The decision to change my favourite snapping point at the Tigger Tor, wasn't the best one I've ever made. After a couple of years covering Carl Wark, I challenged myself to move from the base of CP7 and try a different point of view. There are positions in a race which are sacred to me. Positions that can't fail to produce at least one photograph that speaks volumes of the challenges confronting a runner. The first stream crossing at The Trunce is one such place. I'd stand there for hours in the freezing waters of March to hit the shutter button at the exact moment of perfect capture. (Perfect for me that is)
I think it was 2015 when I last set myself up on the Houndkirk Rd to photograph the returning moorland runners. Ox Stones had been my first port of call, but the runners took a variety of tracks away from the checkpoint. It became pointless after a while, "Whack-a-mole" had nothing on the attempts I made to snap people.
What about CP5? That would mean an early finish and back home well before lunch. Runners would still be quite close together though; providing each athlete with a memory of the race might not be possible. I could shoot from the side and try to create a line of them disappearing into the distance. See image below.
Ian Roberts Fell Race September 2021
I spent quite a few days mulling over the options, until a Road Closed sign made my mind up for me. On the Wednesday before the race, I had to visit Thornbury Hospital in Sheffield for an appointment. Taking the scenic road over Strines was a no brainer. Way better than the Grenoside and Hillsboro route. Just before the junction with the A57, almost within spitting distance, we were informed that the road was closed. Panic set in. The diversion took us all the way back to Bradfield. ARGH!
The 3 o'clock appointment was fulfilled, a last minute dash ... on the dot ... phew.
Neither of us was in any state to discuss matters with a consultant.
The air filled with expletives that we rarely use, much.
Race day?
Which way?
The quick route over Strines, then Bamford and Hathersage was out of the question. Parking at Lady Canning's Plantation looked the best bet, with a chance to cover CP 1 and CP 9.
Decision made.
Waiting for the runners to appear.
Set off around 8:10 with the hope that it would take around forty-five minutes or so to make the journey. Mortimer Road to Bradfield, Loxley, Rivelin Valley and the then steep climb up Lodge Lane(?). A series of winding lanes led me to the Norfolk Arms. Cars were already parked up and vying for available spaces. What if I couldn't find a spot? Don't panic!
Thankfully, I was the third motorist to park up on the verge opposite the entrance to the moor. And relax.
As I prepared for a morning's snapping, I had a natter with a fellow explorer. He noticed my Mozzie Photography sign and enquired what I was up to.
"Raising money through my photographs."
"I'll donate to your cause."
He memorised "Givey" and "Willow's Fund" and duly donated a couple of squid when he arrived home. Thanks Pierre, you are a star.
Items found in a stone wall near to my snapping point.
Leaving behind a huge pile of dumped black plastic bags, not mine, I crossed over to Houndkirk Road. The bags contained the remnants of cannabis plant production. Bloody sick and tired of people who feel they can dump anything and everything in the countryside.
Why don't they take it to the local dumpit site?
I'm sure the council workers would turn a blind eye.
Maybe not.
It was cold. That was the forecast. A multi-layered tog made his way towards the first CP on his list. Avoiding the trail bikes, mountain bikes, dogs, walkers etc was a bit of a challenge. Just a mile walk away, a steady plod was the order of the day. Why didn't I make a flask?
Never mind, lots of time to choose a spot. I'll have to go without the stimulant this time.
One thing I hadn't planned for, was a clear blue sky and a bright, bright sun. With the direction of the runners and their planned route to CP 2, I was stuck with the composition of bright sunlight on one side of their face and darkish shadows on the other. No chance of moving now, I had to make the best of a bad job.
A few trial shots with the 85mm and 35mm lenses to obtain the best possible composition. If only I had a "run buddy", someone who would come along and run towards me and the opportunity for me to try a few frames before the herd appeared.
Image above:
Thoughts about the composition.
Ideally, I needed number 79 to be a little bit further along the path, my fault for not waiting a few seconds longer. Runners spaced out along the curved line, from where I'm standing, onto Houndkirk Rd and then down the side of the bridge. Problem is, you can't arrange people where you want them and holding that same snapping position isn't always possible. You have to adapt to which trod the runners take. I was also aware of the sky in the frame and tried my best NOT to finish up with a thin band of blue at the top, I hate it ... with a vengeance. Rule of thirds and all that.
The 35mm gave me a few more options than the 85mm and the brightness of the Sun allowed me to increase the aperture setting while keeping ISO at a fairly low number.
Let's give it a go.
They came and they went. I felt low, really low. Start images aren't always the best. Too many runners in large groups, not enough time to adjust position. You picked this place and now you're stuck with it.
