Taking photos of steep hills
Comments
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Bhima wrote:freehub wrote:Is there any hills around 40-50% in the UK?
There is one road in Wales - the road sign says 1:2.5, which is 40%
No idea where though, just seen a photo of it.
It's not the one that runs up from near Harlech station to somewhere behind the castle is it? I recall that one well from family holidays; I think it's barred to motor traffic but bikes allowed - if you're brave enough!
David"It is not enough merely to win; others must lose." - Gore Vidal0 -
DavidBelcher wrote:Bhima wrote:freehub wrote:Is there any hills around 40-50% in the UK?
There is one road in Wales - the road sign says 1:2.5, which is 40%
No idea where though, just seen a photo of it.
It's not the one that runs up from near Harlech station to somewhere behind the castle is it? I recall that one well from family holidays; I think it's barred to motor traffic but bikes allowed - if you're brave enough!
David
This www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=24052 ??0 -
andrewJohnson wrote:DavidBelcher wrote:Bhima wrote:freehub wrote:Is there any hills around 40-50% in the UK?
There is one road in Wales - the road sign says 1:2.5, which is 40%
No idea where though, just seen a photo of it.
It's not the one that runs up from near Harlech station to somewhere behind the castle is it? I recall that one well from family holidays; I think it's barred to motor traffic but bikes allowed - if you're brave enough!
David
This www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=24052 ??
That's the one - Ffordd Penllech.
A pic here of the really steep bit (in the foreground);
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/105618
:shock:
David"It is not enough merely to win; others must lose." - Gore Vidal0 -
That's it. It's definately steeper than that elevation data suggests.
Also, if you're familiar with the Pym Chair/Jenkins Chapel climb in the peaks, turn left at Jenkins chapel instead of right.
It's downhill for a bit and then, out of nowhere, there's an insane bit with hairpins which go to -35%.
DONT do it in the wet. :shock:
It then gets cobbled/offroad with more 35% bits on the uphill - only doable by MTB, but getting back up those hairpins and back to Jenkins Chapel on the same road is impossible if it's slightly damp.
www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=24056
It's called the "Jenkins Chapel Test Hill" or "The Corkscrew" - they used to race cars up it in the 20s when it was all mud.0 -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jtrickey/2530867606/
Bushcombe Lane :twisted:
I went up it this afternoon, and will probably do the same tomorrow.0 -
I'm getting better!
The first photo is a 30% hairpin bend - it's a spherical panorama made up of 3 layers of 5 images. I've basically taken 5 photos using my body as the centre point to rotate the camera around (instead of a tripod) and then done it twice more, with the camera facing more downwards each time. The first row of photos included the road on the left, the trees and the house, BUT NOT THE REST OF THE ROAD. Therefore, if I do this enough times to capture every possible angle of the road, it should be enough to put the gradient into perspective. The advantage to taking more photos of different parts of the road gives the impression that my camera has a MASSIVE lens, when it doesn't.
The second photo I took today is of a 35% cobbled climb. Yes you hear me correctly - 35%. The hairpin at the top is a lot steeper. If I used the same technique as above on the hairpin, i'd probably need to take more photos to get the ridiculous ammount of drop included. This is only 3 photos - the gate on the right actually opens downhill, so makes the climb look less steep than 35% as your brain uses it to assess the gradient (it assumes the gate will be horizontal). That second fence post is totally vertical, which will give you an idea of how steep it actually is! This shows how important it is to get some kind of visual clues in the picture right!
This is actually on that hairpin, looking up, similar to how I used to take photos. It's about 30% here, yet you don't know it because there's nothing vertical in the picture and i've not stitched enough photos together to get any kind of perspective!
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Bhima wrote:I'm getting better!
The first photo is a 30% hairpin bend - it's a spherical panorama made up of 3 layers of 5 images. I've basically taken 5 photos using my body as the centre point to rotate the camera around (instead of a tripod) and then done it twice more, with the camera facing more downwards each time. The first row of photos included the road on the left, the trees and the house, BUT NOT THE REST OF THE ROAD. Therefore, if I do this enough times to capture every possible angle of the road, it should be enough to put the gradient into perspective. The advantage to taking more photos of different parts of the road gives the impression that my camera has a MASSIVE lens, when it doesn't.
The second photo I took today is of a 35% cobbled climb. Yes you hear me correctly - 35%. The hairpin at the top is a lot steeper. If I used the same technique as above on the hairpin, i'd probably need to take more photos to get the ridiculous ammount of drop included. This is only 3 photos - the gate on the right actually opens downhill, so makes the climb look less steep than 35% as your brain uses it to assess the gradient (it assumes the gate will be horizontal). That second fence post is totally vertical, which will give you an idea of how steep it actually is! This shows how important it is to get some kind of visual clues in the picture right!
