Philly Cycling Classic

The name has changed. Big name riders have come and gone. The skyline is different. But the fans keep coming. Despite the sponsorship woes in recent years, the crowds are as big (and as inebriate) as ever.

Most of these shots were from the medical car with a 50mm lens and a TTL cord for off-camera flash.

And yes, the picture of the back of a man in slacks is Philly Mayor, Michael Nutter.

Team PBR elite p/b The Performance Lab

I had the opportunity to take some publicity photos for the "ride everyone else into the ground" cycling Team, also known as the Pabst Blue Ribbon Elite Team presented by the Performance Lab. The goal was a group shot with some elements of Philadelphia thrown in for some local flair.

We agreed to meet around twilight to get some good sunset sky colors. I was hoping for something like this which I got 8 hours later in the same location.



I ended up with grey and cloudy. Not a problem, though, we'll just underexpose and move on. We were working on location on the roof of a parking garage. Regardless, I had power outlets so I brought out the big studio lights.

I started with a simple two light setup. Main to the right and fill to the left. The fill was minimal to keep the drama. I added a speedlight with a grid to highlight the Rothman logo on Dave's shorts in the front row.

After the portraits, got some action shots which let do some zoom bllur effecrs and shutter drag panning, but in the end, it still looked like a garage. As we lost the light, it was time to pack up and go, but I"m pleased with the pictures from the shoot.

Click here to see the whole shoot.

Technical data:

For the group shot of the guys in a line, there was a light in the back as a rim. For the skyline photo the lighting was main from the right, fill from left 2 stops down and a grid on speedlight aimed at the shorts.

For the action shots, there was a light camera right and the camera was panned to the right during the exposure.

Raindrops on Roses

I've owned a lensbaby for 4 years. It doesn't get much use, but recently I got a macro kit for it. This has allowed me to get much closer to my subjects, opening up a great deal of detail that I couldn't capture before. This morning, while going to get my weekly supply of coffee, I passed a rose garden, still wet from last night's rainstorm.
Each raindrop was like a little gem on the rose petals. It's no wonder Julie Andrews counts these as her favorite things.

Click here for a series of raindrops on roses