RideLondon 2013: conjuring images as if by magic

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• Prudential RideLondon 2013

  Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th of August was the inaugural weekend of RideLondon, a new annual event to celebrate and promote cycling in the capital.

  I was aware this was happening because all over central London yellow notices had been posted on bus stops warning of us road closures and diversions this weekend.

  Prudential RideLondon FreeCycle

  I knew that on Saturday afternoon there was a professional rally at 5pm around St James’ Park but I didn’t realise there was anything to shoot in the morning when I had plans to be in town.  So imagine my delight when I spotted hundreds of cyclists swarming along the Victoria Embankment.

  

  I had stumbled upon the Saturday morning RideLondon FreeCycle, an 8 mile traffic free route passing landmarks likes St Paul’s Cathedral and Buckingham Palace.  I could see from the participants that this was fun for all the family.

  The Photographic challenge

  Shooting this event was a spur of the moment decision as I was on my way somewhere else.  My first idea was to capture the cyclists at ground level as they whizzed passed.  Except they weren’t rally cyclists on a tour de Londrés, they were families and friends enjoying a leisurely day out.

  

  I love this shot of friends on their folding bikes, enjoying a natter on a summer’s morning; it captures the relaxed atmosphere beautifully.  Without this kind of detail though many of my first shots contained too much grey tarmac to make a visual impact.  Also, I still don’t have a DSLR which would allow me to capture that blurred effect.  Sigh.  So I had to get creative by shooting at different angles, as well as looking for shapes and patterns.  I also appreciated the pedestrian crossing because there were great shots when the cyclists had to stop for those on foot to cross.

  Still I left the shoot feeling a touch disappointed with my results because nothing looked great on my small LCD screen.  Once I’d down loaded my work, I started to either spot or conjure new images, as if by magic.  From my previous post Its all about the crop, I knew had the ability to create new images in this way.  But I also discovered shots like the one below.

  

  This shot was pure luck with timing and choosing an interesting angle.  In another, an aerial shot, I had captured a young woman taking a photo of her boyfriend whilst cycling.  I’ll leave you to discover it in this week’s gallery.  As always, click on a photo for a better view in gallery mode.

  

  TfL notice of changes to bus routes due to Ride London 2013

  

  Participant in Ride London 2013. Victoria Embankment

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  I couldn’t resist snapping another phone box!