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Different Week Different Light
What a difference one week makes. Same trails but different riders and wheels but same track plus throw in some hectic weather during the week and it all makes for some exciting new images.
Last week the XC racers had their go on the dusty and dark forest of Ourimbah, this week the Enduro racers were treated to mud and more open, fast gravity fed trails. Thankfully Ourimbah’s aquaphobia allowed the crazy amount of rain to shed in time for Sunday’s racing. With three tracks to choose from and not having shot Enduro here for 2 years, I knew the main race track, Fox, would be my pick as it was situated in a more sunny position and probably the driest.
So many great riders in all categories showed up to race, from the young gun, ladies in abundance and of course the elites racing for glory. Few unexpected riders from interstate and some BMXers racing MTB.
Features were easy to find, some hard to shoot as the skill levels were a mixed bag, some capable of gapping features others, taking the safer lines. The light was on song, being warm and predominantly side lighting created some nice shape on the subjects. As always photography is about light, lack of it or its position will always make or break a photo. Flash still used here to help ensure no dark faces under helmet visors or just make the rider pop a little more. Carefully placed and you don’t even know it is there.
Thanks to everyone for such a great weekend and see you again soon track side.
In the Darkness
Shooting low light MTB sport scenes in forests is always a challenge to look natural but keep focus on the main subject, the rider.
Thredbo MTB Summers
Mountain Biking is truly alive and kicking. If you have your doubts well you have not been down to any of the events over summer at Thredbo Resort which hosts quite possibly the largest mountain sloped, gravity fed event in the country. Four epic days of racing covering disciplines of Enduro, All-Mountain, Downhill, Whip Wars jumping and Pump Track with nearly 1000 riders all frothing to be crowned the winner. It’s not just the elite, there are age groups from the young fearless kids, your middle-aged weekend warriors, women and the big gun names going for glory.
Now big guns names were off the scale this summer with a whole enchilada of international names lining up on the start line. Red Bull rider Brook Macdonald jumped the Tasman Sea from NZ and many others from Loris Vergier, Dean Lucas, Greg Minnaar, Luca Shaw and Steve Peat gave the crowds plenty to be amazed with. Times were fast with conditions dry and dusty for the entire weekend.
The Ahern sibling duo, Kye and Sian, stuck it to everyone in the pro categories for the Maxxis Flow Motion Cup eventually taking out the king and queen titles to boot.
This event is probably maxed out at 1000 riders now unless they start building more runs and utilizing the Gunbarrel chair more, something that organizers mentioned in passing. The village does fill up quickly or you can camp at one of the two campgrounds making the short 10-15min drive up each morning, escaping the crowds during the evening.
But Cannonball is not the only event on offer in this piece of the Australian mountains. Not by a long shot, they also offer The Super Enduro and Australian Mountain Bike Interschools, they both bring in nearly 800 and 700 competitors respectively. Kids are flocking to the sport and for good reason, the healthy lifestyle of sport and being outdoors provides a means to build confidence and meet new friends and build a social community, something the online world seems to be failing at.
My event photography business, Outer Image Collective, with fellow photographer Richard McGibbon have had the pleasure of shooting for Thredbo over the last three years with plans already in place for the 2020 season. We provide images for everyone racing the event, something many competitors and parents have shared their gratitude about as they cannot get onto the mountain themselves or capture the action photos, we work so hard at taking.
So, if you missed out this round make sure you watch the Thredbo MTB Facebook page for when they open registration, I would say early November. I will be there track side, camera at the ready smiling as that first rider approaches and the trail dust begins to rise on another Thredbo MTB summer.
Out Riding… Back in 24
24Hr Racing. It has it all. Solo riders who must be crazy, teams who are only slightly less so and then the newest category 6+6. Some would say these guys are either geniuses or they have not been struck by the 24Hr MTB race bug. Either way any chance I get to go shoot a 24Hr event, I cannot wait. Night photography, sunset and sunrise for beautiful light and harsh midday sun which pushes you to be creative shooting during the “bad light”
So last weekend when the skies flashed their own lights at us, the thunder soon followed after and then the rains had a go. I thought “No not this weekend” as I sat in the back of my Subaru Outback eating my dinner. This would not beat me. I got the rain gear out and prepared to look the storm that was hitting the east coast of NSW straight in the face. Thankfully, the storm subsided and cities north and south took the brunt, little Awaba MTB park would be spared.
I will admit the light was not great, thick grey cloud in a rain forest on an eastern facing slope at sunset…. well you can imagine. So flash work it was and before long the only option was to do long exposures but I always intended to do this. I was up at Awaba a month ago with Apollo rider Grant Webster shooting some images for his new light sponsor Nitelights. This is such a fun type of photography, especially how the riding lights create such interesting streaks of light and light up the riding trail.
One of the best parts about 24Hr is how I get to chat with the riders I know well. I can see them go thru so many stages of energy.. or the lack of. I try to let them know I am waiting for them as they approach calling out and giving them a cheer. Awaba can be a tough course for both photography and the riders but I would not have asked for anything different as each opportunity regardless of weather conditions produces new work.
Cheers Gil
