My favorite bike photo

01-13-2004, 05:11 PM

I've taken literally thousands upon thousands of photos while riding, not to
mention quite a few taken off of the bike. If you take enough photos,
you'll eventually end up with a few decent shots.

My all-time favorite isn't a very good picture technically, nor is it what
most would expect from me (images of Sonora Pass, both mental and pictorial,
tend to dominate my site!), but it's the one that I keep coming back to... a
shot of a very old guy and a very young kid together at the '03 Tour de
France.

I've put up a page showing the picture and giving the background story, as
well as a mini-tutorial on how you can try to make something reasonably
decent out of a nearly-hopeless photo. You can see it at

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

(I should point out that this is my favorite of the photos that I've taken;
I most certainly am in awe of the works of "real" photographers, and don't
pretend to be in their class!)

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
IMBA, BikesBelong, NBDA member

01-13-2004, 06:19 PM

Mike Jacoubowsky/Chain Reaction Bicycles wrote:
> I've taken literally thousands upon thousands of photos while riding,
> not to mention quite a few taken off of the bike. If you take enough
> photos, you'll eventually end up with a few decent shots.
>
> My all-time favorite isn't a very good picture technically, nor is it
> what most would expect from me (images of Sonora Pass, both mental
> and pictorial, tend to dominate my site!), but it's the one that I
> keep coming back to... a shot of a very old guy and a very young kid
> together at the '03 Tour de France.
>
> I've put up a page showing the picture and giving the background
> story, as well as a mini-tutorial on how you can try to make
> something reasonably decent out of a nearly-hopeless photo. You can
> see it at
>
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
> (I should point out that this is my favorite of the photos that I've
> taken; I most certainly am in awe of the works of "real"
> photographers, and don't pretend to be in their class!)

Very, very cool...thanks!

Bill "permission to forward?" S.

01-13-2004, 09:25 PM

"Mike Jacoubowsky/Chain Reaction Bicycles" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote
in message news:Az1Nb.665$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].prodigy.com. ..
> I've taken literally thousands upon thousands of photos while riding, not
to
> mention quite a few taken off of the bike. If you take enough photos,
> you'll eventually end up with a few decent shots.
>
> My all-time favorite isn't a very good picture technically, nor is it what
> most would expect from me (images of Sonora Pass, both mental and
pictorial,
> tend to dominate my site!), but it's the one that I keep coming back to...
a
> shot of a very old guy and a very young kid together at the '03 Tour de
> France.
>
> I've put up a page showing the picture and giving the background story, as
> well as a mini-tutorial on how you can try to make something reasonably
> decent out of a nearly-hopeless photo. You can see it at
>
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
> (I should point out that this is my favorite of the photos that I've
taken;
> I most certainly am in awe of the works of "real" photographers, and don't
> pretend to be in their class!)
>
> --Mike Jacoubowsky
> Chain Reaction Bicycles
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
> IMBA, BikesBelong, NBDA member
>

Cool photo, and a good story to go along with it. Thanks.

Any words of wisdom on taking photos of the Tour? I've got reservations for
the second half of this year's Tour, and will be there with my bike (it will
be my first time, and I am so stoked!).

I haven't taken thousands, but I have taken a few, and here's one of my
favorites:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

It was taken last summer on the summit of Mt. Evan, Colorado (elevation
14,264 feet). I was so hypoxic from the climb that I didn't even realize
that there were cyclists in the shot...sometimes it's better to be lucky
than good, I guess.

--
~_-*
....G/ \G
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
CycliStats - Software for Cyclists

01-13-2004, 10:16 PM

> Any words of wisdom on taking photos of the Tour? I've got reservations
for
> the second half of this year's Tour, and will be there with my bike (it
will
> be my first time, and I am so stoked!).

