FFS! (Frozen Finger Syndrome)

Just a feeling, but Friday night brought about the fear of everything going wrong over the weekend. Even though it's back to some sort of normality, I haven't really felt like I have been firing on all cylinders. The odd race here and there, more parkruns than anything else, how would I cope with 3,000 runners tackling the Percy Pud on Sunday?

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Barnsley Parkrun #500

Saturday, Barnsley's 500th parkrun. The numbers at these low key events have seen a bit of a drop in attendance. Suits me sir. Far fewer images to deal with when I get back from the shoot and a chance to get out there for a run or an hour on the bike.

Loving the "muriels" on the old buildings in Locke Park. Took a few photographs the last time I was there but accidently wiped them from the SD card. Old age and forgetfulness I fear.

Quick natter with friends, making sure that my attendance was well and truly noted by the race director. I wanted to feel appreciated for the effort I put in; I'm a sad old man.

Took up position at the tower and waited for the runners to arrive. The sun had yet to rise over the wall and trees to the left of me.

Looks like a shallow depth of field will be the order of the day. ISO 1000 aperture f4.5 Shutter speed 1/800th sec.

For some reason, my attempt to place the focus point on the front runners failed miserably. I don't know what happened, but this failure continued into Sunday's shoot as well. The ability to place the focus point on the runner, compose an image to my satisfaction and then press the shutter ... what the flip!

There are so few "great" snapping points at local parkruns, maybe I'm just too fussy. Picked this spot for the curves in the grass and the path, adds interest for me. Just needed a bit more light.

Ran down the hill and made my way to the finish line. Scott H wouldn't be long in finishing his second lap. Squatted down and tried a few shots in preparation. I'd taken along a small fold up stool to sit on, but it wasn't small enough. Ah well, time to park my bum on the floor.

Scott completing his third lap while another runner begins his second.

Love parkruns, you can race, jog or walk ... and it's FREE! Surprised Scott ran so hard, he'd entered the Percy Pud 10k which was taking place the day after.

As people began to finish, it was time for me to lose my temper. There I am, plain as day, snapping runners as they come in.

"I've finished my run, I'm sure that I've got time to walk in front of the photographer before this runner comes belting towards the line."

"NOOOOOO!"

Moved down a bit to allow a gap for them to go through. Nope, made no difference whatsoever. Ah well. I'll pick a different spot in future.

Hoping to be at the New Year's Day run at Locke Park. Maybe I'll see you there.

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Percy Pud 10k - December 5th 2021

There are times when I've attended races and come back with a decent crop of images. Other photographers have been out there, producing a small number of memories for the runners and one of their images stands out above the rest.

That's how I feel about the scene I captured on Sunday. It's a repeat of a 2019 snap.

I needed to try and improve on it.

And I feel that I did.

Does it work?

Well, I think it does.

The grassy bank in front of the hedge has been mown in parallel to it, producing different shades of green.

The trees in the background, blotting out any distracting sky, have an ethereal feel about them.

The zig-zag of the road with a multitude of colours punctuated by the unimposing tower.

Would even more runners have improved it further?

If I'd only come back with one photograph, that would be it.

What about selling prints of it?

No panic on Sunday. Everything prepared for the morning ahead. It's been strange without Willow. An early race start would normal mean an alarm call around 7ish. Quick cuppa and the news with Sal, then out with Willow for at least an hour. No short measures, she wouldn't stand for it. The routine we got into over the last eleven years was demanding, but oh so wonderful.

God I miss her so much. We walked the circumference of the earth together and a bit more besides.

Back to the race. Quick breakfast and a sigh of relief that the weather hadn't produced any frost or ice. I didn't fancy that steep descent and ascent near Broomhead Hall.

Parked up just a hundred yards or so from the first bend in the race. The last car before the barriers revealed an elderly couple having a read. Keeping the engine running to stay warm isn't the most environmentally sound thing to do. They weren't even parked in a place with a decent view.

Natter with the marshals, my two photographer friends and in no time at all ... Pram Man appeared.

The only problem I have with this location, is the house and cars in the background. Irritates me no end, I'm just fussy I suppose.

Lead car on it's way and the adrenaline kicks in. Quick check of the camera settings, aperture and shutter speed are fine. Ready for action. Felt more nervous than I had done for a long time. I was hoping to come away with a few decent images from this event.

Sixty minutes would pass before I took my final image of the day.

Compose the shot.

Move the focus point to the most forward runner in the frame.