This is actually on that hairpin, looking up, similar to how I used to take photos. It's about 30% here, yet you don't know it because there's nothing vertical in the picture and i've not stitched enough photos together to get any kind of perspective!
You have waayyy too much time on your hands. Go and pulla slapper and take some 360 degree shots of her please, showing how steep her curves are.
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Speaking of hills, what was that road in Romania on Top Gear last night? I was itching to get my bike over there when I saw it :twisted:0
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Some really great photos in here. It looks like there are some very nice roads further north. Around kent we do have some beasts but most of the scenery is no where near as attractive as in most of those photos.Contador is the Greatest0
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Has anyone else seen the photos that those lurking photographers take of you on the Galibier?
They stuff a card in your jersey pocket as you go by, you look the image up online later. They are ridiculous; they manage to get some ludicrous angle on the image that makes you look like you are climbing up the side of a house!Complicating matters since 19650 -
Here's a few local hills which I've just about managed to capture the severity of...
your Mytholm Steeps pic fails miserably. It looks nasty on that, but nowhere near as nasty as real life
That Thursden pic is great though. Love that road...apart from that cattle grid at the bottom.0 -
bhima - what the FUCK is that 30 percent cobbled climb?????? :shock:
you could be looking at the harderst uk road climb there!0 -
Team Banana Spokesman wrote:bhima - what the fark is that 30 percent cobbled climb?????? :shock:
you could be looking at the harderst uk road climb there!
Honestly cobbled climbs aint any harder than normal climbs imo, unless it's wet.0 -
iain_j wrote:Speaking of hills, what was that road in Romania on Top Gear last night? I was itching to get my bike over there when I saw it :twisted:
I too was imagining riding that road as well 0 -
Team Banana Spokesman wrote:bhima - what the fark is that 30 percent cobbled climb?????? :shock:
you could be looking at the harderst uk road climb there!
Going out riding that way on Thursday - i'll show you where it is. It probably is the hardest in the UK. I've not done the other contenders though, so can't say... 25-40% with hairpins and cobbles though - it's got to be up there!0 -
This is me on Baldwin Street,Dunedin,New Zealand.
The sign says it has an average gradient of 1 in 3.410 -
reecesanford wrote:
This is me on Baldwin Street,Dunedin,New Zealand.
The sign says it has an average gradient of 1 in 3.41
Where's the bike then?
-Spider-0 -
-spider- wrote:reecesanford wrote:
This is me on Baldwin Street,Dunedin,New Zealand.
The sign says it has an average gradient of 1 in 3.41
Where's the bike then?
He's not allowed a bike on the pavement, especially while carrying a handbag."There's a shortage of perfect breasts in this world, t'would be a pity to damage yours."0 -
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Mark Alexander wrote:ColinJ wrote:It's an interesting question. I've taken photos on some steep hills and sometimes I can't even tell from a picture whether I was looking up a hill or down it. Sometimes the hills really don't look steep at all. I think it helps to keep the camera horizontal and avoid the temptation to point it up or down the hill.
Here's a few local hills which I've just about managed to capture the severity of...
Mytholm Steeps (Climb Church Lane from Hebden Bridge towards Blackshaw Head)
Highfield Crescent, Hebden Bridge (Well over 25% - must try and ride it some time)
Cobbled climb to Old Chamber (follow concrete road up through woods at the back of Hebden Bridge railway station. NB - dead end road)
Deanhead climb from Scammonden Water, next to M62
Thursden near Widdop on road from Colne to Hebden Bridge
Horsehold Road (cross canal by Hebden Bridge Co-op and turn right. NB - dead end road, unless you have a 4x4 or a mountain bike)
The trick is to have a point of reference to show perspective. I chose these examples because in them there are houses which are level.... hopefully, posts and trees at the side of the road. We know these things should be relatively upright.
Just don't take them on a Friday night, upright is a rarity then.
Thought they looked familiar. I did a couple of those one day last summer with my brother in the pouring rain. (we did Church Lane, Deanhead and I think Widdop). Not bad for a couple of ex fat middle aged guys
Thanks for posting. Nice memory.0 -
That pictured is a 33%er.0 -
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Good to see this thread being ressurected again!
I took this one today. I reckon I have the whole perspective thing sorted now.
Took this one the other day. Half of the photos were taken while the sun was out, half when it was cloudy.
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My favourite cobbled road. 8)
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Bhima wrote:Good to see this thread being ressurected again!
I took this one today. I reckon I have the whole perspective thing sorted now.
Took this one the other day. Half of the photos were taken while the sun was out, half when it was cloudy.
wow, I'd love to ride that road, looks well satisfying! much envy .....0
