“Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop." Ansel Adams
Although the sheer number of photographs taken over a year runs into the thousands, I'm happy to come away with one "keeper" from each event.
Having no control over the way the runner reacts to the photographer in front of them, I can at least choose the position I shoot from as well as the appropriate camera settings. Time spent on picking the best snapping place, does pay dividends. Most of the races I attend are old friends, knowledge gained from previous outings around the course is invaluable to me. There is the possibility that people become bored with the same compositions year on year, or maybe they are happy with the resulting images.
If the course is new to me, I use google maps and the little yellow figure to find a parking spot and what appears to be a reasonable point to shoot from. This was particularly useful when attending some of the Huddersfield series during the year.
I've chosen to work through this year's albums in alphabetical order. It makes life simpler for me. There are six favourite photographs from each event as well as a few of my best friend.
Lake District - holiday snaps. Just to show that I can take "runnerless" images.
Ambles Revenge: Quite a day. Early rain thankfully retreated. In the end, it wasn't too difficult in terms of conditions, apart from the abundance of muddy trails.
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Barnsley Parkrun: The best spot to shoot from seems to be the finish line. I've tried different places around the course, but the effort from the runners on the run in always seems to be productive in terms of keepers.
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Cop Hill: Has to be one of my favourite races. Great drive to reach the venue plus cakes galore. The track is an amazing spot to snap runners on their way to the finish line.
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Higham Hurtle: Only the second time I've snapped at this race. Limited time available to be out there, so I decided to position myself just off the main Barnsley Road towards Barugh Green.
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Holme Valley 5: First time with this one. It was SO dark when I set off and the rain wasn't helpful either. Really surprised to come away with anything at all.
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Ian Roberts Fell Race: Another one of my favourites. The expectation was for foul weather. Finished up needing suntan lotion, well...nearly. Really pleased with the images that I captured. It had been postponed from its usual slot in March. So this September run means that it won't be long before the 2022 race.
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Penistone Parkrun: As with Barnsley, there aren't too many good spots to shoot from. The TPT can be a bit difficult in poor light conditions, especially when the leaves are on the trees.
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Percy Pud 10k: The dam wall is the only place I'd choose to shoot from. Don't think I've ever taken photographs from anywhere else on the course. Love it when Eilish McColgan turns up. It produced one of my all time images, EVER!
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School Run: Another race route that I've never covered before. The original start and finish, which I have covered before, had to be changed. Parked up on the road to Binn Green. Different to say the least. Arrived very early to recce a few possible snapping points.
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Shepley 10k: and the new races kept on coming. Quite pleased with the ones out on the course but the finish line ones failed to impress. Too many visual distractions at the end. I suppose it was worth waiting around.
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Stairway to Heaven: With two races setting off one hour apart, it meant that I was out for an absolute age. Probably missed one or two runners as I just couldn't last the 2:32 it took for the last runner on the 13k route. The half-marathon runners had set off an hour before they did. Apologies to those I missed.
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SYCCA - Penistone: The weather was certainly better than the last time x-country came to Penistone. The run in to the finish didn't provide me with the composition I was looking for.
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Toss O'Coin: Made a bit of a mess with the recce. Sorted out a place to snap but couldn't navigate my way to it on the day. Not happy with the images I produced. If I go again next year, I'll make sure I'm in the correct spot.
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Travellers 6: How I managed to get anything reasonable in the mist is a mystery.
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Trunce: What can you say about the Trunce that hasn't been said already. It's a battle with the light down there in the stream. You have to accept whatever the weather forces you to use in any way you can.
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Windmill 6: The only place to stand is opposite the windmills. Decent leg stride from a runner and it's easy enough to produce a decent image.
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And last but not least, my best friend who passed away in June. I still talk to her every day when I'm out walking or at home. Miss her like crazy and my life just isn't the same.
Loads of memories, not least the wonderful photographs we took of her.
See you out and about next year, all the best for 2022 and may your God go with you.
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