Yeah, I know I’m not a sports or action photographer so this is clearly a departure from my normal photography entry. As you know, I am a Bend, Oregon resident and I am also a huge advocate of the events and activities that define the city of Bend. The good folks at Visit Bend have done an excellent job of bringing formative and positive events to Central Oregon, and the 2010 Cyclocross National Championships is one of the best events to come to Bend in years. The Cyclocross Nationals were also held in Bend in 2009, so I had an idea of what to expect from this event. Because My daughter, Emma and I had enjoyed the event last year, we decided to catch a couple races at the 2010 cyclocross nationals. We had time on Saturday so we put on our mud boots, bundled up and headed down to the Old Mill district where the Cyclocross Nationals were being held. As I was walking out our front door, I thought it might be fun to bring my camera and capture a little of the action. I quickly grabbed my 5D and a lens and we dove into the Saturday Cyclocross Nationals. I was completely entranced. It was awesome. The crowds, the chaos, the hysteria, sweat, mud, and water, made for a mesmerizing event.
oregon cyclocross 2010
The above image of cyclocross nationals was the sort of scene to which I was attracted. Chaos, exertion, great sky and a random masked man in colorful briefs! There were dozens of photographers racing about, mostly with long telephoto lenses attached to their expensive cameras. While they were catching close-ups, I couldn’t stop shooting the bigger scene. I realized that I was doing what I always do. I was shooting the landscape! To see some of my landscape photos, visit this Oregon landscape photographer. I was driven to capture the drama and chaos of the whole race rather than capture the grimace of an individual cyclocross racer. Eventually, I buckled and shot a couple of close-up individual suffering images. Below is one of those photos of eventual 2010 cyclocross under 23 national champion, Danny Summerhill.
Cyclocross racer, Danny Summerhill
While the above image of cyclocross racer, Danny Summerhill, is pretty cool, good expression, color, form, composition, etc… It still doesn’t excite me as much as the following sports landscape photo below.
cyclocross Nationals 2010
This cyclocross image is one of my favorites. Landscape format, excellent form, a vertical accent with the stairs on the left, and a sense of depth from the flowing course lines. Perhaps better than the landscape characteristics of this cyclocross photo, is the human angle. For me, this image really captures the feel of the 2010 cyclocross nationals. Off conditions, exertion, mud, great crowds and a Mardi Gras like atmosphere. Multiple Santa’s helpers, masked men in their underwear, and a Gumby who seemed to be posing just for me. Pure excellence! While I don’t claim to be a sports photographer, I did have a blast shooting Cyclocross Nationals 2010. If you’d like to see lots more images from this outstanding event, please visit my stock photography website, Cyclocross Nationals 2010.
Thanks for Visiting,
Mike Putnam
