Every photographer has certain things they gravitate towards and love photographing. Makes sense-few of us want to force ourselves to do something we don’t enjoy doing. But sometimes that is EXACTLY what we need to do in order to learn and grow! I have been taking pictures for over 40 years now. It would be easy to think that I know everything I need to know about photography-but that is the furthest thing from the truth! I subscribe to newsletters from photographers of all different genres of photography-even those who specialize in subjects that I don’t normally gravitate towards-such as product and food photography, weddings and portraits, etc. why? Because I want to be a well-rounded photographer-knowledgable in all different facets of photography. This not only helps to keep me from getting stuck in a rut, but is also a huge advantage when teaching others.
I also make it a point to challenge my self to get out and photograph something I have never done before, or something I am not particularly good at. Without fail-every single time I learn something that helps to take my skills to the next level! I love photographing sports, but it’s something that I’m not exceptionally good at. A few years ago I had the opportunity to photograph swimming, diving and water polo. These are three of the most challenging sports-in my mind, to photograph. You are dealing with fast action in low-often mixed light, and your main subject is almost entirely hidden by water! Even if you are spot-on with your focus, each movement is shrouded in water-which makes it difficult to get a great shot of the athletes face. At the end of the day, there are far more throw-aways than keepers, but the ones that did turn out give you a much greater sense of pride. I signed on for every opportunity I could to photograph those sports over and over, and each time I got better and better at anticipating the action, getting sharp focus on my subjects, and finding creative ways to render the action in front of me. As a result, I would now have no fear if asked to photograph one of these events for pay.
I had never heard of The Velodrome- which is a pro cycle racing track in Trexlertown, PA, when a friend first mentioned it to me a few years ago. In fact, I had no idea what the name even meant. (It’s an arena for track cycling, featuring steeply banked tracks consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights, which transition to the circular turn through a moderate easement curve. Glad you asked! 😉 The Velodrome – or T-Town, as the track is also referred to, is the most famous cycling brand on the planet (according to their website), and has been home to the best field of international cycling competitors each summer for the past four decades. The track hosts the world’s premiere weekly racing series each summer, as well as national championships. This is where future olympians train and compete!
Though I enjoy riding a bicycle, I had never followed pro cycle racing as a sport. Enter an opportunity to attend an event. A few photo buddies and I met at the track, and as the racers began taking warm up laps, we began photographing the action from a variety of locations, using a variety of techniques. I was instantly hooked! At speeds of up to 50 MPH, the action is exciting and intense! So is trying to capture that action with a camera! You don’t need pro gear to get the job done, but you do need quick reflexes, and a good understanding of the fundamentals of photography, i.e. shutter speeds, apertures, ISO, and how they work together to freeze the action and how to render it as a blur to show motion. It is also good to know which lenses will give the best results, whether or not to use a flash, and how to best set the camera to capture fast moving action. My first time out, in about a two and a half hour time frame, I shot over 1000 images! The keepers from that night were about 300. The rest were either blurry, I had missed peak action-or had missed the subject entirely.
The best way to photograph the action, is to set the camera on continuous drive, choose the focus method that works best for you, pick a point of action and fire away! You can also pre-focus on a specific area of the track, and then only fire your shutter when the action reaches that point. If you are Panning-the technique of using a slower shutter speed and following the action with your camera while continuously shooting, you will likely get several bad images at the beginning and end of each burst that you shoot. Successful images, in this case, are ones where the subject is sharp, but the background is rendered as a soft, motion-streaked blur. This is one of the most creative, but challenging techniques to try to master. Which is precisely why I LOVE shooting this type of event!
If you would like to challenge yourself and take your photography skills to a higher level, then you can join me for a workshop coming up on August 20, 2021. We will be photographing pro cycle races at the Valley Preferred Cycle Center, or Velodrome as it is more widely known. We will have special passes giving us access to all areas of the track-including the infield and finish line! We will photograph from approximately 6:30 to 9:30 pm. The cost is only $125, which includes admission, access passes, a pre-trek Zoom class to give you all the details you need to come away with stunning images from the event, and instruction the entire time of shooting!
This workshop is for photographers of all skill levels, and is not to be missed by anyone who loves sports, has kids in sports, and even for those who may not be into sports, but want to gain a deeper understanding of how shutter speeds and apertures work together to create compelling images of fast action.
Are you up for a challenge? Then join us for this workshop. More info and registration info can be found here: https://valeriehoffmanphotography.com/events
A detailed informational email will be sent to all registrants approximately one week prior to the event.
