Tough Mudder – Northampton 5k

This event was a little different to the usual Tough Mudder events as it was based around a 5k run in an urban environment and was split over two days to ensure as many people as possible could participate. Being a 5k event it encouraged people that may not ordinarily do this sort of thing to try it out as it was more of a fun event to give them a taste of what taking on a Tough Mudder event would involve.

I covered all aspects of the event from teamwork right through to the finish line.  The highlight for me on Day One was photographing the competitors trying to climb a 5m metre high wall which wasn’t easy as they had to work as a team to scale the wall. This gave me the chance to capture all kinds of fun images. With the sun shining this couldn’t have been better for them or me, everyone was in good spirts and with it being a Friday evening everybody was ready to end the working week and start a fun weekend.

Day Two, I covered the finish area.  I got myself a good position to capture the competitors just before the finish line enabling me to photograph them in different ways as they approached. From jumping to stopping to pose for the camera the competitors really gave it their all and the photos show the great atmosphere of the event.  For many people it was their first event and what a way to be able to remember the day and their achievement – by striking a pose for the camera.

To see more photos from this event head over to our Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/reflectivephotograph/

Tough Mudder - Belvoir Castle

A two-day event held in the middle of Summer which in the UK can mean snow or glorious sunshine.   Once again, I was lucky as the sun shone down on us.

The first day of this event I photographed the runners as they completed a brand new for the year obstacle “The Whopper”. If they completed it, they got to press the button at the end and fire the flames of the grill!

Now, I could have put some pictures up that were the stereotypical flames either side of the image but let’s be honest flames and wind don’t mix at the best of times although they do make for some very amusing photos!  The results are a little unpredictable, but they made myself and the participants smile at the results.  Where else would you see what appears to be hair on fire, a button covered with flames or a group of people looking like they are passing wind made up of flames, I had it all.

A great day had by all and lots of laughter.

On Day Two I was on the “Peaks of Pain” which I had covered a few years ago in London and that was great fun, so I knew what to expect. Mud, Mud, Mud, and boy was it bad.

This year the competitors seemed to have a liking for getting completely covered in the thick brown mud which made for some great images. Tough Mudder events are always great to photograph as the competitors really do go all out to have a great time and enjoy all the obstacles they encounter.  It was Tough, it was Muddy and I was thrilled to be a part of it again this year with Epic Action Imagery.

To see more images head over to our Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/reflectivephotograph/

RatRace – Dirty Weekend

What a difference 12 months makes.

As many of you know, in September last year I made the decision to make Reflective Photography my full-time career.  I had been attending events like this at the weekend alongside my day job and I felt that the time was right to focus on these amazing events.  The pride I feel being able to capture the emotions of people who take part in these events – many of them for the first time with limited preparation – is immense and something I was so excited to be able to commit to fully.

Last year it was raining (ok it was hammering it down!)  and this year we had wonderful sunshine – if that wasn’t a sign that this was where I should be, I don’t know what is.

As usual with this event it was full of fun and laughter for both me and the participants.  I was photographing the racers as they came down “The Big One” and what a show they put on for me. Lots of splashes and funny faces pulled as they hurtled down the massive slide with water going everywhere – and yes, they were aiming for me as usual!  Not a problem saves me going to the gym 😊

There was everyone there from Superman (who not only did the event but also ran 169 miles from Essex and back all for charity), to The OCR Wrongens which i seem to capture everywhere i go, Baywatch Boys, Where’s Wally’s and yes even some friendly Vikings.  This event is a sure-fire winner and puts a smile on my face every time.   You are all crazy and I can’t wait to see what next year brings at Dirty Weekend. 

To See more pics from this weekend head over to our facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/reflectivephotograph/

Equestrian Event - Shelford Manor

This year I was approached by Athalens, who specialise in horse events across the globe, to see if I would be interested in working with them to capture some key events in the eventing calendar.  I had not done formal horse photography before but was excited by the way the company work and its ethos so was keen to give it a go.

I had a fantastic 3 days photographing an equestrian event at Shelford Manor. This event offered the opportunity to capture some amazing photos of both the horses and riders as they complete the different disciplines.