Gary: The best places to get photos at the TDF will be on the nastiest
parts of the big climbs. I've found that it works well to ride up the climb
to the summit and think about where *you* might launch an attack (assuming
that you suddenly acquired Lance's legs). Then head back down to that
section and find a good place to shoot from. Look for backgrounds that
aren't too busy, or you'll have to try and optimize the depth of field so
that just your subject (the cyclists) are in focus. That's a tough task
when things are happening fast!

If you're shooting digital, you have the advantage of being able to practice
ahead of time, using other cyclists climbing the hill as stand-ins. Keep in
mind that you'll be VERY close to them as they go by! Also note that, if
you're taking pictures, you won't be able to enjoy the action as much. You
really have to make a choice; are you there to get "the shot" or to be a
part of it all?

You should cruise through our various pages on France and the TDF at
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ], and specifically check out
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
> It was taken last summer on the summit of Mt. Evan, Colorado (elevation
> 14,264 feet). I was so hypoxic from the climb that I didn't even realize
> that there were cyclists in the shot...sometimes it's better to be lucky
> than good, I guess.

I can only imagine what it must be like to ride at 14,000ft+! Was Mt. Evans
included in the Tour of Colorado? Sounds like fun (in my own twisted sort
of way).

--Mike--
Chain Reaction Bicycles
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

01-14-2004, 03:48 AM

In article <Az1Nb.665$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].prodigy.com>,
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] says...
> I've taken literally thousands upon thousands of photos while riding, not to
> mention quite a few taken off of the bike. If you take enough photos,
> you'll eventually end up with a few decent shots.
>
> My all-time favorite isn't a very good picture technically, nor is it what
> most would expect from me (images of Sonora Pass, both mental and pictorial,
> tend to dominate my site!), but it's the one that I keep coming back to... a
> shot of a very old guy and a very young kid together at the '03 Tour de
> France.
>
> I've put up a page showing the picture and giving the background story, as
> well as a mini-tutorial on how you can try to make something reasonably
> decent out of a nearly-hopeless photo. You can see it at
>
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
> (I should point out that this is my favorite of the photos that I've taken;
> I most certainly am in awe of the works of "real" photographers, and don't
> pretend to be in their class!)

This one would be right up there with the best I've ever seen in the
"human interest" category, though!

--
Dave Kerber
Fight spam: remove the ns_ from the return address before replying!

REAL programmers write self-modifying code.

01-14-2004, 04:53 AM

On Wed, 14 Jan 2004 07:48:46 -0500, David Kerber
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>In article <Az1Nb.665$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].prodigy.com>,
>[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] says...
>> I've taken literally thousands upon thousands of photos while riding, not to
>> mention quite a few taken off of the bike. If you take enough photos,
>> you'll eventually end up with a few decent shots.
>>
>> My all-time favorite isn't a very good picture technically, nor is it what
>> most would expect from me (images of Sonora Pass, both mental and pictorial,
>> tend to dominate my site!), but it's the one that I keep coming back to... a
>> shot of a very old guy and a very young kid together at the '03 Tour de
>> France.
>>
>> I've put up a page showing the picture and giving the background story, as
>> well as a mini-tutorial on how you can try to make something reasonably
>> decent out of a nearly-hopeless photo. You can see it at
>>
>> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>>
>> (I should point out that this is my favorite of the photos that I've taken;
>> I most certainly am in awe of the works of "real" photographers, and don't
>> pretend to be in their class!)
>
>This one would be right up there with the best I've ever seen in the
>"human interest" category, though!

Yeah, it's quite good, but, haha, you can't tell it's an "old man" -
look at those quads!!

