Choosing the Season’s Favourites
Our photographer and media co-ordinator, Adam Winfield of Through the Lens Media, looks back at his photos from the season and
talks us through his top ten.
Do you agree with his choice?
It's always good looking back over the year's photos and choosing your favourites to present, my choices always change throughout the year as I get to know the team better, the rider's individual stories and the broader context of the whole season.
It would be easy to think that, working with a successful team, the victory photos, at the finish line or on the podium would be the obvious choice but in many ways, they're the basic ones and the ones that you see lots of people share.
Having worked closely with Jo Tindley this year to define a media/communication strategy and consider the messages we want to share, we've tried to go a little deeper and capture some of the personality and emotion of the team. This is quite a challenge at times, this team are no strangers to success so when things sometimes don't go to plan, the last thing they need is for me to be in their faces photographing.
We've also tried to develop video content at races this year and that's been really demanding as you need to plan the content capture to produce a coherent and watchable product, but we all know things in this sport rarely go to plan.
I’ve tried therefore to choose, and rank my top 10 photos of the year, and share with you some of might thoughts, and the stories behind them:
I start with one of those 'obvious' photos from my first race with the team. The Jose Gilbert Memorial Trophy, as part of the Loughborough Cycling Festival, is a great event to photograph, the university campus providing lots of different opportunities to catch the action.
When Jo won the final sprint however, I was convinced I was the lucky omen and we'd be getting this image at every race of the year!
There's a point pre-race, where the atmosphere in the team switches. Each rider is different but generally the chat, and joking stops, things get serious, and my interaction becomes that of bystander/observer.
There's quiet, focussed concentration and each girl will respond on the start line in different ways. This photograph from the start of the Newark Grand Prix captures three distinct approaches to the race. Jo, left, is in full race mode, Bexy appears relaxed but she's about to deliver a huge team performance and Robyn, right, appears unusually nervous, she goes on to win the race and the team clinch the national championships.
My responsibilities don't just extend to the riders and this team is a much wider community, including families and supporters. At the National Circuit Race Championships this year I noticed Corinne's mum and partner stood opposite me and with a relatively clean background, it was a good opportunity to focus on them for a change. I chose a slower speed and kept my fingers crossed that Corinne was still in a small group. I was lucky that she was alone for that moment, not quite so lucky when a disability scooter came into frame, oh well! (I never did find out whether Ed had got a photograph of me, photographing him).
Another opportunity to get a high viewpoint came at the National Road Race Championship when the race entered Saltburn, with a small, grassy hill overlooking the beach. I knew this stretch of road would be important in the race, as the riders positioned themselves for the steep climb into the town, and with no-one else in the frame, it creates an almost 'toy' like view, even the seat and railing add to the sense of symmetry.
Working closely with the team means I know the effort, dedication, and commitment it takes to race at a high level and sometimes it's the fleeting moments away from the race that tell the whole story. Emotion can be a difficult, and uncomfortable thing to capture at times so it's always nice when that emotion is celebratory.
It's relatively easy to plan the images you want, to have a picture in mind, but it's quite another thing to execute that plan. There’s very rarely the time to organise a photo with the whole team, each rider has their own routine during race prep and once they click into 'race mode', it's a case of reacting to what happens, and sometimes just standing back.
It was a real treat to have time with some of the girls and try some fun shots, off the bike, during the national championships weekend, on the seafront of Seaton Carew. We took a walk along the beach, Reservoir Dogs style and stopped for ice-creams.
At the Owen Blower Memorial Race I had scouted the course looking for a location with a clean background and a long view of the race climbing to me. This is a classic tactic to avoid distractions, allow time to pick out individual riders and choose the right time to press the shutter. The road and especially the painted centre line, when my viewpoint is low, act as a 'lead-in line' which draws the eye in.
Zoe leads the breakaway up the main climb on the course, with focussed concentration written across the faces of the group, waiting to attack or cover any early moves.
Heading back to Loughborough and the opportunities to shoot from different angles allowed me to be a little more creative. Shooting from a low viewpoint is a technique I'll often use, but the chance to get above the race (without using a drone!) is unusual. An external fire escape allowed me to access a point where I could be right above and produce an unusual view, I waited for the sun to come out as I knew the shadow would add interest.
Halfway through the season I coined the phrase 'the red & black train' as I watched the girls work closely together in races and dominate at times. Seeing something on the road and capturing that in a single image are two different things however so I was delighted when everything came together in a tight, long shot where I enhanced the contrast of the red and black kit against the dark background with a blast of flash.
My personal favourite photo of the year comes from the last race, The Curlew Cup, and is at first glance at least, one of those obvious finish line photos capturing a victory.
Look closer however and there’s a bigger story here. Whilst Corinne celebrates a significant win, you can see many of the team in the background, having raced a superb team performance, but it’s Jo in the far background, with her hand in the air celebrating Corinne’s win which makes the picture for me. Whilst I can’t claim to have planned the shot, I’m proud to have been in the right place, and been ready to shoot something other than just another finish line shot, especially having stood in the rain all morning!