I was keen to look into different ways to capture the horses as they go around each course rather than just the standard front shot near an obstacle or a jump.   I am always willing to get stuck in and horse events are not different, during the day I was spotted by various volunteers lying on the floor to get level with the ground to give a more dynamic look.

This event also gave me the chance to trial my new remote camera rig. This produced fantastic photos and I have now built an equestrian focused camera rig specially designed to be able to get up close to the animals whilst being at a safe distance and not interfering with the action. I can’t wait to get more out of the rig and find more new ways to photograph this charismatic sport.A big shout out to Athalens for reaching out to me and looking forward to working together in the near future.

Berghaus – The Dragons Back

Berghaus - Dragons Back Day 1

This was a monumental event.

This event took in the mountain peaks in Snowdonia and involved the participants covering around 60 miles each day over some of the toughest terrain Wales has to offer. In order to fully immerse myself in this event, I camped on location each night, personally moving each day to a new site and being self-contained during the week I was on site.

Before setting off to Wales I had to plan the individual shoot locations for each day.  I wanted to tell a story of all the different terrains the runners had to cover throughout the event. The first day started with a dramatic climb ahead of me - 2 hours trekking up a mountain with all the equipment on my back for all the weather Wales could possibly throw at me, to a stunning location that enabled me to get photos of the runners as they started their descent from the peak. This turned out to be a fantastic location as it was an old mining trail that was used for bringing mined rocks down for building houses. 

With the sun shining the runners were more than happy to play to the camera which allowed me to capture the true emotion of the runners, many of whom had come from across the world to take part in this unique event.  Something which really made me feel humble was that I was thanked by so many people for being there to photograph them and for climbing up the mountain.  Being a part of their journey built the camaraderie and this was carried through for the whole event.  We really were all in this together. 

Berghaus – Dragons Back Day 2

This time I had a relatively short hike up a large hill (instead of the mountain that greeted me the day before) which enabled me to get a town and hills into the background of the images giving another aspect of the variety of this unique event.  Amazingly for Wales this was another day with glorious weather (surely this couldn’t carry on as it is Wales after all and the weather is unpredictable!) but, to all our relief, it did. The runners were happy to see me waiting at the top of the hill and keen to give me a wave.  This was a gruelling event and the relationships being built between the participants was clear to see from the images, the way they all encouraged each other and provided support.

Berghaus – Dragons Back Day 3

The famous Welsh valleys – land of Sir Tom Jones.

Sun again and was the area was truly beautiful. I parked up on the side of the road in a spot that enabled me to see the runners coming from far in the distance, giving me the opportunity to get different looking photos from just one location.   Taking in the streams and mountain pathways I was blown away by the beauty of this amazing landscape – only enhanced by the true determination of the participants.

Berghaus – Dragons Back Day 4

The final day of the event and I really wanted to capture both the start and the end of this phenomenal journey.  I was up at 4.30 to make sure I was in position at 6am to get images of the entrants beginning their final ascent.  A quick dash back to camp to pack everything away before racing off to get ahead of the runners at the finish line.

It was so important to me to be able to photograph the last part of their story and I was able to capture the raw emotions of the runners as they crossed the finish line of this fantastic event. Well, I got it all from hugs, tears, collapsing and expressions of true joy upon finishing this monumental event.

This event was a pleasure to photograph as I have never been thanked so much for what I consider to be just doing my job by all the runners for being up the mountains alongside them to capture them both at the top of the world and also down in the beautiful valleys of Wales.

Dragons I’ll be back!

Property Photography (The Mushroom House)

Property photography has always been of interest to me and a couple of weeks ago I was asked if I would take some photos of a client’s property located in the beautiful village of Rosedale, Yorkshire.

This gave me the chance to photograph a truly stunning cottage, which is not only in a very scenic location but also was fantastically furnished with everything that anybody could need to make their stay memorable.

I captured images of each of the rooms and also incorporated some detail shots of items around the house and local area. These photos are being used for promotion and online for letting the property.

