
Why weren't you wearing numbers? How did they manage to record each runner?
My top fifty (one) shots can be found here.
My hero!
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