Favorite 2009 Pictures

I probably took fewer bike race pictures this year than in past years, but I took more nature pictures. I think my quality settled down a bit. I had more fun. Here are a few favorites with comments. Originals are posted at http://images.jamesrwilson.com. You can click through pix to download high resolution or order prints.

Nathan at Fitchburg



This is my personal favorite. I like the black and white, the contrast of youth and harsh context. My son Nathan following a national-level road race where he fought to win second, solo, against the powerful Hot Tubes squad. A couple months past his 18th birthday. Nathan is an exhausted but matured warrior here, something I mark as a turning point. Nate continued the 2009 season to set ever higher marks, achieving Category 1, winning big races, besting pros, and riding to a silver at the USA Junior championships.

Chris Kelley at Kelley Acres Cross



I've known Chris over the years and been fortunate to grab some nice images. I like the ethereal lighting and how Chris's beauty and wisdom penetrate. Outdoors on her farm.

Andy Wulfkuhle at Capital Classic Cyclocross



This is "Bad Andy" Wulfkuhle, 2009 Pennsylvania Cyclocross Champion. (Apology -- I had mislabeled him as Wes Schempf in an earlier post.) I like this gritty image.

Joellen and Pam Mauch at Reston Town Center



Mother and daughter in the rain. I like this pairing, generational beauty with a sense of both je ne sais quoi and knowing.

Bobby Phillips at Turkey Day



The Baltimore Bullet is one of the winningest cyclists to grace our region. A friend, one who has given much. This shot is of Bobby as he memorializes his mother and father at the start of the annual race he hosts in Maryland.

Middle Child at Wilmington



This reminds me of a Sally Mann picture. The girl looks defiant and perhaps angry, her brothers watching the bike race, her mother laden with her next sibling.

Young Racer at Tour de FCCC



I like the lighting and color balance with his one, the strand of hair (click through to zoom). I recall that she won her class. Beautiful.

West Side Road, Mount Rainier, Nisqually Bridge







This was an important part of a journey for me, some time off in raw nature. I wrote a blog post on this.

Deschutes River, Mount Bachelor (USAC Nationals)



This was one of those virgin nature shots, refreshing. I grabbed it after an 80 mile loop riding around Mount Bachelor in Oregon. Makes me want to drink the cool water, put on my backpack and head out.

Ethiopia Healthcare Network

My next big round of photography comes in January 2010 when I travel to Ethiopia. I'll be working (volunteering) for the Ethiopia Healthcare Network charity and related programs in Addis Ababa. Below is a favorite shot from my Ethiopia work in 2007. These children in Dukem are yearning for (and need) healthcare.



Have a wonderful New Year! -- Jim

Rockburn Cyclocross, 11.22.2009

Lovely fall day at Rockburn, everyone was home. Nate came in from Boulder for Thanksgiving break, and Care returned from a six-day spin through Pine Bluff, Paris and Hannover. I hadn't shot a bike race for a couple months. It was nice to reconnect with the scene, see friends, and watch the boys. Perhaps sad to say, my photographic interests and best pictures vector toward people and nature rather than cycling. At Rockburn, held in a small park near Baltimore, I worked a little to mix the three. In the shot below, the tangled tree is the focus. The blue rider came into it.



Below is elite race leader Wes Schempf. Nice (almost jungle looking) woods detail, Wes looking over his shoulder, black and white moire.

Shot the cyclocross race a little slower than a criterium or road race, because action is a little slower. Also, lower light in the woods made slower shutter speed helpful. Experimented a bit. About half shots were manual focused. This helped in woods; I could make sure an interesting tree or such was sharp, and shoot the rider when s/he came into focus.

Of course, family trumps. Here's a top-bottom of Avery (blue bike) and Nathan. And, as common, dogs.

Full album here. Thank you.

Ed Sander Memorial Cyclocross

September 28, 2008 -- Ed Sander Memorial Cyclocross, Lilypons Water Gardens, near Barnesville, Maryland.  Summer's over.  It gets dark about 6 PM.  Cross season is a pleasant delimiter, mellow and fun for spectators and difficult for competitors. Taking pictures is easier because cyclists are moving more slowly than in a road race or criterium  -- e.g., they're struggling to climb out of a muddy gully.

Photography was good today; light was mixed cloudy, rain and sunny, like the tropics.  Very interesting.   Lots of kids.  Worked mostly at ISO 400 and 1/1000 or 1/1250 for action, and 1/320 for candids.  All shots with 70-200 F4L.  Finding 5D is very good with backlit images. Aperture makes managing photo uploads easy; latest version has improved color management features that I use (e.g., vibrancy).  Had pretty high keeper rate -- about 25%.  Enjoy -- Ed Sander Memorial Cyclocross images.