For more picture please head over to our Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/reflectivephotograph/

Yorkshire Warrior

This event is always fun to photograph, with a great family atmosphere and with my family in Yorkshire it holds particular significance for me. 

For this first time at this event I was the lead photographer meaning my weekend started on the Saturday by checking out the course and selecting the obstacles all of us would be covering. This turned out to be a great day weather wise which allowed me to have a good walk around the course.  Note to self – get a Fitbit!

The Sunday was an early start to get on site ready for the rest of my team to turn up. After a quick briefing I took two of the newer photographers to their respective shoot locations and showed them some angles and the images we were looking for.

As you can see from the images I had two obstacles through the day which made things more interesting. I was able to use my ultra-wide angle lens on the first one which enabled me to get some really dynamic images, which I love. The second was capturing people coming through the lake under foam bars which is always fun and challenging getting lots of water splashes makes a great photo.  Although my clothes are not as waterproof as the manufacturers lead me to believe.

Bring on April 2019 for more Yorkshire Warrior.  Just remember, keep thi’ sen’ calm, it’ll be reyt.

Head over to our Facebook page to see more Pictures from this event.

https://www.facebook.com/reflectivephotograph/

RatRace Man v Mountain

The RatRace Man v Mountain is an epic 22 mile, 5055ft event which I have had the pleasure of photographing for the past 4 years and each year it continues to give something new and exciting for all involved.

I have had all weathers on this event from 70mph winds, horizontal rain, glorious sun etc.  I thought I had been out in all the weathers the UK could throw at me.  But, this year I experience something new “fog”. Having arrived at the summit via train (very lazy of me I know but, in my defence, I did have two heavy kit bags) I entered the very thick soup of fog that was covering the summit.

Due to the dense fog I had to walk quite a way down the mountain to get a good location as I needed to find somewhere that was below the fog.  What goes up, must come down!

By the time the competitors had got to me they had just run up Mount Snowdon and were looking very wary, yet still they had the energy to give me a smile or a wave some even managed a jump. Even those who were struggling a little more and were walking surprised me – as soon as they see a photographer their energy comes back, and they start to run for the camera.

One thing I noticed this year, which was different to previous events, was the number of competitors taking selfies on the mountain, seems the selfie bug has reached the OCR. 

As the last runners came through I packed up my kit and took a deep breath and started the long walk down the mountain with one kit bag on my back and the other on my front.  Top tip – walk backwards – trust me it works!

Head over to our Facebook for more images from this epic event.

https://www.facebook.com/reflectivephotograph/

Mudnificent 7 2018

A few weeks ago, you may have noticed on my Facebook that I was covering the Mudnificent 7 event. This event consisted of seven OCR event organisers working together on one unique event. I was the photographer for the section put together by Insane Terrain.

This was a huge adults inflatable playground, with ramps logs and some very large hanging balls. The day couldn’t have been better, the weather was perfect, and everyone was up for loads of fun.

As you can imagine with such an obstacle there was a lot of laughs and face plants as people tried to jump up onto the slide parts. Many people were dressed up for the occasion including the Grim Reaper and quite a few “Wrongens” out and about as you will see….

Head over to the Facebook page to see some of my favourite images from this event.

https://www.facebook.com/reflectivephotograph/

RatRace Ultra Tour Of Arran

For those of you that blinked and missed it – we had two whole days of summer in the UK this year and I was lucky enough to spend them in beautiful Arran taking photos for the epic new RatRace Ultra Tour of Arran.

They say Arran is Scotland in miniature - from dense forests and coastal scenery in the South to crumbling castles and dramatic mountains in the North.  The Isle of Arran delights at every turn. The Ultra Tour of Arran was a 2 day off-road running adventure which saw the competitors covering a staggering 50km each day. On Saturday, they covered the south of the island before moving on to the North on Sunday with completely different terrains to challenge them each day.  Fortunately, the weather was kind to all involved with only a little rain on the Sunday afternoon.

After a long drive on Friday from the East Midlands we boarded the ferry in Ardrossan and had a very smooth ferry crossing to Brodick.   A 7 hour journey meant that when I arrived at the bunk house I was very ready for bed. In the morning, we set off to our individual pre-allocated locations.  For my first post I had a costal shot not far from the start with a wonderful backdrop of the edge of Brodick. 

