Trigger - "Alright Dave?"

Just over one week into the New Year and a chance to snap runners out on the hills. I've covered the race on three previous occasions; 2016, 2017 and 2019.

The first year wasn't the best choice of position I've ever made. An easy path after leaving Crowden produced some very low key images, a record of who actually managed to make it thus far. More like a simple trail race to anyone viewing the photographs, The Trigger is anything but.

2016 - A rather tame photograph in terms of composition and content.

In comparison, 2017 was totally different. I have no recall as to the time I set off for Crowden Little Brook. With Willow to walk before I made my way towards Manchester, it must have been early, very early. It's a couple of miles from the car park to hit the crossing point at Crowden Little Brook, with the runners due around 9:15.

Age is catching up with me, as well as all the consumed Christmas Fayre. I can't say that I'm looking forward to attempting to reach the snapping point in time to meet the leaders.

The brook in 2017 was a raging torrent and hardly anyone made a crossing on their own. This provided me with a number of opportunities to shoot some decent images. As in the photograph above, people were facing towards me. This wasn't always the case. Others decided to have their backs to me and I had to race around the ensuing mayhem like a blue-ars*d fly.

2019 - The brook was far less angry that year and many of the crossing were solo attempts. Just the odd pair running together gave way to a helping hand in friendship. Sounds awful, but it became a little bit boring. To add to my negative thoughts, a number of runners chose a different path, well away from me. I'm not sure which wally had taken to lead a number of sheep along a more difficult descent from the summit at Black Hill.

Wednesday 6th December: Just a few days to go and I need to decide on a few things before Sunday arrives. With the rain falling at the moment and heavy showers forecast for Saturday, it'll be odds on that the brook will be in spate. If all goes well, nobody will take a different path down to Crowden and I'll be able to capture a high percentage of the field. Hopefully there won't be any rain on the day. Caps and hoods aren't the most helpful of accessories when trying to snap the anguished faces of these toned and rugged athletes.

I know that my images are, in the main, fairly well received. But I want to do something a little bit different with this race. Normally, I include the background on a large scale and veer away from cropping tightly on the runner. With a fell race, this is even more important to me. I want people to have a memory of where they were and the terrain they ran in.

So, what about Sunday? What can I do that isn't just a record of who took part?

Standing on the bank of the brook, I'm limited in terms of background. It'll either be water or the bank behind. I could make it easy for myself by snapping the runners further down the track. They will be fairly well bunched up and I would probably miss some of them.

Two lenses to choose from: a 35mm wide angle lens which on my AP-C would be around 50mm or the brilliant 85mm f1.8. This would give me a focal length of 120mm, resulting in me having to stand well back from the runners or being able to zoom in close if I stand on the bank edge.

There's no time to change lenses once the runners appear. The 35mm will allow me the chance to crop in the editing stage but there will be an increase in the graininess of the image. Stick with the 85mm and I'm shooting from a distance, not always easy with a few bodies in close proximity. There would however, be an increase in sharpness and the grain wouldn't be as noticeable. If I'm there early enough, I could try a few shots with each lens.

A partner in crime would be ideal.

"Cross over a few times and I'll see what happens."

Where on earth could I find someone daft enough to freeze to death in the water?

I ran this race quite a number of years ago with a friend, Mark Pierce. It was called Tanky's Trog at that time and I have fond memories of my attempts to complete the course. The facilities were few and far between and being of a nervous disposition, I needed the loo. Public toilets; a queue that seemed to stretch the length of the High Street made me even more nervous. After what seemed like an eternity, it was my turn.

"Room for one more," said the fleeing occupant.

Great.

My eyes began to focus on the scene that confronted me.

He hadn't meant one more person, he meant ...

With the loo blocked with paper and poo, I hurriedly relieved myself and explained to the next person that it wasn't all down to me, honest.

And we're off.

Approaching the summit of Black Hill, the slabs being icy as hell, I managed to do the splits. One leg sank into the deep mud at the side of the slab while the other one didn't.

Ouch.

