Tyson's Corner Circuit Race

Another rainy race day ... Up at 5:00 AM. To Starbucks with younger son; grab sandwiches, muffins, skim latte, 5 gallons coffee to sell in bake sale tent. Car loaded with 8 cases bottled water, tents, chairs, tables, coolers, Red Bull, clothing, camera gear, the whole pile. Older son gets to Tyson's ahead of me to help with set-up and registration. Wife (Care) at work in Switzerland -- left Friday, presentation Sunday, returns Monday. I miss her help and cheer. U19 Juniors program is phenomenal -- many parents bake, help at tented pavilion (a good thing in rain). End of day, we meet fundraising goal of $500. A lot of work.

Juniors race phenomenally -- big turnout, about 20 from National Capital Velo Club but, even better, 30 juniors from other squads. (It wasn't long ago that an average turnout was six racers total.) Our squad grabs podiums in J10-14, 15-18 and senior (adult) Category 3/4 races. My sons win 3rd and 2nd place in their age groups. 17 year old crashes (not bad) in Cat 3/4 race, rides solidly in Pro/1/2/3 event. Home from dinner about 9 pm. 1,200 images.

Rainy day, shot at ISO 1600 in morning gloom. Some good shots, but grainy when cropped. Light picks up after lunch -- able to shoot at 400 or 800, better DoF, less grain. A lot of time post-processing, a couple late nights. Some favorite shots are in rain -- grainy moire with vibrant jerseys. Have begun doing more cropping in 16x9 HD format -- fresh perspective. Macbook is hurting -- big RAW files send Aperture into spinning beachball mode. Refurbished Mac Pro on wish list. Selected 170+ photos for web site; scored most as 2, a handful as 3. Look forward to warmer, brighter days for better images. Taxes and rides for me this weekend -- Care is on for Mount Joy.