Bicycle Racing and question regarding shooting on wet pavement

Got a few OK shots yesterday at the Martinez Crit ( Martinez, CA - SF Bay Area).

It poured most of the morning and some of the shots were washed out and it seemed like it was due to the glare off the pavement of the street.

also I found that the camera focused in on the rain in some of the shots.

Any suggestions on how to work with this?

Of course any suggestion or comments on anything are welcome.

Here are a few of the better ones.

1.

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Great shots and composition. I especially like no. 3.
Please post camera/settings etc so some recommendations can be made. I have the focus problem also when shooting swimming. I now gererally use spot metering and let the camera choose the focus point - seems to help

Really liked the bmx shot. These shots are great, when you include both the rider, and the jump itself. It really creates a lot more action to it, instead of those of just the rider in midair.

Superb shots. I would be very happy. As to the glare, perhaps a polarizer filter would help . Never have had the issue, wish I could help more.

Cheers!

I love the second shot; were you panning?

widowmaker wrote in post #2690474
Really liked the bmx shot. These shots are great, when you include both the rider, and the jump itself. It really creates a lot more action to it, instead of those of just the rider in midair.

Thanks! I used to shoot the rider high in the sky. Including points of reference is something I picked up from this forum.

Again, this is a fantastic site!

Thanks again for taking the time to view and respond.

kster wrote in post #2690501
I love the second shot; were you panning?

Yes. I have been playing with which setting will give me nice motion and not too much blur. I was pretty happy with this one.

Av(Aperture Value)
F11
Tv(Shutter Speed)
1/60Sec.

Thanks for the tips. I was thinking of checking out the Amgen Tour of CA; it would be my first attempt at photographing cycling so this thread really helps.

kster wrote in post #2690575
Thanks for the tips. I was thinking of checking out the Amgen Tour of CA; it would be my first attempt at photographing cycling so this thread really helps.

I LOVE bike racing. Where in NorCal are you? I would highly suggest going out and shooting the ToCa.

It's much easier when they are climbing since they will be going a bit slower and the pack will be broken up. Since the pack is not all together you'll have several opportunities to try several different things.

Plus, there will be less crowds. At the start/finishes they crowds are usually really deep.

Here are a few that I took last year on Sierra Road. It was taken with an Olympus -4040 point and shoot. After this race, I knew I needed to step up and get a better camera.

http://ala-laary.com/tourofca2/

I am planning on going out on Monday to try to catch them going up the coast on Hwy 1 and then jump into the car to go up to Santa Rosa to catch some of the finish.

You did a nice job of capturing the scene on your website. I'm also in the bay area (closer to the south bay) so heading to Sierra Rd is something I'm thinking about. Like you, I can drive to Milipitas and then ride up on my bike. I've never done Sierra Rd but I know it is very steep.

On Sierra Rd, do they let you stop and take pictures only from certain points? Or can you setup anywhere along the road?

kster wrote in post #2690842
You did a nice job of capturing the scene on your website. I'm also in the bay area (closer to the south bay) so heading to Sierra Rd is something I'm thinking about. Like you, I can drive to Milipitas and then ride up on my bike. I've never done Sierra Rd but I know it is very steep.

On Sierra Rd, do they let you stop and take pictures only from certain points? Or can you setup anywhere along the road?

The stop car traffic about a mile from the start of the climb. bike is the ONLY way to the top.

I got there about 2 hours prior to the arrival of the lead caravan. The very top was INSANE!

a lot of fun, I highly suggest you make the trip, shoot and then post!

WOW! Gotta pick my jaw up off the floor. The first three just blew me away. AWESOME SHOTS!!!

emurph2 wrote in post #2691210
WOW! Gotta pick my jaw up off the floor. The first three just blew me away. AWESOME SHOTS!!!

THANKS!

I just ordered a 1dMark2n on Friday. Should arrive on Monday. Can't wait!!

The panning on the second one is really good.

I've shot a few of my wife's crits and had the best results down low on the inside of the course. I tried to get the sun on the inside leg of the rider and to my left. The rain looks as challenging for photog as for the riders !

Great shots