-B

01-14-2004, 07:32 AM

"Mike Jacoubowsky/Chain Reaction Bicycles" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote
in message news:E16Nb.10292$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].prodigy.c om...
> > Any words of wisdom on taking photos of the Tour? I've got reservations
> for
> > the second half of this year's Tour, and will be there with my bike (it
> will
> > be my first time, and I am so stoked!).
>
> Gary: The best places to get photos at the TDF will be on the nastiest
> parts of the big climbs. I've found that it works well to ride up the
climb
> to the summit and think about where *you* might launch an attack (assuming
> that you suddenly acquired Lance's legs). Then head back down to that
> section and find a good place to shoot from. Look for backgrounds that
> aren't too busy, or you'll have to try and optimize the depth of field so
> that just your subject (the cyclists) are in focus. That's a tough task
> when things are happening fast!
>
> If you're shooting digital, you have the advantage of being able to
practice
> ahead of time, using other cyclists climbing the hill as stand-ins. Keep
in
> mind that you'll be VERY close to them as they go by! Also note that, if
> you're taking pictures, you won't be able to enjoy the action as much.
You
> really have to make a choice; are you there to get "the shot" or to be a
> part of it all?
>
> You should cruise through our various pages on France and the TDF at
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ], and specifically check out
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Thanks for the tips and the links! The tour I'm signed up with will be
staying 3 nights on Alp d'Huez, about 1km below the finish, so I should be
able to get some pretty decent shots. This year, ADH is an individual time
trial, so I'll be getting a LOT of shots from there.

Yes, I shoot digital...a Canon Digital Elph S330 (which fits nicely in a
jersey pocket), but I'm lusting over the new Digital Rebel.

>
> > [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
> >
> > It was taken last summer on the summit of Mt. Evan, Colorado (elevation
> > 14,264 feet). I was so hypoxic from the climb that I didn't even
realize
> > that there were cyclists in the shot...sometimes it's better to be lucky
> > than good, I guess.
>
> I can only imagine what it must be like to ride at 14,000ft+! Was Mt.
Evans
> included in the Tour of Colorado? Sounds like fun (in my own twisted sort
> of way).

Yes - that was an optional side trip on last summer's Bicycle Tour of
Colorado route ([Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. I've ridden BTC each of
the last 3 year's and really enjoy it. Lots of beautiful scenery, plenty of
climbing (and, descending!), and good support. Plus, if you go with the
camping option, it's one of the cheapest tours I've found.

As for "fun"...I was really glad I made it to the summit, but it was one
tough climb (roughly 7,000 feet over 40 miles), with the elevation being the
hardest part. Only about half of the riders attempted it, and only about
half of those made it to the top. Some were turned back by snow and sleet
about 45 minutes after I summited. Others were turned back by altitude
issues. I had every symptom of hypoxia - shortness of breath, dizziness,
tingling fingers and lips, headache, upset stomach, and tunnel vision. I
apparently rode right past a family of mountain goats standing in the middle
of a right-hand switchback, but I didn't see them. Good thing I got that
lucky shot of the mountain goat at the summit!

> --Mike--
> Chain Reaction Bicycles
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>

--
~_-*
....G/ \G
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
CycliStats - Software for Cyclists

01-15-2004, 08:11 PM

Maybe it isn't a technical masterpiece but it's a great photo, Mike. The only
words that were necessary to explain how special the moment was were, "2003 TdF
parade led through Paris by man and boy". The picture told the rest and isn't
that what pictures are supposed to do? Great photo.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

01-15-2004, 10:22 PM

>The only words that were necessary to explain how special the moment was
were, "2003 TdF
> parade led through Paris by man and boy".

That is absolutely true. I felt funny writing all that drivel about it, but
I was getting so many questions, and the number of people who were
interested in high-res version... well, seemed like I needed to explain why
there wasn't one. Outside of what's in my head, of course.

It's funny that my best picture of the '03 TDF didn't show a bike racer.
Not a current one, anyway!

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

"Hunrobe" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].com...
> Maybe it isn't a technical masterpiece but it's a great photo, Mike. The
only
> words that were necessary to explain how special the moment was were,
"2003 TdF
> parade led through Paris by man and boy". The picture told the rest and
isn't
> that what pictures are supposed to do? Great photo.
>
> Regards,
> Bob Hunt