articles/Sports/pointsofview-page3

Points of View - part 3 of 1 2 3

by Geoff Waugh Published 01/12/2008

Different angle same session [7]. This time I clamped the arm to the seat post (The bit that joins the saddle to the frame) and angled it so it was pointing between my arms and directly down the track. A proper rider's eye view. I experimented with shutter speeds, ranging between 1/8s to 1/30s to achieve the correct amount of speed blur. Any camera shake here can add to the overall feeling of speed and the trail's bumpy nature, but it pays to keep referring to the LCD screen to check the results.

It was even more important here to choose a nice leafy cover with gaps to allow for light streaks. No flash was used because it would have been so close to my pasty arms that horrible hot spots would have occurred. I tucked the cable release away underneath the top tube (crossbar for old-schoolers) and up to the right thumb.

Another Magicarm image [8]. This time the camera was clamped to the front fork of the bike and pointed forwards to show the lead rider, pedalling away into the gloom on a very cold and wet day in the Brecon Beacons. This was shot on a Nikon 801 body (I like to keep my old bodies as 'stunt cameras' for exactly these sort of applications!) because we wanted to use colour negative film for a different look.

No flash and the arm was clamped in a very 'tight' position, close to the frame to form a rigid structure and to show the portion of the front wheel to give the image depth. I used a 16mm fisheye.

So you see, getting a different perspective on an event is easy. The techniques I used here can be applied to many sports and even other areas; clamp your camera over the altar for example! Try it, your creative brain will be exercised - which is always a good thing.

Geoff Waugh ABPPA

Geoff Waugh ABPPA has been photographing sports and action since the late 80s. He has worked shifts for daily and Sunday newspapers shooting mainstream sports.

Five times an award winner in the SJA Sports Photographer of the Year, he now concentrates on alternative sports such as cycling, motorbikes and lifestyle. He was SWPP Press Photographer of the Year 2007.

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• Points of View page 3
  

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