We continued on to the summit, then made our way down to Crowden Little Brook and the crossing. With the river in spate, I surprised myself by thinking that a solo attempt would be advisable. Half way across and I'm struggling to keep my feet in the direction I'm wanting to go. Mark came to my rescue and we managed to reach the other side unscathed.

By the time we reached the Snake Road, I'd had enough. The injury that I'd sustained while doing the splits, was a bit too much to bear for a wimp like me. Mark's dad was waiting in one of the lay-bys and I decided to call it a day. I have managed to complete the course a couple of times but can't remember which years they were.

Friday 7th January: A snowy day with both the A628 and the Snake Road both closed for some time. There's heavy rain forecast for tomorrow, so it should disappear quite quickly. Any chance of wild camping at Crowden on Saturday, looks out of the question.

Yeah, right ... as if I would.

There seems to be some sort of road closure between the road to Holme Moss and Crowden itself. Possibly one lane out of action? Can't see it being permanently shut, as there is no alternative route. If it is, there's no plan B in terms of shooting location.

Saturday 8th January: Spent most of the day listening to the rain and keeping an eye on the Spine Challenge MRT Live Tracking app. How they are coping out there in this crap weather, I'll just never know. One competitor appears to have made their way down the A57 to Glossop, I don't blame them at all. The leader has already reached Wessenden.

Spent yesterday trying to make a decision re lens and possible edit. Looks as though I'll be slapping on the 35mm lens so that I have the choice of getting really close in or stepping back and framing a number of runners. Wouldn't be able to do that with the 85mm.

Much to the annoyance of mobile phone users, I'm sticking with a cinemascope crop. The resulting images will be better viewed on a monitor or a reasonable sized tablet.

The crop ratio is 2.35:1

If this means cropping part of the body, then so be it. When snapping the runners, I need to be aware of the crop I'll be using and take this into consideration when composing each shot. You have to go for broke sometimes.

There will be times when the frame is "cluttered" with people crossing and in contrast, a single athlete in isolation. Whether it is a popular choice of crop and colour profile, I won't know until the images are out there on social media and Flickr. It will take a few days before I'm ready to put them out for public view. Runners tend to be solely interested in their own memory of the event rather than working their way through the whole album.

4:52 PM - time to prepare for tomorrow. Batteries charged, lens choice made. Quick check on the weather forecast to find out what clothing would be appropriate. Let's see what tomorrow brings.

Sunday 9th January: No alarm set, apart from the wonderful lady sleeping next to me. And before you ask, it was my wife. Whatever time she wakes up, that'll do me. It's usually around 6:30, so that would be ample time for me to get up and go.

Coffee in bed and a chance to pick up on the day's news and weather. Everything was packed and ready to go; just a light breakfast to consume and Crowden here I come. The aim was to set off at 7:30, I hit it on the dot. A few drops of rain, so nothing much to worry about. A628 and I reach the top of the climb opposite the snow road entrance. Sleet begins to fall and visibility with it.

"Is it REALLY" worth it?"

"Go back and just be sensible."

My inner self battles with the doubt of a wasted morning, thoughts of being stranded on the moors in 2 metres of snow. Wimp loses and I'm determined to come away with some amazing images.

The one thing I didn't plan for, was the car park being over half full. Expectation was, by 8:00 there will be a few mountain rescue vehicles and the odd walker or two. Parked up, made a final choice of clothing and made my way to the quarry via a steep climb.

With at least an hour and a quarter before the leaders hit the crossing, I savoured a cuppa which hopefully would stimulate my brain cells. It's roughly two miles to Crowden Little Brook crossing, more than enough time to amble along.

With the heavy rain the previous day, plus road closing snow on Friday, I'd hoped for the brook to be difficult to cross. I was disappointed to say the least.

"Is that it?"

Ah well, check the camera settings and try to warm my feet time. Plenty of muddy bits along the way and the water had managed to work their way into my fell shoes. The light improved and then worsened.

1/400th sec f4 and an ISO that ranged from 3200 to 5000 - that's going to be quite grainy.

