Revealing the shooting skills of professional sports photographers in bicycle races

Q: Please summarize your photography style.

A: I usually improvise when I take pictures. I don't think there are many photographers who specialize in photographing a cyclist before and after the race like me. I usually capture their lives with the team. Most sports photographers will immediately publish photos of the game in many newspapers and magazines, forming a news effect. But the photos I took were more like telling the story of the contestants. I tried to connect myself with the photographer in a very personal way.

Q: When you enter this industry, you take pictures of people. Why did you take part in the bicycle race later?

A: At that time, I lived in Los Angeles, where photography was quite commercialized. Although filming is interesting, it is actually quite difficult to find a suitable job. Later, it became more and more difficult to find a suitable job, so I gave up photography and took part in triathlon. I met people in the sports field during the training, and they invited me to take photos for an Australian cycling team. Although I haven't done sports photography before, I decided to use the method of people shooting in this shooting and focus on the story behind the game. I didn't expect them to like my photos very much and invited me to continue shooting with them for another season.

Q: How long have you been doing this job?

A: sports photography starts on 20 10. Last year, I got an opportunity to work for the Geox-TMC team sponsored by Fuji Bicycle. I stayed in Italy for 7 months and contributed to magazines and blogs from time to time. This work experience has deepened my understanding of cycling. The influence of cycling in Italy is no less than that of NFL in the United States. Cyclists are as popular as rock stars, but it must be said that cycling competitions in Italy are longer and more difficult. But for a female photographer, it has brought many benefits, at least those senior sports photographers will not regard me as a competitor to grab news with them.

Q: What inspired you to do this job?

A: When I first entered the field of sports photography, I had my own understanding of athletes and cycling. But later, as a photographer specializing in cycling, I also photographed sailing, football and other sports themes. I was inspired by the athletes' spirit of wholeheartedly putting in, enduring pain but never giving up. So I decided to record their efforts through my lens.

Q: How do you arrange your daily shooting work?

A: If you meet the Tour de West or Tour de Italy, you will run on the road every day. If I don't go with the team, I will export the photos and videos I took that day to the camera for editing after shooting every day, and I can shoot about 35G to 50G of material every day. During that time, I got up early every day, and the shooting time was generally the same as the competition time, which lasted all day and ran between different match points. Sometimes I follow the motorcade, sometimes I sit behind a motorcycle, sometimes I rent a car with other photographers to follow the race, and sometimes I accidentally deviate from the race section. The whole process of tracking is very stressful. Sometimes I go to the scene to shoot for a while and I don't know when the game will end.

Q: What equipment was used for shooting?

A: I use Canon invincible rabbit and EOS 5D Mark II. This machine has the function of high-definition video recording. Although it's not the best choice for sports photography, it doesn't have much influence on me, because I don't take business photos of eyeballs. Most of the time, I use16–35mm lens. In low light or when taking portraits, I use a 24-70mm lens, and there are also 70-200mm lenses, both with an aperture of 2. Eight shots. If I drive, I will bring a black background curtain and a lot of batteries for emergencies.

Q: How long do you usually shoot outside?

Last year, I only stayed in America for about three months. Besides going to the European cycling race, I also participated in the humanitarian activities of UNICEF. Last autumn, a set of still life photos and two documentaries were taken for humanitarian health projects in Mali and Niger. This job is a great challenge for me, but I also benefit a lot from it.