Photographing Bike Races with a Compact Camera

Special to Bike Hugger for Issue 36 by Dennis Crane Photo

Pre-season racing at the Jerry Baker Memorial Velodrome sees the women’s fields is spread out past the finish line below threatening skies.

As a bike race photographer I am my own Sherpa, packing around the gear I need during a day of shooting out on the race course. A harness loaded with two DSLRs, a pack full of remotely triggered lighting equipment, extra batteries, lunch, rain gear and who knows what else. Over the last several race seasons, searching for the perfect shot angle, I have elbowed Byron for room along the course tape and I shared many conversations with him about gear. When I mentioned to him recently that I was having a gas with a Sony RX100 III he asked me to contribute to the photo issue.

RX100 III, $798.00.

Comparing my typical gear set up to the RX100 III is like comparing my backpack loaded for a week of North Cascades hiking to my ultra-lightweight day pack I use when I am cramming in a fast hike up and down a local peak. Yah I got everything I need in the big pack but not the mobility I get from my speed set up. The RX100 III delivers most everything I am accustomed to in a powerful but minimalist package. It gives me a new freedom to create powerful, engaging images. I bring this thing everywhere, it’s so small it fits easily in a pocket which means I no longer find myself imagining a photo I just missed and instead I am taking that photo.

Close up and personal, waiting for the motor.

I am really impressed with this camera’s light sensitivity. As the 2016 Track season is getting underway I have been out shooting at the Jerry Baker Memorial Velodrome, using available lighting with the RX100 III, the resulting colors are staggeringly intense with crisp details. The flip-up LCD makes distinctive shoot angles easier to get and encourages me to compose creatively.

Gray skies dramatize the low angle of this too easy sprint to the finish.

This camera will not replace my normal gear but you can see from the images in the gallery, it delivers a top quality images with few compromises.

Ed note: In comparison to the Sony Camera’s I’ve been shooting with, the RX10 III is thousands less at $798.00, and you can see the results for yourself. The rest of Dennis Crane’s photos are in the issue.

Originally published at mag.bikehugger.com and iTunes as the free, featured article.

Issue 36 Cover

Being in the moment, present with expressive technology taking portraits of bicycles and cyclists. Issue 36 is available now on iTunes and the Web for $3.99 an issue of $14.00 per year.