The sun was strong and the heavy top layer of my clothing had to come off. I thought that it was supposed to be cold? Hat and gloves cast aside and the weight of those extra layers to carry wasn't appreciated in the slightest.
I began to make my way to Houndkirk Hill. On reaching God's Spring, I looked up and decided that CP 9 was out of the question. Way too far with all the baggage I was carrying. SH*T!
Strong sunlight into the lens, what the flip was I going to do.
Why not pack in and call it a day, nobody would be any the wiser.
Ran down to the stream, stripped off the heavy layers and tried to make the best of a bad job. I couldn't find anywhere suitable. Back along the track and shoot sideways on?
Here come the leaders and I'll just have to make the best of a bad job. Using the 85mm with the large lens hood would have been a better choice for cutting out flare but the 35mm allowed me to shoot wider compositions as well as close-ups. Go for it.
A wider stream crossing would have been more conducive to far more interesting images.
The sun did provide me with some "nice" light on the rocks and plant life. If only the runners had been going the other way. Ah well, keep snapping.
For the most part, figures came in ones and twos and it was fairly easy to capture their efforts. A string of eight bodies and I just couldn't hit them all, sorry about that.
Strong light on this runner from Stockport
A high percentage had their heads down, concentrating on the muddy and rocky terrain. I should have asked them to "SMILE", not really appropriate I suppose.
Totley runner tries to hide from the camera.
A gap in the proceedings and time to review the shots I'd just taken. Something was wrong. I was unable to check the composition and quality of the photographs. Maybe the camera has developed a fault and I've been snapping "fresh air".
Oh sh*t!
Malfunction?
Have I taken any photographs over the last half an hour or so.
F*dge!
Settings checked and more runners bombing down the hill.
Take this set and then check again.
I'm able to review them now. WTF!
Just a thought. As I'm typing this up, I wonder if it's anything to do with the SD card. When the number of images reaches 999 on the card, it starts a new folder. So, with this shoot, 999 went in one folder and 496 went into a different folder. Had I tried to review images in the first folder while just starting to take shots placed into the second folder?
Not sure.
It does take time for RAW images to work their way through the buffer before I'm able to review them.
Did I actually MISS a number of runners by one of my digits pressing on one of the other buttons on the camera? I'll never know.
These things are sent to try us.
Originally I'd planned to set off back to the car park around 12:15. Due to commitments at home, I needed to be off a little earlier. Apologies to those towards the people at the rear of the field for not staying put. Hopefully I caught you on your trek out to CP2.
Back to the car park which was now rammed with cars and drivers encouraging me to hurry up and free a spot for their tribe to occupy.
I took the same bumpy route home, the only hold up being the avoidance of parked cars at the scenic spots around parks and dams. Peace and quiet, no chance.
Prosecco and malt loaf purchased at the supermarket, time for a well earned coffee and sarnie.
Card into the ancient computer I own, lunch, quick look at the first few photos, depression sets in and then time for a kip. Roughly 1,500 RAW files slowly load up and the process is completed around 4pm.
This would have been a great spot for images but not with the sun behind people.
Working on the first image in detail, the idea is to decide upon settings that will satisfy my creative streak. I can then sync these settings onto all the other photographs. I might need to change the exposure on some of them, due to the colour of their attire. Fluorescent tops are a pain in the ars*. They have a detrimental effect on the sensor. Not looking forward to the Trunce for this very reason. Fluro tops rule at that race. Sorry Andy and co.
Up early Monday at 7ish to see if I could complete them some time after lunch. Walk with Sal in between batches, time together is important, especially at the moment.
I understand that runners want the results and photographs out as quickly as possible. In fact, fell races were and still are in some cases, reliant on the results board. By the time you'd changed gear and had a bite to eat, stickers were quickly covering a piece of hardboard and you had instant feedback of position and a possible age cat prize.
I'm me.
Unless someone would like to donate a FAST computer or upgrade the one I have, I'm stuck with a slow start to the editing procedure.
I'm obsessive to the nth degree, wanting to put out high quality, in my eyes, images. I realise that people are happy just to see themselves within a composition and are not as fussy as I am.
I can't help it.
They're my babies.
God, I'm so sad.
I prefer Flickr for a few reasons.
You have the chance to go back to my collection of albums and look at them any time you want. No searching through endless FB pages.
It's far quicker to scan the images for ones with you in them.
You can download them from that album free of charge, though a donation wouldn't go amiss.
The number of views also provides me with some feedback as to the audience I've reached.
Apologies for them taking time to get out there, but I personally think it's worth the wait. That sounds so ... (t*ss*r)
Massive thanks to those who have already donated - £89 at the time of posting this blog.
Lads Leap on Sunday. See you there?
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