This story was on the Oklahoma Cross Country Racing Association charity event held in Guthrie each year. I wanted to capture some pictures of youth riders. I grabbed this shot while they were waiting for the start of the race. While a lot of photographers use a telephoto lens for sports action, I prefer to use a wide angle lens and get in really tight with my shots. It gives you a feel of “being there”. I used flash to fill in the shot against the bright sun. I think this first picture would make a great cover shot.
I thought this next picture was great with the father encouraging his daughter before the race.
And finally some action shots. I found some shade from the bright sun and was able to slow my shutter down and use off-camera flash to freeze the action. Panning with the subject helped freeze the rider, and the panning action gave a blur to the background.
