Shoot of the year

It's not in the shops for another few days, but subscribers will already be receiving the first copies of What Mountain Bike's annual Bike of the Year issue - and I can't resist giving a sneak peak at some of the photos I've been sitting on for the past few weeks. Go on, go out and buy a copy - it's got lots of shiny bikes in it, one or two decent pics... and you'll have the satisfaction that comes from knowing that you're indirectly helping to pay my mortgage. What more could you ask for?

Nikon D3, 14-24mm f/2.8, 1/640sec f/5.6 @ ISO200

The Bike of the Year issue has always been a bit of a bumper round-up of the absolute best in mountain bikes and kit, put together by indisputably the most experienced test team in the business. But this year editor Matt Skinner pulled out all the stops, bumped a few of the suits' heads together and put into action a Master Plan of truly epic proportions - including a five-day shoot in the Lake District and a trip to California.

And yours truly got the call to shoot it. All of it.

Nikon D3, 80-200mm f/2.8, 1/320sec f/9 @ ISO200, two radio slaves

Nikon D3, 14-24mm f/2.8, 1/200sec f/13 @ ISO200, two radio slaves

To say I was chuffed would be an understatement. Forty-odd pages of editorial in a single issue is a pretty good showcase by any standards. It's also a fairly big responsibility, and there were a few wobbly moments (me to Matt, on hearing of his plan to fill 28 pages of the mag on a 5 day shoot in the Lakes in early April: 'er... are you sure you want to do that?'*). But I love a challenge - and this was certainly it.

Nikon D3, 14-24mm f/2.8, 1/400sec f/8 @ ISO200, two radio slaves

So I spent 11 days on location, 7 of them shooting. Drove 1500 miles. Flew around 10,000. Filled umpteen 2Gb cards with raw images, then spent nearly 3 days editing them down to a more manageable number before processing the resulting several hundred files to jpegs. Dropped one of my Pocket Wizards in a lake. Got sunburnt, twice. Stood in cold water for so long my feet hurt. Cursed the D3 sensor's magnetic attraction to dust, a lot. Praised its ability to turn in clean files in almost no light, several times. Rediscovered the joy of Duck Tape.

Nikon D3, 14-24mm f/2.8, 1/60sec f/4.5 @ ISO1600, single radio slave

Nikon D3, 14-24mm f/2.8, 1/250sec f/11 @ ISO200, two radio slaves

And, although the resulting swathe of pictures in the new issue inevitably has me focussing on the ones I coulda shoulda woulda shot better, I'm actually quite pleased with the results. All 43 pages of them. 

With such a wide-ranging brief I had to shoot a bit of everything - from epic landscapes and atmospheric riding pics, to portraits of slightly reluctant subjects and the biggest, most complicated location still-life of bikes I've ever undertaken. it's good to get out of my comfort zone every now and then - it pushes me to try new techniques and look at familiar problems in a new light. And it's usually in situations like these that I turn in my best pictures.

It's been a busy month. But a worthwhile one.

Nikon D300, 10.5mm f/2.8, 1/20sec f/22 @ ISO200

* Perhaps you have to be British to understand: the Lake District is to rain what Arizona is to the lack of it.

Comments

[Monsieur Holmes]

Well done Seb. Some beautiful shots - I LOVE the second one down with the rider coming over the slate. If you're ever stuck in the nightmare that is Charles De Gaulle for a long period of time feel free to give me a shout and we'll grab a beer in the city!

[Andy]

That's a lot of pages to fill!

Really like all the bikes in the water. The one of the rocky corner is good too.

Nice work.

[Marcel]

I look forward to seeing this issue here in the USA, with some awesome shots already posted here. This explains the quiet period on your blog...

[Mei]

Okay, the photos are brilliant, got the mag and it looks fantastic.

One question: HOW DID YOU GET THE BIKES TO STAND UP IN THE WATER??!!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

[Seb Rogers]

Hi Mel,

Transparent perspex might have had something to do with it. But mostly it involved a lot of swearing (on my part) and the consumption of half a packet of jelly babies...

;-P