2017 100th Giro d’Italia: Stage 4
For the Centennial Giro d’Italia, the race started on the island of Sardinia before hopping to Sicily. Since it was a landmark edition, every stage appeared to be packed with features — majestic old stone town centers crammed full of people, dramatic sweeping coastlines with aqua blue seas, rugged terrain through the inland hills. Likewise, the first big mountain stage had to be breathtaking. Stage 4 culminated on the black lava slopes of Mount Etna.
It should have presented endless photographic opportunities. Except it wasn’t that easy to capture it dramatically. The actual finish had a downhill before the line. It was a remarkably wide road lined with barriers well past the 1km mark. There was a significant amount of reflection off of the pavement that made exposure challenging. And there weren’t enough fans where the barriers ended. Our fellow photographers all seemed stymied by where and how to shoot — try to get tight action that captured the fireworks or go for a bigger scenic shot that showcased the volcanic atmosphere? I decided on the latter. What would be the point of climbing Mount Etna without really seeing Mount Etna?
I climbed over the barriers and scaled the hillside, perching myself gingerly on the unstable terrain. The whole slope was comprised of slippery, sandy lava grains that my feet sunk into. Once I found firm ground, I was confronted by the wind. At that point, I still couldn’t decide if I had made the right choice on how to shoot. But by then I’d committed to my spot and no other place seemed better. As the lead vehicles came into view, I had several opportunities to capture the race action. But it was the ultimate shot that I was waiting for — the reverse wide scenic shot with the last meters of the racecourse flanked by the black lava hillside and a confetti of fans. A shot worthy of the 100th edition Giro d’Italia.
Key image specs:
Canon 1DX
Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM
1/3200 sec @ f/5 ISO 3200
Focal Length: 117mm
File format: RAW
Shot from the lava hillside above the 750m mark
The post The Shot: Climbing a volcano to capture the Giro appeared first on VeloNews.com.