waterworks-gp-criterium - KKImages

Waterworks GP Criterium - Des Moines, Iowa

I realized a few weeks ago while volunteering to support the Break the Cycle 200 ride up to Okobji that I hadn't photographed a cycling event in over a year and a half.

Is it possible, iconic Tour like iamages?

This year I've been following the Tour de France for the first time in many years. My first trip to watch the Tours was in 1992, the year that turned out to be Greg Lemond's finale at the Tour. This was a time when you anxiously awaited your copy of Velonews so you could read the full story of each stage, and see the iconic images often times from Graham Watson. Today, I find the images of Jerad Gruber, and James Startt, some of the most compelling images I see coming from le Tour, and images that connect with me.

Waterworks park is pancake flat. And the course is a giant oval that loops around the perimiter of a big open grassy field. Not something that jumps out at you like fabled climb up to Mt. Vonteaux. Can I create some images that look Tour de France like?

Waterworks park, kind of meh?

All of the spectators and most of the action is centered around the start finish line. While you can get some documentary/editorial like start line shots, and the finish line shot that almost all publishers want, there's not too much to me that looks iconic, or compelling.


Work the scene

The first thing that catches my eye is the super tall cotton wood trees that line the road around the park. I start seeing lot's of places to show this big space off. Let's take a walk around the mile and a half loop and see what's possibe.

This looks lonely.

Did I suceed at making some iconic Tour de France like images? I don't know, I'll let you be the judge.