Hold until it feels right.

Release the shutter button.

That's 1,500 repeats of the same procedure in 60 minutes. An average of 25 times a minute or once every two seconds.

The marshals had been asked to keep the runners to the left; this allowed me the opportunity to crouch down almost head on to the oncoming figures.

This wouldn't last, the hordes would soon ignore the protestations of the fluorescent army. The lead two were synchronised in the strides they took. Determination etched on the faces of these combatants, a duel which would last throughout the race.

The size of the groups grew and grew, making it impossible to feature every runner within the frame. Using an 85mm lens on a crop sensor allows me a number of opportunities to capture the runners in flight. A shorter focal length would give me wider view but a much shorter time span in which to press the shutter and achieve my goal.

An aperture of f4 means a shorter depth of field and fewer runners in focus. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the first runner to break ranks and move over the white line. Not long now and I'll have to move further to my left.

Am I prepared? Do I know what type of shot I'll be taking? Low down? Standing up? Group shots? A mixture of all of these?

My fingers were beginning to feel the cold. The drizzle had stopped but the air temperature wasn't what I'd hoped for. I can't cope with gloves, no matter how thin, I need "skin" contact to move the "joy-stick" and hit that focus point. Wondered how long I'll be able to cope?

The focus point, the little square that turns red when it hits the spot. It seemed to disappear from view and my frozen fingers were finding it more and more difficult to move.

The number of, "You're on the wrong side runners increased!"

Definately (Line of Duty) time to shift.

Crowd shots now. Some happy faces, others with eyes shut, concentration, feeling rough. Not the best images in the world, but that's what it was like. So many hidden bodies, their chance of a memory disappearing fast. Maybe I'll snap them on their return.

The flood become a trickle of sorts and I'm keeping an eye out for the return of the lead car. It's amazing to think that the leaders will have completed 8k by the time others have reached the 2k marker.

I moved down towards the bend. Would it prove to be a good choice?

Love the curve, and tilting the edited image will slightly exaggerate their effort.

No time to rethink, here they come.

They were locked together. The three frames I took of their progress showed, yet again, how in sync they were. I'd love to have seen the finish, who the winner would be was anyone's guess.

Deep breath and be prepared for the tsunami of runners to come. My view of their progress was virtually nil. I needed to think fast as they came round the bend. Would they be in a tight bunch or spread out across the road? Only time would tell.

My fingers were even more reluctant to respond to the signals my brain was attempting to send. Frozen Finger Syndrome was hitting me hard.

I just couldn't move the focus point quick enough to hit the runner/s. Those at the back were sharp, while those at the front were blurry. It doesn't show much on a small scale, but on a monitor, the leaders are clearly out of focus. I was beginning to think that today was going to be a failure.

People respond to your presence in different ways. Some say "Hi Steve or Mozzie" as they go by, others are oblivious to you. There are those who showboat a bit or for some reason, pull their tongue out at you. Never worked that one out yet. There are others who rush towards the camera, arms outstretched and just 12 inches from your lens.

Sorry mate, but my lens can't cope with you being that near.

Time to move and try to warm up my hands a bit. I knew that Carol and Lionel were still snapping runners, so I tried to improve the circulation to my fingers and just block out the numbness. Ran to the far end of the wall to capture a few head and shoulder shots. Expressions were mixed. Happiness, fatigue, bodies slowly moving towards the floor. Young and old became Lowry type figures, aged by the effort of their run.

One of my favourite shots from the day. The determination on the face of runner number 247? is brilliant. The effort she was putting into that final hill was tangible. Well done you.

Felt guilty as I went back to the car. My hands were frozen. More and more runners were completing their run, I really should have stayed to record their efforts. Apologies to those of you who we missed.

Back home for around 11ish and time to put the kettle on. I was in desperate need of a cuppa to warm me up. Computer charged and ready, I would have to wait patiently for the 1,500 images to load up.

Four hours plus and a chance to glance through my work. Not as bad as I though they might be. Far fewer out of focus than I was expecting, nice one. I'd prepared a plan of action and needed to stick to it. Managed a couple of hours before the evening meal and then an early start the following morning. Bit of a hiccup here and there but nothing too untoward.

Footnote: At the time of completing this blog, there has been over 8,000 views of the two albums. I'd like to thank those people who have contributed a total of £148 between them for my chosen charity Mountain Rescue Search Dogs England

If I'd charged 10p to view the albums, I would have made £800.

Hope to see you soon.

Mozzie