NOMBS at Camp Tuscazoar
Keep Up
Camp Tuscazoar is anything but flat. There's no good spot to plant yourself and wait for the race to come to you, because the race is always somewhere else, around the next bend or up the next climb, and by the time you get there it's already gone.
Camera awareness comes with experience. I like to pop my head up so the rider can see me before that next jump. It gives them a chance and reason to get some air and steeze for the camera.
Luckily I organically met up with one of the trail builders while out there. He showed me a ton of great spots, each just as interesting as the last. In general, I love to scout a trail ahead of time to understand the terrain, light, etc. This time I was moving every few shots. Bushwacking, skipping switchbacks sounds like a cheat, that is until you’re sucking air trying to hold a camera steady.
The rhythm goes something like this: find a spot, hear a group coming, shoot what you can, move uphill before the next wave, catch your breath, make split second decisions as they come around the corner at race speed. There’s some fun in this, it keeps it exciting. There is a balance, however. Sometimes I find a spot and just hang out because the supporting scene is so great, I don’t want to skip to the next spot until I know I have a frame where the rider matches the energy I’m looking for.. and they’re in focus.
I stayed at one spot longer than I planned. Set up for some pans, let the riders come to me for a few passes, stopped trying to outrun the course. That's usually when the better frames happen, when you commit to a position instead of chasing the next one. It doesn’t mean the FOMO goes away, but you feel a bit less like a squirrel, and more like cat, patiently waiting for the right time to strike.
I always try to capture the start and finish energy as well. This proves difficult sometimes when you’re also trying to grab those action shots 3 miles into the trail. It takes a few or several races to figure out timing, and sometimes you totally miss it. The more I return to the same course, the easier it gets. I hope it never gets too easy!
Josh Reuck is a photographer based in Northeast Ohio documenting outdoor communities, events, and the people whose lives are shaped by wild places.