No early arrivals, probably due to the conditions underfoot. I wondered which route they would take when crossing this mediocre water barrier. I was alone and then there were four of us. I'm very protective of my snapping points, almost to the point of being obsessive.

That's all I needed, other bodies in my way when attempting to capture runners in flight. Two were just out for a walk, while the other guy seemed to be delving into a waterproof bag.

Here we go, ultra-expensive gear about to appear from the depths.

No, just a small camera and nothing to worry about. I didn't realise who it was. I'd taken a photo of him a few years ago at one of the Crowden based races. He'd kindly donated to one of the charities I was raising money for. Quite a few runners knew him.

Sikobe?

I wasn't expecting such a large "group" of runners to be in the lead. If they decide to split, then I'm in trouble. Panic set in and as usual, it's rare that the leader/s have a decent image to come away with. It's takes me a bit to get my eye in.

The shutter speed was set at 1/400th sec which coped with most of a runner's body. Not so the hands and feet. Quicker movements means that they tend to become blurred. You have to make a decision and it wasn't a good one for these quicker athletes.

Aperture f3.5 (that's wide) ISO 4500 (grainy) 1/400th sec shutter speed (not fast enough)

After the first 100 shots or so, I increased the shutter speed to 1/500th to try and improve the situation with less blur. The light had improved and the ISO was much lower, 1800 and the shutter at f4 (not as wide open, just).

A steady stream of runners, some singly and others in groups of 3 or 4. I was desperate for them to cross in front of me, but some were just plain awkward. Way too close. Ah well.

That's their loss, not mine.

I'd decided to try and shoot as many images as I could that would provide me with the opportunity to crop in Cinemascope. With random crossing points it wasn't always possible, but I have managed to include a mixture of cropping ratios and I'm really happy with the outcome.

Probably not everyone's cup of tea, but I don't want to churn out the same sort of "stuff" every time I go out on a shoot. Oh, I also decided to bring back my little Mozzie logo in the right-hand corner as well.

Quite a number of shots seem to have captured runners levitating over Crowden Little Brook. I was so pleased with the way the Nikon D7100 coped with the conditions. It shows that you don't need to spend thousands of pounds on gear. The 35mm lens is a Nikon DX f1.8. You could probably buy the same combo for around £400.

You always hope for a "shot of the day". And a young lady provided me with one such photograph. I can't remember if I'd told her that this was the best spot to cross. Phil certainly didn't go out of his way to help her. He was more concerned about posing for a photograph of himself.

The snow began to swirl round me and I was thankful for the fact, that both the wind and precipitation was at my back. Some interesting shots with the flakes of snow within the composition. Hardly a face to be seen.

I'd been stood there for around an hour, Sikobe was already making his way back and I was hoping to catch sight of the MRT sweepers. My fingers weren't as cold as they have been on some shoots, but my feet weren't coping well. Stamped the ground in an attempt to improve the blood circulation. After a long wait, a lone runner leapt the brook in quite some style.

He informed me that there were three runners behind, one of whom had an injury. The MRT were in attendance and evacuating him off the fells. I decided that it was time to move and I feel that I made the right choice. Apologies to anyone at the back who I missed.

Bag packed, I jogged back to the car. The two muddy miles seemed way more than that. The only break was a meeting with the MRT vehicle, attempting to make it's way up the track as far as it was possible.

Home came quickly, just 19 minutes or so from an overflowing car park. Coffee made and biscuit eaten. Loading the images onto the computer took around 4 hours, if only my computer could speed up a bit.

I made the decision not to release images a few at a time. Working through the rest of the afternoon and from 7:30 today, I managed to edit the 1071 photographs in a way I was happy with. 383 survived the cull. That's around 35% of the originals. Quite a few duplicates that wouldn't be of interest to runners, but I'll hang onto them for a while.

I've already received a few donations for the Mountain Rescue Search Dogs England charity. Standing out in the snow is nothing compared to what these teams train in or when they are out on a call. Thanks to anyone who has made a donation. Just a couple of quid is absolutely fine.

You can find the donations link on my HOME page.