Cross country running - finish line

kelack

kelack

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I'm just going through some pictures of a cross country race finish line that I did back in August. My remit was to get the runners as they crossed the finish line, with the clock showing the race time above. The trouble I had was that pretty much 2/3 of the runners were all looking down at their race watches while crossing the line.

Does anyone else have this problem? And what do you do?
 
I shoot quite a lot of marathons and 10k races. Only way to avoid this is to shoot them as they approach the finish before they look at their watches. The nature of runners is they will always look at their watches as the cross the line.
 
Thanks for your reply Graham

I have done this with some of the photos, luckily I didn't do just the one finish photo so I have got some where they are just before the line. Quite a few of them were checking their watches quite far back though, so there wasn't a lot I could do with it

I was limited to where I could stand because of the sun and the way the course came round into the finish line. The finish line was also a scaffold structure and the runners tended to hug one side of it. Ideally I would have liked to stand in front of it but then I wouldn't have got the clock

I'm thinking of doing a humorous sign or something saying grimace at me as you finish. A couple of them waved (these were the runners who knew me) and two even did a Morecambe & Wise type side jump thing (again, they knew I'd be there)

I might load a few on in the photo sharing and get your comments if I may. The next one is Feb 12th
 
Another question

It's quite a gruelling cross country run, so by the time they get to the finish line, they tend to be slowing down or just walking, any ideas how to get them to look more dynamic

I take it the same rule applies with this as does football and rugby? Shoot from low perspective?
 
kelack said:
I'm thinking of doing a humorous sign or something saying grimace at me as you finish.
Click to expand...

Or something far dirtier may get their attention. :lol:
 
:lol:

Don't think I'd get away with that, it is tempting though :lol:
 
You could always stand on a step ladder stark naked just after the finish line with your camera? :D
 
Pmsl, I want them to cross the finish line not run in the opposite direction screaming!
 
kelack said:
Thanks for your reply Graham

I have done this with some of the photos, luckily I didn't do just the one finish photo so I have got some where they are just before the line. Quite a few of them were checking their watches quite far back though, so there wasn't a lot I could do with it

I was limited to where I could stand because of the sun and the way the course came round into the finish line. The finish line was also a scaffold structure and the runners tended to hug one side of it. Ideally I would have liked to stand in front of it but then I wouldn't have got the clock

I'm thinking of doing a humorous sign or something saying grimace at me as you finish. A couple of them waved (these were the runners who knew me) and two even did a Morecambe & Wise type side jump thing (again, they knew I'd be there)

I might load a few on in the photo sharing and get your comments if I may. The next one is Feb 12th
Click to expand...

I sometimes think course planners in all types of events go out of their way to make sure us poor snappers are shooting directly into the sun at the finish. :lol: I quite like a few into the sunlight shots but not very often in finish areas. :)

Stew.
 
I don't think it was anything on the side of the organisers, more where the rugby clubhouse and the woodlands surrounding us were :lol:
 
You've already solved it partially in one sense; ie getting some shots in the approach to the finish.

Otherwise I'd try wearing a high vis waistcoat to make you more obvious and get the organisers to mention that photos are being taken at the finish in the pre race briefing. A lot of the runners won't remember, but every little helps.

As for getting low; it's preferable, but it depends on the backdrop & practicalities.
 
Yep, we had hi vis jackets and the announcement went out as they were all at the start line that there would be photographers dotted round the course and on the finish line
 
Typical! :)

Not a lot else you can do apart from yell at them then.
 
Yeah, pretty much.

Oh well, maybe a sign on the scaffold will work then
 
From my experience (as a runner) you'll struggle to get some of the lead runners to acknowledge you through the entire course, never mind at the end where they're using their last reserves or checking their time. It's just the nature of the beast as it is something they've been training to do for a while.

I have dabbled, when dealing with a significant injury, in race photos and usually snap them at a point where I can get them multiple times. Never really tried at the end.

However, if I recall, when photographers have snapped me at the end it is usually a wide angle, getting the time board in as well (they often have a double-sided clock). As I was about to cross the line, it was a chest out bomb with head back.
 
Thanks Ojo for your perspective as a runner. This is a particularly gruelling run, so yes, it's difficult at the end to get them to do anything, even move away from the finish line, some of them tend to just stop dead on it instead of moving down to the medal table, I'm waiting for the pile up to happen :lol:

I'm quite looking forward to the Valentine's run now as I'm going to be on the top of the valley which is about a mile from the finish line, muddy and really steep so I'm going to get the pained look photos. Well I have three options, I can go to the edge of the woods and wait for them to emerge through a muddy puddle, if I do that, it means I can do the finish line, or I can go and get them as the run down the lane just before the finish line, it's the home straight or I can go to the hill. Going to speak to the other tog and see what he wants to do. Personally, I want to do the hill as it makes for some good action shots
 
What about waiting for a few steps after the line after they have done their watch check and start looking up, ok you wont have the chest out photos but at least they will be looking up.
 
Unfortunately that's not possible, they are walking by that point so they're not that dynamic
 
Update, I'm at the top of the hill and getting the start :D
 
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