Camera meets salt! Part two of this behind the scenes look at shooting the Coast 2 Coast Race. Richard met me in Maraval and we drove to Las Cuevas to meet the racers (on bike again now) coming out. This is a quick stage because these guys and girls are not exactly slow going uphill. Then when they start going down - you simply can’t catch them in a car without running them over!

Shot 1a: ok this is getting ridiculous now - seems I spent most of this shoot on my chest. Note I’m also not wearing any shoes which forgot rushing out at 4:30am. Not fun jumping out of a moving pickup.

Shot 1b: there’s a reason for lying down though. Sometimes I like to use a long lens low down like this to compress a surface like a road. With the aperture wide open it turns the road into a creamy foreground.

Shot 2a: in the shot below I’ve deliberately set up in a spot where the sun has spot-lit a section of the road, bordered by shadow on either side. The idea was to put a cyclist right in that sun spot, casting a long shadow on the road. Here’s the setup below. Note the flash just to the side of my left foot.

Shot 2b: and here’s the result. The flash has just filled in a little to bring some detail out on the bike (wish it was stronger). It also ‘completed’ the line of sunlight from my side of the road. That was unplanned but it worked out ok.

Next up we got into the water (literally) and met the racers kayaking towards the first Boca. Using Anton’s soft plastic water housing I took the 5D for a swim. I didn’t shoot much like this because the racers were moving so fast and once I was in the water I was pretty immobile. I’ll figure that one out for next year.

Shot 3a: this (above) is called “missing the shot”. I wanted to be under the kayak... and he’s already gone. Our boat is far off because of diesel fumes affecting the racers so it takes me a good two minutes to get back on board - of course thinking I’m fish food all the time. For a surfer I have a pretty irrational fear of sharks. I was too young when the first Jaws movie aired and remember getting spooked in a swimming pool by myself. Yeah I know - craziness.

Shot 4a: this is one of the shots that kind of worked (above). Robert Cadiz puts his paddle in right where I need it. I think next year I’ll persuade him to put the Tropical Power logo on the bottom of the kayak too. Here the camera metered of that highlight in the frame’s centre and I couldn’t see the meter. The result was a shutter speed that’s too slow. Lesson: shoot underwater in manual mode.

Shot 5a: oh look! I’m lying down again! Real comfy: on a transom, 10 inches from the water and breathing in diesel. More to compress the ocean and get right down to the kayakers perspective.

Shot 5b: and here’s the result (below). Worth getting low, no? Also worth shooting at a wide aperture and fast shutter speeds: blur the background and freeze - I mean FREEZE those water droplets!

Shot 6a: this is called “starting to fade” (below) when I get back on to the boat and collapse. Right here I’m thinking about the appointment I have with the skin doc the next day and if he’ll ask “how much time do you spend in the sun?”

That’s pretty much it. At the race’s end we all switch from commercial mode to just shooting the facts - trophy presentations etc. Actually I left Anton to get most of these shots - swimming with the housing took it out of me. But I did have just enough energy to pickup my son Alex and burst through the finish line in a flurry of cameras.

Lucky fella: he even got a medal and a kiss! Can’t wait until next year - he might be big enough to hold a camera...

If you came across this page by browsing, you can read the diary from day one here.

And if you were in the race you can view more images and order prints here.

Again, I have to thank the following people for making this shoot even remotely possible. Remote is the word!

Robert Cadiz, Everyone at Tropical Power Ltd., Everyone in the race!, Ryan, Janine and all at Eco Adventures.

My crew on Saturday and Sunday: Anton Modeste, Richard Voisin, Duane Kenny, Ryan O’Connor and Sean Sheppard. Also Master Cuffie for the tea at Petit Tacarib and Cleve with 48 horses!

See you next year!