Action Photography for Cyclists

Reflexes and Reactions in Bicycling Photography

Oct 31, 2007 Jon Sparks

Equipment and technique advice for bicyclists who take pictures, looking at the challenges posed by the sheer speed of cycling action, even leisure and touring.

Even at touring pace, cycling action is fast. You might not think so, until you try, but because you can be - and often need to be - really close to the action, it all happens remarkably quickly. Even a cruising rider can whip across your field of view in a fraction of a second. It can be disconcerting at first, but it gets easier.

Cycling Action needs Fast Reactions

Still, it suggests that you need quick reflexes, and so does your camera. Here, it must be said, many digital cameras are fatally flawed by a substantial time-lag - typically between a quarter and half a second, but sometimes much longer - between the moment you press the button and the moment the camera actually captures the image. Read more on shutter lag here - and note that it is much more of an issue with digital cameras than with film.

Assuming that your camera does have a reasonably fast response, getting decent pictures of cycling action still depends on you. Action photography, nearly always, relies on anticipation as well as reaction. Pick a spot on the road or trail that you think will make an interesting shot: the apex of a bend, for example, or a rocky drop-off. Watch the rider approaching and be ready to trip the shutter as they hit the crucial spot.

If you find that your camera really struggles, climbs or tight turns will slow the pace while still making for interesting pictures. Things also become easier if you pull back a little; accept that the rider(s) will be smaller in the frame. Make it an opportunity to show a bit more of the context or background.

For tight shots, where a rider almost fills the frame, picking your spot in advance is vital. It also helps to have a clear idea of just how close you need to be. With a 50mm lens, for example, to get a genuine frame-filling shot you’ll be just a couple of metres from the subject. A longer lens may make things more comfortable for both rider and photographer! But don’t think you need the massive lenses that pro sports photographers often use. If you’re photographing your friends cycling, you’re ‘on the field’ with them, not shooting from the sidelines. A lens around 100mm can be very useful, and that’s well within the zoom range of many cameras.

Bike Speed and Shutter Speed

Shutter delay isn’t the only thing determines how your action shots will look. Shutter speed is also critically important. So let’s be clear about the distinction between them:

Shutter delay is the time-lag between pressing the button and the camera actually capturing the image. Or we really should say, starting to capture the image, because it’s never truly instantaneous; it always takes a certain length of time. This time is referred to as shutter speed. It’s usually measured in fractions, like 1/30th or 1/125th of a second.

It’s shutter speed, along with the speed of your subject, that determines if the image is sharp or blurred. Remembering that cyclists don’t have to be racing to give fast action, fast shutter speeds are usually needed to give a sharp, ‘frozen’ image. Many cameras have an ‘action’ or ‘sports’ mode, but for much more flexibility and control, look for ‘shutter priority’ mode, which allows you to set shutter speed yourself. The camera sets the aperture for you to give the correct exposure.

Settings of 1/250th or 1/500th are often needed to freeze cycling action. Alternatively you can play with slower speeds to give an impression of speed through partial blurring - experiment to get results that you like. It helps that most digital cameras record the shutter speed (and other settings) for every photo.

Two specific techniques that can really help in getting great action shoots are pre-focusing and panning: read more about these.

The copyright of the article Action Photography for Cyclists in Cycling & Mountain Biking is owned by Jon Sparks. Permission to republish Action Photography for Cyclists in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.