An hour and a half later I was off Kildonan on the southernmost point of Arran for my second location. This time half way up a hill with a panoramic coastal view behind the runners as they came past me. Many of the runners were initially disgruntled at someone taking photos as they panted and puffed their way up the hill but once they saw they backdrop they were more than happy to show off for the camera.

On the Sunday, I drove 30 miles north to the view point at Newton, the sun was out and it was surprisingly warm. They say the weather brings out the best in you and it definitely brought the best out in the competitors, they were all more than happy to wave and play to the camera which again made for some epic images with the wonderful views behind.

Then it was back to Brodick to the finish line to capture the very, very tired runners that had completed this epic two-day event cross the finish line, one or two even still had the energy to do press ups on the line and jump with joy.  I knew these people were crazy.

I hope this inaugural event was a huge success for the organisers and it takes place again next year as I would love the opportunity to cover it again.  It is a truly beautiful place to have such a fantastic race.

Pop over to our Facebook page for more images of this great weekend.

https://www.facebook.com/reflectivephotograph/

RatRace Mens Health Manchester.

Well here it is – the last one…

For the last few years, Men’s Health Manchester has been my final event of the season, and has always been a rather damp affair. This year again the weather didn’t disappoint, although it did start out with lots of promise as I set off for the final hurrah.

The skies looked good with the clouds high and fairly white, but as I drove North it soon became clear it wasn’t to be and the windscreen wipers came on as the drizzle came down again.

For me this year it was a different shot as the last two years I have been pitch side at the Etihad Stadium.  This year I was at the hoops which are very similar to hang tough in the Total Warrior events which I have shot many times. So, I had to get low down and work out the best way to get some dramatic shots.

I had a little time before the competitors got to my obstacle, I was close to the start so did a few creative shots of banners and the warm ups. Like Men’s Health Nottingham they start by going over three sets of straw bales, so I found a spot to get good angles with the stadium logos in the background.

Once the competitors started coming it was a constant stream of shattered runners trying to swing along the hoops with their arms shaking, many of them made it all the way along which is testament to their determination and will to succeed. All I had to do was try and keep my lens clean from the drizzle which was coming straight at me, as you can imagine this was a challenge in itself.

It has been surprising this year how many competitors I’ve seen time and time again at different events all over the country – they have recognised me and waved or shouted hi as the ran past, it’s a great feeling as they make you feel welcome and almost as though you have been involved in their trials and tribulation in each event.

So, it’s come time to bid farewell to the 2017 OCR season. It has been a fantastic year I have met some amazing people and done some monster mileage, been up to my neck in mud, almost blown away and soaked to my bones but it has been totally worth it.

BRING ON 2018, it’s going to be even bigger and better.

For a few images from this event head over to our Facebook page using the link below.

https://www.facebook.com/reflectivephotograph/

The Major - Bramham Park

The Major - Bramham Park

Travelled up to Bramham Park again for another fantastic event from the major ocr . These are always very wet, muddy and loads of fun.

As always, I was posted to the wettest, muddiest obstacle which was 1.5km from the start, really should start wearing my FitBit to these things – may earn myself an extra slice of cake!  After a little walk I found the swamp/boggy area (home for the next few hours) and scouted for a good location to shoot from. I had to climb down an overgrown bank to the edge of the water just up from the swamp area although this was very soft under foot I figured it may be ok for the day. I got my kit out and camera settings sorted ready for the competitors to come through.

There were two BMF instructors on hand to help (torture) the competitors along the obstacle and after having a chat with them I figured they were going to make photographing this rather fun.  Yes Sir, Sarge!

As I was so close to the beginning of the race when the competitors started coming they came thick and fast. It wasn’t long before one of the BMF guys were in the muddy water with the competitors shouting at them to go under the foam bars. This made my job a lot easier as they were covered from head to toe in thick muddy water and they really made a meal of the whole thing.

