This was my second triathlon shoot, and it proved to be every bit the challenge I remembered from the one prior. A lot of it has to do with it being a pool vs. open water swim event. There are only so many lanes, so a limited number of racers can be in the pool at any one time. The solution from a race perspective is the wave start, which is a great way to utilize the limited resource. This type of tri is primarily raced against the clock, with the placings sorted out after everyone has finished.

Photographically this means you are never really sure where the leader of the race is at any given time. People are still doing their turn in the pool, while others are halfway through the bike course. For a single photographer covering the event, a lot of compromises and on-the-fly decisions have to be made when it comes to figuring out where to be and what to shoot.

I used my mountain bike to cover a little more ground this time as my primary bike shooting spot was some distance from the pool and start/finish area. It was a fun event and a great time to practice techniques such as wide angle pool shots, and panning the bikes with slow shutter speeds to blur the backgrounds. Easier said than done.

Full gallery here.