Scouting shots

It’s quite inconsiderate to light an unsuspecting rider, though a suspecting rider is an entirely different story.

Most importantly, a suspecting rider is not likely to be curious about a strange piece of equipment which appears out of the corner of their eye, drawing their gaze at the precise moment the speedlight releases its first flash. Nor are they startled to find the photographer spread out on the trail for what are the most visually appealing angles that may potentially conflict with where the rider is going. Similarly, a suspecting rider knows that the photographer understands the risks of each location, and any error in judgment by the photographer is to have the least effect on the subject no matter what that may mean. (e.g. the rider need not bail off of the bike merely to prevent rolling over the photographer, though it would be appreciated if said rider could hit the photographer as gently as possible.)

Thus was the case this past Monday evening when I met up with a couple riders looking for mountain biking photographs. The intent of the outing was to reconnoiter locations which would be good to revisit with my full photo kit. Thus I may now preplan logistics so that during the primary shoot everything will go as smoothly as possible and allow time for the inevitable glitches and the greatest number of shots during the best ambient light.
 
Despite being a scouting trip, I simply would not leave my camera at home, nor could I leave without some sort of off camera light. Thus after attaching my bike to the top of my SUV I soon loaded up my D700 with 35-120mm f4.5-5.6 (the lens I would least mind to cushion a fall), an SB900, and an off camera TTL cord. Above are the test shots which I liked best, and most will appear in the local cycling mag (Link coming soon-ish) Peak Region Cyclist.