As the day went on I was so engrossed with capturing the images that it took me a while to realise that either the water level around me was rising or I was starting to sink.  Looking around I saw that my kit bags where sort of floating. Luckily, I had put them on large plastic sheets which had folded around them so the camera bags were still dry, so up the bank they went. However, it was far too late for me as water/mud was all over me (standard) so back into the swamp I went.

Have a look over on our Facebook page for some of the great images from this event.

https://www.facebook.com/reflectivephotograph/

RatRace - Mens Health Survival Of The Fittest

I covered both Cardiff and Nottingham this year. It was my first time at Cardiff Mens Health and the event and the location didn't disappoint, Both Cardiff and Nottingham are one day events with competitors running around areas of the cities with lots of obstacles thrown in for good measure.  

At both events, by complete chance, I ended up covering what they call the washing machine which is a large wooden structure with four doors on both sides and a machine pumping huge amounts of foam into it.  think back to your student days when you added too much washing powder at the local laundrette and you will get the idea.

This obstacle produced a lot of fun and laughter for the competitors. This for me was just too much to hold back from and I got stuck in with bubbles up to my chest and was soaked to the skin, but this enabled me to get some fantastic photos of the competitor as they tried to find their way through the bubbles and out the other side.  Let's face it if I hadn't jumped in by the end I would have been pushed in.  The photographer is never safe for long...

Some of these fun images will be posted on our Facebook page, so pop over and have a look.

https://www.facebook.com/reflectivephotograph/

Something a little different.

A friend of mine is a mechanic and gave me a call to say that he had a car in he thought I may be interested in.  The owner was happy to give me the opportunity to photograph his pride and joy - a pristine Sierra Cosworth after it had been extensively detailed ready for a show.

The client was happy for us to do what we wanted to get some interesting shots, so I took the opportunity to use small flashes to get some close-up mood shots of the whole car picking out various unique details on the vehicle. Then it was off outside and we used two cars for some "on the road" driving shots which had me in the boot of my car with a driver and the Cosworth being driven by the mechanic.

The whole shoot was a big success and both myself and the client were really happy with the images produced.

Have a look on our Facebook page for a few of the images.

https://www.facebook.com/reflectivephotograph/

Next.. Total Warrior Edinburgh

After a long drive and picking up another photographer on route we finally arrived at the static caravan that was going to be our base for the weekend. As you can imagine in the dark, late at night it was difficult to tell one caravan from the next - after getting our kit out of the car we thought we had found the right caravan only to find it locked. After trying both doors I thought it wise to check the text for the caravan number just in case. Yep it was the wrong caravan!  Luckily it was empty and we hadn't scared our weekend neighbours. We managed to find the right caravan and off to bed we went.

Next day I managed to get my hands on a 16mm fisheye lens for the whole event as I had the perfect obstacle to use it on, time to get up close and personal.  This was the first time I had the chance to use this lens and I am hoping it won't be the last.

All the competitors were loads of fun and were happy with me being that close to them which helped produce some fantastic images all weekend.

In the evening, we were pleased to see a beautiful sunset appearing, so with cameras in hand we set off to the beach to try and photograph it before it was too dark.

For some images from this event have a look at our Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/reflectivephotograph/

RatRace - Coast 2 Coast

EPIC....

This event is exactly that - 105 miles over 2 days.

First there was an nine and a half hour drive from Newark to Fort William at the edge of Loch Ness to a hotel and a very well deserved pint with a fellow photographer.

The next day I was up and raring to go at 04.30 for a two hour sunny drive north to Cawdor Castle which is only 7 miles from the start of the event. I shot images here last year and found all the competitors very fresh faced and full of positivity which helped get some fun/cheeky (you know who you are!) images so I was hoping for the same again. The day didn't disappoint as they were all up for having some fun striking poses for the camera as they ran past the castle.

Then it was off for a four and a half hour drive down to the Glen Coe Hotel to the finish line and yes some of the competitors manage to complete this epic 105 mile event in just 1 day...

I managed to arrive half an hour before the first competitors started to cross the Loch in the kayaks.  They looked understandably very tired, but still gave a smile as they ran , yes ran past me to the finish.

Day 2 and I was up early again to get to the road section to cover the participants on their bikes. I managed to get myself into position low down in a ditch to get the best reactions from the competitors as they came past with the mountains as a backdrop.  Those of you that have seen me at past events know how I love to jump out to surprise you all with the camera.  Too much "You've Been Framed" as a kid I guess.

Sure enough being this low down, I got the reactions I was hoping for and people loved posing as they rode past to help me produce some great images for them to cherish of their great adventure in the Scottish Highlands. 

For a few images of this event go over to my Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/reflectivephotograph/

Watch out for me next time - look low!

Long time, no see...

Wow it has been a busy few months for me and I haven't had any time to update my blog or much else. But now as things start to get back to normal I will be back on all fronts showing everyone the events I have been covering.

Believe me when I tell you, I have been to all corners of the country and covered some amazing events, with some fantastic and inspirational people.

Last time I posted - I had just covered Man V Lakes.  Next stop was Man V Mountain- and this turned out to be the polar opposite of when I covered the event last year when we had 70mph winds and horizontal rain. This year it was glorious weather with no wind and it really allowed us to enjoy the amazing views that Mount Snowdon has to offer.

Having got to the summit via the train (thanks to the kind soul who gave me their ticket!) it was soon time to start capturing the images of the competitors who had already covered most of the 22 Miles by this point and must have been pretty exhausted after running up the mountain.  Although I like to think carrying 40kg of camera gear up a mountain means I felt some of their pain - yes I know part of the climb was on the train but what goes up must come down!

The competitors seemed in good spirts and were more than happy to give us some running poses as they passed us with the clear blue skies and beautiful mountains behind them.

After a long day on the mountain it was time to make our way down, it was too much of a good opportunity to miss to pack the camera away for the descent - so the Nikon stayed out so I could photograph the beautiful scenery and get some memories of the day on the way down.

Some of the images will be going on Facebook so be sure to pop over and have a look.  

https://www.facebook.com/reflectivephotograph/

See you next year Mountain!

RatRaces Man Vs Lakes

This 26.2 mile run the competitors will enter the Lake District crossing the quick sands of Morecambe Bay, before plunging north through mountainous country on a rollercoaster running route that brings them to the foot of England’s most famous Lake. A shore-to-shore crossing of Windermere at its narrowest point will set the stage for what is yet to come. The competitors will proceed higher into the hills and forests of the area and immersing themselves into the Lake itself, tackling wades, swims, slides, jumps and an amazing floating assault course. The trademark Man Vs “Vertical Kilometre” will push those quads to breaking point and help to rack up a whopping 3000ft of ascent before the “Swallows and Amazons” rope swing suspended from a crane chucking them into the drink.

This is going to be another epic event that I will have covered for RatRace this year with still more to come, these events get better and better.

Make sure that you check out our Facebook page for a few images from this event next week.

https://www.facebook.com/reflectivephotograph/

RatRace City2Summit

This was an epic event as always with RatRace. It was from Edinburgh castle to the summit of Ben Nevis and then onto Fort William.

As you can imagine the scenery on this event was amazing with rolling hills and changeable weather made for an unmisable event.

I was covering the runners as they completed the first part as they crossed the Forth (road) Bridge. while waiting early in the morning we were treated to it raining on the opposite side of the bridge which gave the a wonderful rainbow just as the first runner came through.  This year is the only time these images will have the runners on the old bridge with the new bridge in the background.

after the competitors had pasted me I then moved on 2 1/2 hours (by car) to Glen Coe and shot them on the bike section, with the mountains in the background. Unfortunately by this time the weather had closed in and the mist and fallen.

Womens Ice Hockey Trophy Weekend

I covered the women's elite ice hockey final last weekend at ice Sheffield with My Team Photo. This was a fantastic two days, with matches from the U16's up to the elite women's finals.

All the action was fast and furious with pucks flying and lot of goals scored, with all players giving their all in the matches they played

Having been a spectator at some men's ice hockey matchs before, these women really do match up in speed and skill

A few images from this event will pop up on our facebook page so look out for those.

https://www.facebook.com/reflectivephotograph/

Shot on target, spot the puck!!